BMW is months away from transitioning the 1 Series and 2 Series Gran Coupe to next-generation models by skipping the usual Life Cycle Impulse. Audi is doing things differently since it’s giving the A3 Sportback and A3 Sedan the traditional midlife update. The two compact models from Ingolstadt are joined by the new A3 Allstreet, a hatchback on stilts. BMW is unlikely to respond to this crossover-ized hatch.
Audi isn’t rewriting the book of design with its 2025 A3 since the car adopts evolutionary styling as one would expect from a facelift. The hexagonal frameless grille is slightly flatter and wider than before while adopting a revised pattern to spruce things up. Audi has a new lower lip that gives the illusion of a larger and more imposing car.
At the back, Audi has redesigned the bumper with a faux diffuser flanked by equally fake exhaust tips. There’s more black plastic than we’d honestly like to see on a luxury car, even if the A3 is near the bottom of the food chain in the company’s vast lineup. In fact, the A3 will become the entry-level car sooner or later since the A1 supermini will be discontinued.
As for the new kid on the block, the front-wheel-drive A3 Allstreet has a raised suspension lending it an extra 30 millimeters of ground clearance. It has plastic body cladding around the wheel arches in the same vein as the bigger A4 and A6 Allroad models. Audi mounts a different grille to echo the Q lineup of crossovers and SUVs, along with roof rails, pseudo skid plates, and wider tires. Depending on the A3 you go for, there are multiple alloy wheel designs available in sizes from 17 to 19 inches.
While BMW is largely giving up on buttons and other physical controls, that’s not the case with the Audi. The 2025 A3 Sportback, Sedan, and Allstreet have plenty of conventional controls for climate settings and other often-used functions. The traditional dashboard layout is certainly easier to use daily compared to cars that have integrated most features inside the touchscreen.
By the way, the new Audi A3 has a 10.1-inch central display and an all-digital instrument cluster. Also standard is a wireless charging pad, joined by a pair of USB-C ports in the front console and another two for rear occupants. Overall, the cabin is more of the same since it has barely changed, but we’d argue that’s a good thing since we like our old-school buttons instead of having to rely on touchscreens.
Initially, Audi will sell the revised A3 only with a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine and a 2.0-liter diesel. Additional gas and diesel powertrains are going to be introduced in Q2 2024, with a plug-in hybrid to follow before the year’s end.
Of course, the S3 and RS3 are also going to receive a nip and tuck. The former has already been confirmed to get more power to battle the future M135i xDrive and M235i xDrive while the latter is also likely to provide more oomph from its 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine. BMW is unlikely to level up the 1 Series and 2 Series Gran Coupe beyond the M Performance variant, which should match the X1 M35i and X2 M35i.
Source: Audi