| Updated model | Audi A3 & S3 |

The Audi A3 has received a makeover to bring its looks into line with Audi's new bolder style. Daytime running lights are now fitted to the A3, following Audi's current design thinking seen on the new A4.

Longer front and rear bumpers extend the overall length of the A3 in three- and five-door shapes, while the front grille also becomes more prominent. Additionally there's a new shape to the front spoiler on the hottest S3 model to give a more aggressive appearance. At the rear, new lights with LED elements give a more distinctive look.

Inside, the A3 has been revised with aluminium trim around the air vents and light switches. A new shift indicator tells the driver when to change gear for the best fuel economy, while the S3 gains a new steering wheel with a flat bottom similar to that used in the R8 supercar.

The petrol engine range remains unchanged, but the 2.0-litre turbodiesel unit is now Audi's common rail engine as seen in the A4 with 143bhp. There's also the addition of the 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol unit with 160bhp.

While the 1.6-litre petrol and 1.9 turbodiesel engines will come with five-speed manual gearboxes, the rest of the range will have six-speeders as standard. There will also be the option of Audi's S-Tronic sequential six-speed manual gearbox for the 3.2 V6 petrol model. The 1.8 TFSI petrol will be offered with the new seven-speed version of the S-Tronic gearbox, while quattro four-wheel drive remains an option with most engines.

Audi is also set to offer its magnetic damping as an option for A3 customers. This offers the choice between normal and sport settings for the suspension to tune it for the conditions and driver's mood.

The S3's suspension has been lowered by 25mm and the brakes have been upgraded to cope with its improved performance. Power remains the same at 261bhp, but the 2.0-litre turbo engine has been revised to drop the 0-62mph time to 5.7 seconds.

The reworked Audi A3 range is set to go on sale this summer and Audi will announce UK pricing to closer to the launch date.

Alisdair Suttie - 24 Apr 2008