Audi A3 vs Lexus NX

What's the difference?

Closing in on $60,000 for a small car isn’t cheap. Ask a car dealer and they might even say the hatchback is a good way to get someone into a showroom to eventually look at an SUV.

But I reckon you’d be doing the A3 a disservice to count it out. It’s always been one of those cars that does everything well, and with this current facelift manages to keep its practicality without becoming boring.

It looks good on the outside, it’s smart on the inside and it’s fun to drive while remaining sensible. Even if you get it in bright yellow.

The NX 450h+ Luxury combines high build quality and upmarket looks with plug-in hybrid convenience/performance/economy and numerous luxury appointments. It’s a competent all-rounder that's difficult to fault and clearly meets the needs of many prestige mid-size SUV buyers.

Eye of the beholder and all that, sure, but the A3 looks cool from the outside. It’s got this angular design but manages it without being too aggressive or busy with other design elements, so it still has a ‘premium Euro’ feel to it.

Shooting pics of the car for this review, the harsh light accentuated its sharp lines. It looks sculptural rather than just some little blob. 

At the same time, thanks to the proliferation of sports design packs like the S Line, The A3 looks like it could be an S3, almost. Which makes sense, because the front bumper and rear diffuser as well as the roof spoiler are all partly inspired by RS models.

New for the A3 is the flat, 2D Audi badge, the model name on the B pillar and the new font for its name on the tailgate. 

The lights in the cluster are able to look narrower than before thanks to their customisable settings, which allow you to choose the light signature, while the grille has a flatter appearance and the air intakes are bigger. Even the wheels look like they’re from a sports car.

Whether you’d have the A3 in the Python Yellow of our test car is another thing. I don’t mind a loud colour but I reckon a bit of 'District Green', 'Ascari Blue' or 'Progressive Red' would be the vibe.

Also, any colour that isn’t white is a cost-option on the A3, all of them coming in at $1350, except Ascari Blue which is an Audi Sport colour and costs $1850.

Speaking of the vibe, inside the A3 feels properly nice. It’s not just a spruced up Golf in there. There’s proper Audi character to the car, though that means plenty of piano black trim to get smudgy.

Audi’s done a good job making the layout look sleek without resorting to locating all the controls in the screen. There are design elements in the cabin that aren't strictly necessary but are worth doing for the way they look.

Things like the way the vents flank the driver display or the trim inlay on the passenger side of the dash.

The exterior is a sculptured blend of sharp creases and flowing curves which create a sporty and sophisticated appearance that clearly appeals to many buyers.

The interior looks and feels about as spacious and airy as you could realistically expect in a mid-sized SUV, which is enhanced with the roof open and sunshine pouring in.

The boldly contrasting two-tone grey and camel interior trim in our test vehicle adds to its visual appeal although we suspect such a bold colour choice could also be a stain magnet in everyday use, particularly for young families with lots of sticky kids’ stuff onboard.

Starting from what’s right in front of you as a driver, the steering wheel is the same as in bigger, more expensive Audis. That’s a good thing, because it’s nice to hold, has a good shape for the nine-and-three hand position and it’s not too thick. 

As well as the nice, clear buttons on the wheel, you’ve got some physical controls for the climate control and some of the vehicle functions like parking assist and stop-start under the multimedia screen.

For a car this size, the 10.1-inch central touchscreen is plenty big enough, and the fact it doesn't sit up high over the dash is great. It's like a perfect arm's length for your standard-sized adult (like me). I can reach the other side of the screen without needing to lean.

The fact there’s no head-up display is a bit of a let-down, but the now-standard 12.3-inch driver display is very good. It’s configurable yet clear, and means you can get detailed navigation information in front of you rather than having to look to the multimedia screen. 

The test A3 has genuine leather upholstery, which is $1100 extra. Not the most you’d pay for leather seats in a Euro, and the seats are comfortable. They're nicely bolstered, the drivers’ side is electrically adjustable and the leather doesn’t feel hard or rough to the touch.

Sitting behind my own seating position in the second row is a little tight, however. At 178cm, my knees almost touch the seat in front. There's also no sunroof, and even though there's just about enough light, that omission doesn’t help the cramped feeling.

There are, like the front, two USB-C ports and the air vents in the back, the latter separately adjustable to avoid arguments, though the cupholders in the armrest are in an awkwardly central position.

Behind that, under the 380-litre boot's floor is a space-saver spare tyre. That's better than some SUVs designed for family adventures that only offer up an inflator/repair kit. Keep that up, Audi. Good job. Well done. 

If you fold the rear seats, you get 1200 litres of space. Interestingly, those luggage space figures are the same as the BMW 1 Series.

