It's always a great week when there's an Audi in my driveway! This week I bring you the 2025 Audi A3 - a luxury compact sedan that evokes some nostalgia for me as I once leased a 2017 A3. Redesigned in 2022, this year the lineup gets a refresh that gives it some design tweaks inside and out, new features and upgraded materials. Notably, the entire A3 lineup is now equipped with Quattro all-wheel drive, a great move by Audi.
Exterior
The A3 gains sharper looks for 2025 with a few exterior design tweaks.
An updated front fascia now has a frameless grill design, there are new front and rear LED lighting designs, and in the back you'll spot a more pronounced rear diffuser. The 2025 A3 also features Audi's new laser etched B-pillar badging strategy.
My review vehicle wears District Green metallic - one of four new hues available on the A3. It's also equipped with a great-looking Black Optic package which upgrades to newly available 18-inch bi-color finish wheels.
Plus, it also adds black trim and anthracite Audi rings.
Powertrain
An important update for 2025 is to the drivetrain. New this year, all A3s get Quattro all-wheel drive. What this does is give A3s a boost in torque - which results in slightly faster acceleration. Specifically we're talking a boost of 15 pound-feet to 236. Audi cites an improved 0- to 60 time of 6 seconds - 0.3 seconds faster than previously. The 2.0-liter 4 cylinder's horsepower remains the same at 201, and yes, I'd love a boost there as well. For reference the S3 delivers 328-horsepower. Certainly Audi could meet somewhere in the middle?
Interior
The A3's driver-centric cabin is more upscale for 2025 thanks to various thoughtful design changes, upgraded materials and new lighting.
The Santos Brown leather lightens up a dark interior a bit - and volcano gray ash wood inlay trim on the dash looks great, one benefit of its Premium Plus status. Power, heated front seats aren't overly cushiony, and on the smaller side, but they're comfortable. I like the black leather three spoke steering wheel with paddle shifters - which for 2025 features new hands-on-detection.
Door panels are mix of black soft-touch and plastic, bold silver accents and a brown leatherette armrest. Along with the new wood inlays, the refreshed A3 gets a cool new available LED interior lighting Pro package that lights up the door panels and other areas.
The front A/C vents get a slightly different look, though they're still vertical and not the sportier round kind I always loved in the 2017 A3 I once leased.
Technology shines in Audi vehicles, as usual. The Audi virtual cockpit plus 12.3-inch display with traffic sign recognition is great. It's so easy to read.
The multimedia screen is responsive with great graphics, and I adore Audi MMI Navigation plus. It's one of my favorite systems out there. There's even a keypad to input directions. The multimedia system, which integrates Alexa, is functional and user-friendly. New for 2025, the lineup gains access to the Audi App store.
I'm a fan of the minimalist glossy black console and shift-by-wire gear shifter. The A3 has a unique volume control on the center control. It's a circular slider with a touch sensor. It's pretty cool. The center console is on the small side and seems too short to me.
One upgrade I could not live without is the sound system. The 15-speaker SONOS 3D Premium Sound system sounds terrific and replaces a standard 6-speaker system. The speakers aren't distinctive but you do get black Sonos glossy black badging.
Stadium seating in the split-row rear seat means you lose headroom, so it won't be adequate for someone very tall. Legroom is ok. Passengers get a soft-touch drop-down center console with cupholders, A/C vents and two USB-C ports. Seat backs are a mix of soft-touch and plastic, and the door panels have more plastic than up front. A passthrough to the trunk adds some great storage flexibility for a cargo area that's typical for a sedan this size. It's just right for my needs.
Standard features also include: three-zone climate, a wireless charging pad and aluminum front door sill inlays. Note the standard sunroof doesn't have a sunshade, which I didn't mind 8 years ago but would not be my choice today.
Ride and Drive
The A3 is a fun compact luxury sedan to drive. You just can't go wrong with German engineering. A lowered sport suspension gives you a one with the road feeling, but beware it also yields a firmer ride quality along with some road noise. Audi Drive Select - easy to access on the center stack - gives you various driving options, of which Dynamic gives you the best steering feel and throttle feedback. As it's 201-horsepower gives away, it's not a performance powerhouse, but the added torque this year does gives it a bit of an acceleration boost.
Safety
Audi driver assistance technology is fantastic. Standard features include Audi Pre Sense Front, Side Assist with Rear Cross Traffic Assist, and lane departure warning. The Premium Plus adds Adaptive Cruise Assist with lane guidance.
Front and rear parking sensors with rearview camera are standard across the lineup. The Premium Plus adds park assist for help when parking.
What You'll Pay
Loaded with a Premium Plus Package ($2,600), Black Optic Package ($1,750), Tech package ($1,600) and the premium paint hue ($595), you'll pay just over $40,000 for this A3. This is how I would want mine equipped, and I think it's well-priced for a luxury compact sedan loaded with goodies.
Verdict
Important and notable upgrades really make the refreshed 2025 Audi A3 an appealing option for those interested in an entry-level luxury compact sedan that's sporty and fun to drive. For a sportier version with an even greater emphasis on driving dynamics, my choice as a driving enthusiast would be the S3.
2025 AUDI A3 Premium Plus
- What I Liked Most: New wood inlays, ambient lighting, torque boost, technology
- What I would change: Would like less road noise.
- MSRP: Base: $38,200. As equipped: $46,040,
- Official Color: District Green metallic ($595).
- Fuel Economy: 24 city, 34 highway, 28 combined.
- Odometer reading when tested: 1104 miles.
- Curb Weight: 3,461 pounds.
- Spare Tire: Space saving spare tire.
- Length-Width-Height: 176.9 long/ 78.1 with mirrors/ 56.2" high.
- Fuel Tank Capacity: 14.5 gallons with the fuel tank on the passenger side.
- Towing Capacity: pounds.
- 2025 Audi A3 in in a few words: A well-executed, updated gateway to the Audi brand.
- Warranty: 4-years/50,000 miles New Vehicle Warranty/12-year Limited Warranty against Corrosion Perforation/ 4-year Roadside Assistance.
- Final Assembly Location: Ingolstadt, Germany.
- Manufacturer's website: Audi
