Audi A3 Sportback E-Tron Goes On Sale Today

The long awaited Audi A3 Sportback e-tron goes on sale officially today, January 13. The car was supposed to be in showrooms in October, but some last minute glitches delayed some of the approvals it needed from regulators. Now, all the proper documents have been stamped with the proper endorsements, so you can sashay down to you local Audi dealer and drive one home if you like.

The A3 Sportback e-tron has an 8.8 kWh battery that gives it up to 17 miles of pure electric range. With that small a battery, it only qualifies for a federal tax credit of $4,158. However, the e-tron is better equipped than the base A3. Subtracting the tax credit from its $37,900 starting price brings it down to just $3,000 more than the price of a base car with less equipment.

According to Inside EVs, the A3 Sportback e-tron is an important car because it will introduce more people to the joys of electric motoring. Those people will tell more people and soon everyone will be clamoring for a plug-in hybrid car. That’s the theory, anyway.

In reality, our own Jo Borras drove one last fall and came away less than impressed. Highest on his list of complaints was the lackluster performance of the car when accelerating from rest. “I expected basically the same experience when driving on electricity as with a fully electric car — not a muted experience.” Perhaps the smallish battery is simply not able to deliver the kind of performance one expects from a base level Nissan LEAF, but if that is the case, it makes you wonder why Audi would even bother making this car. Jo also faulted the car for having regenerative braking that was so weak, he wasn’t even aware of it. No one foot driving in this car.

The bottom like is that this is an Audi and it does have a plug-in hybrid powertrain. If those two things are enough to get you to shell out $37,900 for one, go for it. Get yours today and be the first in your neighborhood to own one of Audi’s first ever plug-in hybrid car.

Announcing A 2016 Best Car To Buy Nominee: 2016 Audi A3 e-Tron

2016 Audi A3 e-Tron Sportback, San Francisco Bay Area, Oct 2015

We were impressed by our first drive of the U.S.-spec 2016 Audi A3 e-Tron Sportback, enough so that it's the first of five nominees for our Green Car Reports 2016 Best Car To Buy award.

The compact hatchback is powered by a 150-horsepower 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine combined with a 76-kilowatt (102-hp) liquid-cooled electric motor, sandwiched between the engine and a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

It's not one of Audi's quattro models--it drives the front wheels only--but the package is both every bit an Audi and a decent first effort at a plug-in hybrid from a brand whose efforts at conventional hybrids have been minimal at best.

We were impressed by our first drive of the U.S.-spec 2016 Audi A3 e-Tron Sportback, enough so that it's the first of five nominees for our Green Car Reports 2016 Best Car To Buy award.

The compact hatchback is powered by a 150-horsepower 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine combined with a 76-kilowatt (102-hp) liquid-cooled electric motor, sandwiched between the engine and a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

It's not one of Audi's quattro models--it drives the front wheels only--but the package is both every bit an Audi and a decent first effort at a plug-in hybrid from a brand whose efforts at conventional hybrids have been minimal at best.

Audi has high hopes for its A3 e-tron, and it could use a new advanced-technology halo car now that its TDI diesel vehicles have been pulled off sale until the various aspects of the sprawling VW diesel emission scandal are solved.

The company says it hopes to sell 200 or more of its first plug-in hybrid each month once sales are up and running.

2016 Audi A3 e-Tron Sportback, San Francisco Bay Area, Oct 2015

And, Audi stresses that it's a 50-state vehicle,with 271 of Audi's 278 U.S. dealers already committed to sell the car, install the special equipment, and train mechanics and staff to handle it.

Laudably, Audi is the first volume carmaker whose portable charging cord includes interchangeable 120-Volt and 240-Volt cords, offering a single unit that can handle any kind of electricity aside from DC quick charging (which isn't offered).

ALSO SEE: Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2016 Award: Nominees Coming

On the road, the A3 is pretty much what it looks like: a nice, competent European compact hatchback that's enjoyable to drive.

In most cases it would move away from a stop in electric mode, and an accelerator detent helped that process. We still get startled when a car in all-electric mode shifts gears, but the A3 e-tron is hardly the only car to do so.

2016 Audi A3 e-tron plug-in hybrid

Noise suppression is quite good, with whine only audible under full acceleration. Otherwise, the engine whirs remotely far up ahead when it switches on--and that process was only perceptible in the background

Our single quibble with the A3 e-tron is its limited electric range, which the EPA rates at 16 miles.

LAST YEAR: 2015 Volkswagen Golf: Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2015

That's now at the low end of ranges for plug-in hybrids, and with the 2016 Chevrolet Volt rated at 53 miles, we think Audi might have more of a guaranteed sale at double that number.

The 2016 Audi A3 e-tron Sportback starts at $38,825; that prices includes the mandatory fee of $925 for delivery.

It qualifies for a Federal income-tax credit of about $4,000 (the exact amount will be determined soon) along with a California purchase rebate of $1,500 and various other state and local incentives.