Its compact dimensions of 4660mm length, 1865mm width and 1660mm height make the usual driving chores in congested urban settings, particularly tight inner-city streets and parking spaces, much easier than a full-size SUV.

With its 2050kg kerb weight and 2540kg GVM, it has a load capacity of 490kg of which up to 75kg can be carried on the roof rails using approved racks.

While almost half a tonne of load capacity may seem ample, keep in mind that the combined weight of five large adults could reach that limit before you could start loading their luggage.

It’s also rated to tow up to 1000kg of braked trailer, which would be ideal for hauling small trailers with a recreational focus like fold-out campers, jet-skis, trail bikes etc. However, Lexus does not publish a GCM figure, so for weekend escapees we don’t know how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time.

There’s more than adequate space for the driver and front passenger, along with storage that includes a bottle-holder and bin in each door, overhead glasses holder and a single glove box.

The centre console has two cupholders and a deep box with padded lid that doubles as a comfy elbow rest. You’ll also find a quartet of USB ports, a 12V socket and wireless phone charging pad.

The rear bench seat is surprisingly accommodating for tall people, given I’m 186cm and when seated behind the driver’s seat set in my position I still have sufficient knee clearance and headroom.

However, with three up, those in the centre must compete for shoulder space plus have their feet either side of the transmission tunnel and knees together between the front seat backrests. So, three adults is okay for short trips but should be capped at two for longer drives.

Rear passenger storage includes a bottle-holder and bin in each door, pockets on both front seat backrests and two cupholders with the centre seat backrest folded forward. The rear of the centre console has adjustable air vents, rear seat heating controls, another 12V socket and a pair of USB ports.

The power tailgate can open by waving your foot under the rear bumper (useful when hands are full) to gain access to the rear luggage area, which provides numerous internal hooks for securing cargo straps or nets plus underfloor storage for the charging cables and more.

This luggage area offers up to 520 litres (more than half a cubic metre) of load volume with the rear seat upright. It expands into what is effectively a small van when the rear seat is folded flat, which can carry everything from a mountain bike to flatpack furniture.

Our test vehicle is the NX 450h+ Luxury (launched late 2025) which sits one rung below the premium 450h+ F Sport on the model ladder. Even though they share the same PHEV all-wheel drive (AWD) underpinnings, the Luxury’s emphasis on providing more affordable luxury at the highest level is reflected in its list price of $84,500, before on-road costs, which is $11,500 less than its F-Sport sibling. Our example is finished in optional 'Graphite Black' prestige paint available at extra cost.

As you’d expect there are plenty of items on the standard equipment list including 18-inch alloy wheels with 235/60 R18 tyres and an inflator/repair kit (no spare), heated door mirrors, tilt-and-slide moonroof, a rear spoiler, roof rails and LED headlights/DRLs to name a few.

Step inside using the smart entry and start function and drivers are treated to luxuries like front seat heating/ventilation with 12-way power adjustment (eight-way passenger), a heated steering wheel with paddle shifters and power height/reach adjustment, digital multi-information display, an electric parking brake, traffic sign recognition, tyre pressure monitoring and active parking aids.

There’s also outer rear seat heating, dual-zone climate control, wireless phone charging, multiple USB ports, 10-speaker premium sound, a 14-inch multimedia touchscreen with multiple connectivity including wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and lots more.

The A3 is powered by a 1.5-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that makes 110kW and 250Nm.

It drives the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission and it can hit 100km/h in a claimed 8.1 seconds.

It’s also got a 48-volt mild hybrid system to help with efficiency, though you’d need to be told about it to notice. It also helps with the A3’s (smooth) stop-start system.

The sophisticated PHEV drivetrain with electronic AWD comprises a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that delivers 136kW of power and 227Nm of torque to the front wheels through a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

There’s also electric motors front and rear, fed by an 18.1kWh lithium-ion traction battery that can provide limited electric-only driving range.

The front electric motor, which assists with driving the front wheels through the CVT, produces 134kW/270Nm while a smaller one exclusively drives the rear wheels with 40kW/121Nm. Although the combined output from these three power sources is 310kW, Lexus claims a total system output of only 227kW to optimise efficiency and reliability.

The petrol engine and electric motor outputs are electronically synchronised and traction is continuously monitored to automatically vary the amount of power being sent to the front or rear wheels to optimise stability and traction in all conditions.

There’s also a choice of drive modes comprising 'Normal', 'Sport' and 'Eco' and paddles on the steering wheel allow manual shifting of the CVT 'ratios' for a more engaging drive, or to increase the regenerative braking effect (like using lower ratios on descents etc).

Several operational modes can also be selected including electric-only driving (we covered 60km on one full charge and 56km on another) and two modes of hybrid driving, plus battery charging while driving courtesy of the petrol engine which during our test charged the battery from near zero to 100 per cent in 56km.

