Audi A3 Saloon boot space, practicality and safety

• Boot capacity more than hatchback A3
• However, boot isn’t as wide or long
• Middle rear seat space could be better

Good news – despite being the junior Audi saloon, there is more than enough room for a small family. Up front there’s plenty of elbow space for both passenger and driver to sit comfortably. It’s not all that different to the regular hatchback A3, meaning headroom is ample for everyone. Legroom for rear passengers is helped by sculpted front seats.

But like most other small-ish cars, legroom for the middle seat passenger isn’t great.

Storage space is adequate. The door bins are capable of carrying a litre bottle of water. Cupholders in between the driver and front seat passenger fold out, so it doubles up as a general cubby or and a cupholder.

Plenty of space for phones in the centre console too. Most phones will fit in the car’s wireless charging section too.

The saloon is 6.5-inches longer than the hatchback. This results in a boot that measures in at 425 litres – exactly the same as the previous A3 saloon. More importantly, that’s 45-litres more than the A3 hatchback.

However, the hatchback has a wider opening, and the rear seats can be folded down too. This makes the hatchback a lot more practical for carrying things like bikes.

Enlarge0videoEnlarge20photo

Will it fit in my garage?

The A3 Saloon is 4,495mm long, 1,816mm wide, and 1,425mm high. Parking sensors are standard, but not all models come with reversing cameras.

How safe is the Audi A3 Saloon?

• Not officially tested by Euro NCAP
• Hatchback A3 gets five stars
• Assistance systems work well without being overly nannying

Officially, the A3 Saloon hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP. However, the hatchback version has been and it scores a full five out of five rating.

All A3 models come with Audi’s pre-sense front collision warning systems, along with an automatic braking system that has both pedestrian and cyclist detection.

Lane departure warning, cruise control, and adaptive cruise control can all be specced in an A3. We find Audi’s systems particularly intuitive and subtle in implementation. Rarely does the software tug hard at the wheel – it’s all mostly smooth.

The two rear ISOFIX points include covers that don’t need to be removed (so can’t get lost) while there’s another ISOFIX point up front.

Watch the A3 Sportback Euro NCAP crash test video