Written by: Martin Ward
Wednesday, July 22, 2009 

The A3 was first launched in 1996 and received a major facelift in 2003. It is quite tricky to introduce a special edition version of a 13 year old model, that will have the neighbours looking at it, wanting to sit in it and take photographs but Audi have achieved this. The same happened in the local supermarket car park; it was as if people had never seen an A3 before.

 

The Black Edition is literally what the badge says; everything on the car is black with the exception of the red S Line badges. The front chrome grille surround is now black, it has blacked out rear windows, the wheels are not exactly black, but are a dark smoke grey colour and are officially called 7 twin spoke titanium finish alloys. The interior also has the black theme, with part leather black seats and piano black finishes on the doors, dash and centre console. The car does look very different and it received a big thumbs up from the pub-judges, neighbours and obviously the supermarket shoppers.

  

Audi have been clever in making the A3 available in all body styles (three door Hatchback, Sportback and Cabriolet) and with a choice of petrol and diesel engines, avoiding the natural choice of just having a large petrol engine. They have played safe by including the economical 2.0 TDI 170ps diesel engine in the engine line up. It goes from 0-62mph in 8.0 seconds; not exactly slow but by using this engine, it offers the driver the best of all worlds: style and high MPG. During the time we had this car it achieved an average of 45.4mpg according to the on-board computer and on a long motorway journey it managed a figure as high as 50.2mpg. The official combined figure is 54.3mpg and it has a CO2 emissions figure of 139g/km.

 

All Black Edition models are based on the sporty S Line. It costs £905 more but you do receive a substantial amount of extra equipment. If you want a soft, comfortable ride then the S line would not be the first choice as it has a firm suspension and every bump in the road can be felt. This sports suspension system does however, help dramatically with handling and it feels very solid and safe. If you want a nice comfortable ride then the SE would be the better choice but it lacks the appeal and the look that the Black Edition has. The price is not particularly cheap, at £23,260 for a basic car. The car we tested had a few options so this increased the price up to £24,865. These extras included heated front seats, GSM phone preparation, light and rain sensor pack and pearlescent paint, which we thought should really be standard due to the fact that it is not available with any other paint. The quality throughout is almost perfect, with fit and finish being the best in the business and true to Audi’s high standards.

 

Other manufacturers with models that have been around a while should be inspired by the Black Edition and see if they can create a new, very desirable car by painting everything black and giving the model a fresh look and stylish appearance.

 

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