With a length of 4.15 m and a track of 2.51 m, the 3-door A3 provides the necessary comfort. The boot has a capacity of 350 litres, after folding the rear seat backrest, the boot capacity increases to 1,100 litres.
The car is equipped with a variety of safety features. These include driver and front passenger airbags, as well as a side airbag (since 1997) and front seat belt tensioners. The side body reinforcements in the doors further enhance passive safety.
The body is fully galvanized. A ten-year corrosion-free warranty is provided. To optimize the weight of the car, some of its elements are made of aluminum. These include, for example, the reinforcements in the doors or the beams in the bumpers.
The subframe to which the front suspension is attached contributes to increased ride comfort. The subframe is disconnected from the body via rubber mounts and thus dampens vibrations that would otherwise be transmitted to the passenger compartment. Front-wheel drive models use a rear suspension with levers and a connecting beam, in which the coil springs and shock absorbers are located separately from each other for more favorable use of volume (the previous model used shock absorbers). Thanks to this, it was possible to increase the width of the opening for placing cargo in the trunk.
The all-wheel drive model has a double wishbone rear suspension.
The car can be equipped with both petrol and diesel engines of various power, which allows you to make an appropriate choice depending on the owner's economical or sporty driving style. This manual describes all power units.
The manual covers models with in-line four-cylinder petrol engines 1.6 l (AEH), 1.8 l (AGN, AGU, AQA, AJQ, APY) and 1.9 l diesel engines (AGR, ALH, AHF, ASZ), front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, produced since 1997.
The engines are located transversely in the engine compartment and suspended on a so-called pendulum support, which reduces vehicle vibrations when the engine is idling.
The 4-link independent front suspension with installed shock absorbers virtually eliminates the influence of engine operation on the car control process. Front-wheel drive vehicles use a composite rear axle arm, which allows for the optimal placement of coil springs and suspension shock absorbers independently of each other. The all-wheel drive model has a double-wishbone rear suspension.
The car can be equipped with a five-speed manual transmission (MT) or a four- or five-speed automatic transmission (AT).
(The original article is available on the online resource: AUDIMANUAL)