by James Lewis Jr.
The 2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron is “THE” car if you are seeking an efficient, technologically infused, fun-filled vehicle in which to attend to all of your traveling needs. This vehicle stays true to Audi’s well known theme and design of paying close attention to details and offering an unique driving experience. I had the pleasure of experiencing the 2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron which is a plug-in hybird (pre-warning…this is definitely NOT a Prius) that offers up to a 17-mile range when operating solely on its 8.8 kwh battery, which qualifies you for a federal tax credit of approximately $4,000+/- is somewhat of a price reduction gift given the base price of roughly$38, 825 and according to which state you reside in, moving on. This vehicle has the important task of offering people the exquisite pleasure of electric motoring!
Lets get the technicalities over with so that we can move on to the fun stuff such as the driving experience!
The Drivetrain is a 1.4Liter direct-inject turbo gasoline four, with a 6-speed S tronic transmission, 75-kW electric motor, FWD (front wheel drive) capability. The Output is 204 Horsepower, 258lb-ft combined system power. The Fuel Economy 37/41/39mpg; the fuel economy based upon my observation was within the 14-15 mile range in EV mode. The handling of the car performed to my expectations of an Audi (it was better than most of the plug-in hybrids that I’ve tested thus far), it had sufficient cargo space and it was a thrill to drive.
The 2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron battery pack is positioned under the rear seat of the car (the area usually occupied by the gas tank), the gas tank was relocated to the place where you would normally find the spare tire while the spare tire (what becomes of it you may wonder) is replaced by a can of Fix-a-Flat type of seal-n-air product to fix flat tires.
So putting all of this information in layman’s terms…the 2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron’s designers and engineers gave it a 150-horsepowered 1.4 Liter turbocharged 4-cylinder gas engined partnered with a 102-horsepowered electric motor and a manificient 6-speed S tronic transmission. See I told ya it’s not a Prius! Plus the battery charges while you’re driving and it will warn you when you need to recharge it by showing you on the driver’s infotainment center a gasoline pump symbol for both the ev and the gas tank! How to “plug it in” say you? As easy as this…
Anyone can charge the Audi A3 e-tron its just this simple
Here’s a peek at the engine of the Audi A3 e-tron
The exterior color of the one I test drove was Misano Red Pearl Effect, the interior was Black (forgive me I’ve forgotten the proper name) with LED ambience lighting and an infotainment center that easy to access and manipulate.
Bottom line folks is this, if you’re seeking a plug-in hybrid for your “average” and “not so average commute” that would fit within the EV or “Plug-in” of most manufactures (you know your typically 14-15 mile radius each way to work–in a perfect world); than the 2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron is the vehicle for you.