There’s also external plug-in charging of course. At home we used the three-pin domestic wall socket compatible 10A charger/AC Type 2 cable supplied with the vehicle, which took about six hours (at a tiny 2.3kW) to charge from 35-100 per cent.

The A3’s 50-litre fuel tank needs to be filled with RON 95 premium fuel and it’ll drink a claimed 5.3-litres per 100km on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle.

Theoretically you’re topping 900km a tank there, but given how fun this car is to drive you’d have to be well behaved to get even close.

For reference, whenever I was on a normal, day-to-day drive on test the A3's trip computer was returning figures in the mid to high sixes.

Lexus claims average combined consumption of only 1.3L/100km, achieved in ideal lab conditions which is largely irrelevant. When we stopped to refuel after 424km of real-world testing, which included our usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving and switching between the different modes (including 116km of electric-only driving), the dash display was showing 5.7L/100km.

That was close to our own figure of 5.4 calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, so based on our test consumption and depending on the mix of drive modes used, you could expect a realistic driving range of up to 1000km from its 55-litre tank which prefers 95RON premium petrol.

First things first, the A3’s exterior and S Line pack are a clue to the way the car drives. It’s probably not the perfect car if you like a cushy, soft ride. 

Its suspension errs towards the stiffer side of things, and certain bumps can feel more significant than they need to. But even on particularly bad roads or tram tracks in the city the dampers do a decent job of soaking up the harsh stuff.

It also means there’s more road noise than you’d like on some older highway surfaces, but only in a way that might get annoying if you’re on a road trip with the stereo off for some reason.

The upside of that is its steering feels well weighted and accurate. Plus, the way it handles and corners feels like a bit more grunt would make this a proper driver's car.

It’s not too intense, and there’s enough feedback to make it feel like the A3 shouldn't be a city-dweller only when it comes to driving.

Of course, it’s a hatchback, so you've got the advantages that come with less weight and a lower centre of gravity. 

It doesn’t have enough weight to push into understeer more than you’d like on a tight corner. But it also doesn’t feel so light that you’re not sure how it’s going to behave under sharp braking.

The A3’s drivetrain, despite looking underwhelming on paper, feels practical on the road. Sure, 110kW isn't anything wicked, but its 250Nm feel like they’re working in the right places - that being between 1500 and 3500rpm. 

It isn't blisteringly quick but even with the seven-speed transmission operating in default auto mode it usually feels like it's in the right place, let alone chipping in with 'manual' shifts via the paddles or shifting drive modes. The A3 has a choice of 'Normal' and 'Sport' shift settings.

You might be a little disappointed if you thought you’d be getting anything approaching a hot hatch, but for an entry-level model the A3 more than holds its own. It’s a solid platform that performs well without compromising too much when it comes to daily driving ability.

The cabin is what you might call ‘cosy’ for tall people like me (186cm) but there’s still adequate room to find a comfortable driving position.

The ride quality is noticeably firm, which contributes to its sporty feel. The steering is nicely weighted with good response and braking is reassuringly strong.

Acceleration in full-electric and hybrid modes is brisk but not exceptional and about what you’d expect from this powertrain, which engages the rear electric motor for standing starts and other situations to ensure all-wheel drive traction is being deployed when you need it most.

We sampled the different drive modes, with 'Sport' providing a more engaging feel (particularly when manual shifting using the paddle shifters), 'Eco' producing a more subdued response to optimise range and the default 'Normal' providing a pleasant compromise.

Even so, despite its technical wizardry and generous choice of driver preferences, we reckon most daily driving owners would simply plug-in and charge each night, start off in electric-only mode and if needed continue in ‘Normal’ hybrid mode.

The NX has a maximum five-star ANCAP rating (awarded 2022), eight airbags and a suite of active safety features including AEB with pedestrian and daytime cyclist/motorcycle detection, steering assist, lane-keeping, safe exit assist, rear cross traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition, LED DRLs, tyre pressure warning and lots more. The rear seat is equipped with two ISOFIX child seat anchorages and three top tethers.

Audi offers a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is about par for a premium brand, but it also offers five years' free roadside assist and the ability to pay to extend the warranty.

Servicing is $2520 for a five year plan, but the extended two years of 'Audi Advantage' warranty is $3250 and comes with unlimited kilometres, roadside assist and covers two services.

Comes standard with a five years/unlimited km warranty. Same applies to the lithium-ion traction battery, which is eligible for additional warranty coverage of up to five years (so 10 years in total) based on annual inspections.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/15,000km, whichever occurs first. Capped pricing, which applies to the first five scheduled services up to five years/75,000km, totals $3225 or an average of $645 per service.