What is it?
With the facelifted Mercedes-Benz CLA out now (click here to read our review) and the 2017 Audi A3 just arriving, things are heating up in the entry-level premium sedan segment. Like the updated CLA, this new A3 is less about ground-breaking changes and more about subtle but noteworthy improvements. As a result, the 2017 A3 has received a few cosmetic changes, but the new look is just the beginning for this much-needed update.
We were invited to the picturesque Bheemili beach at Vizag for our first drive of the 2017 A3. Long winding corners and narrow coastal tarmac mixed with some clearly marked diversions were the order of the day. Here’s how the updated A3 fared.
The A3’s refresh for 2017 amounts to quite a few mild tweaks on the outside. Upfront, there’s the A4-like single frame grille and air dams that are a lot more aggressive looking than before. The LED headlamp cluster now gets the same kink as the A4’s. At the back, the most obvious change are the tail lamps with sharper detailing and dynamic turn indicators – the latter really lifts up the premium quotient, if you ask us.
The 2017 A3 may still be little conventional looking but overall there is no denying that its handsome and really well proportioned. Perhaps this design would even age the least when compared to all its counterparts in this segment.
