Scottish COTY - Best Executive car - AUDI A3

Executive class honours go to the Audi A3, chosen by the expert panel formed of members of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers

• Audi A3 wins Executive Car category in 2013 SCOTY awards
• A3 range now comprises three-door, Sportback, Saloon and flagship S3 variants, plus the forthcoming all-new Cabriolet due in March 2014
• S3 Saloon and S3 Cabriolet also planned for next year
• Gripping quattro permanent all-wheel-drive takes to new TDI engine
• A3 prices start from £18,280 OTR for the three-door SE, to £32,740 for the S3 Sportback quattro

Throughout its most ambitious expansion programme ever the all-new Audi A3 range – which will soon include three-door, five-door Sportback, Saloon, Cabriolet and S quattro models – has been making waves in the media, and a Scottish Car of the Year Executive Category Award is the latest acknowledgement of its popularity.

Presented last night at a high profile ceremony in Glasgow, the hotly contested Executive Car of the Year award comes courtesy of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers, whose members test dozens of new cars each year and report their findings in the country’s key national and regional titles.

Commenting on the class victory Alisdair Suttie, President of the Association, said: “The premium arena has become a closely contested battlefield. Historically a segment dominated by the Germans, 2013 is no exception with models from the big three brands all featuring highly on the voting sheets. Our winner was the first executive hatch of its type when the original was launched in 1996 and now in its third generation continues to set the standards in terms of desirability and quality. An array of impressively efficient yet powerful engines seals the deal.”

Ben Fish, Product Marketing Manager for Audi UK, added: “The Audi A3 range is broader and more appealing than ever, but it also has competition that has never been more formidable, so it is hugely gratifying to see the car that originally carved out the premium compact hatch segment continuing to excel in the eyes of such respected judges. The fact that they have deemed it to be worthy of an executive category award only reinforces the huge strides forward made by the latest generation model.”

An Audi A3 for all applications
Three different variants of the Audi A3 are now available to order in the UK, the most recent of which being the A3 Saloon, which will be followed in 2014 by a fourth Cabriolet version. Depending on body style these can be combined with a choice of up to eight advanced petrol and TDI engines, including the ultra-frugal 74.3mpg, 99g/km 1.6 TDI and the potent 300PS 2.0-litre TFSI reserved for the S3. The more powerful engines in the range can also be combined with quattro all-wheel-drive.

The Audi A3 and A3 Sportback are offered in SE, Sport or the top-end S line trim, and the Saloon with a Sport or S line specification. Prices start at £18,280 OTR for the A3 1.2 TFSI SE and rise to £29,435 OTR for the A3 2.0 TDI 184 PS quattro S line. Sportback variants command a £620 premium over three-door models, and Saloons a £550 premium over their Sportback equivalents.

At the high performance end of the spectrum, S3 and S3 Sportback prices start at £30,640 and £31,260 respectively.