Better performance fast pickup and great comfortable. Inside, the A3's cabin is as stylish and as well-assembled as its larger Audi siblings. Innovative technology is featured heavily, including a trick digital gauge cluster and a motorized pop-up infotainment screen. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a 4G LTE–powered Wi-Fi hotspot also are available. Interior passenger space is tight, even by compact-car standards, and the convertible model's rear seat is even more snug than the sedan's. Audi offers plenty of driver-assistance features, although most are extra-cost options. Automated emergency braking and forward-collision warning are both standard, but conveniences such as adaptive cruise control, a self-parking feature, and automatic high-beam headlamps are optional.

The A3's turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder is offered in two potencies—186 or 220 horsepower—and is smooth and refined. The higher-powered version rocketed an all-wheel-drive A3 sedan from zero to 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds at our test track and still delivered 34 mpg on our 200-mile highway fuel-economy test loop.