2020 Audi A3 vs Mercedes-Benz A-Class

What's the difference?

How does that well-known saying go: “More choice than an Audi model line-up”. OK, there is no old saying that goes like that but there should be because Audi model ranges seem to have more grades, variants and types than any other brand.

But wait, now there’s even more with the arrival of the A3 40 TFSI S line plus special edition.

There’s also an all-new A3 being readied just around the corner – it’ll make its debut sometime in 2020 and then you can expect it to be rolled out in its various forms in the next 12 months after that.

This explains why we’re reviewing a special edition here. Manufacturers throw more value behind what will be a last-gen car soon to affect an 'orderly run-out' at the end of that line. 

What’s so special about this special edition, then? Do you get anything extra over a regular A3 40 TFSI Sport which this edition supersedes? What’s the catch? How much more do they want? And will an A3 even suit your life anyway – is it practical, fuel efficient, fast? The answers are all here.

If you want a Mercedes-AMG A45 sedan, you’re dead out of luck - there isn’t going to be one. Your alternatives are the sleeker, more style-focused CLA 45 four-door ‘coupe’, or the A45 hatch, which is more often associated with boy racer types… with deep pockets.

Or you could buy this car - the Mercedes-AMG A35 4Matic sedan. A lot of pundits have questioned the two-prong AMG strategy in the hatchback range, with the A35 slotting between the already-pretty-hot A250 4Matic and A45 S.

In the sedan line-up, however, there’s a different approach, with the Mercedes-AMG A35 4Matic topping the range. So is it a fitting flagship for the small sedan line-up? It certainly has the tech, safety and equipment levels to live up to buyers’ expectations. 

And as a rival to the likes of the Audi S3 sedan, BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe and its own sibling, the Mercedes-AMG CLA35, does it offer a compelling alternative?

Let’s go through it, criteria by criteria.