An Early Look At the Audi A3 Allstreet

The A1 Allstreet Has A Brother In The A3 Allstreet

In the grand scheme of things, the ‘Allstreet’ name seems like a better option since it’s very similar to the ‘Allroad’ badge. The ‘Allroad’ name has been around for nearly two decades and does a better job at brand recall than ‘Citycarver’. But, that said, the latter had a better ring to it, didn’t it?

Anyway, coming to the A3 Allstreet, it is a high-riding version of the A3. In the U.S., you get the A3 only in the sedan form. The Sportback version is sold in Europe and other global markets. So, there is a vacuum here and the A3 Allstreet will fit in perfectly without cannibalizing any other model. But, we’ll have to see if the German automaker plans to get it Stateside. If it’s a model meant for other markets, then where will it find itself positioned since you ‘Allready’ have the Sportback model on offer?

The elements you see all around the body plus the ride height give it some off-road cred but not too much. You can see tacked-on fender flares, a different grille design, and roof rails here. You can also spot the redesigned bumpers and side sills. Expect it to slot between the standard A3 and the Q3 in Audi’s portfolio.

While it may look the part, the A3 Allstreet is not off-road friendly. Except for the ride height and perhaps the all-wheel-drive system, don’t expect anything else that’s even remotely off-road here. As seen in the spy shots, the car even rides on low-profile tires wrapped around big wheels. So, all the things that give you the impression that it can be taken off-road are merely cosmetic.

As for its heart, we expect the same engine to be offered here that you get under the hood of the A3. The Audi A3 comes with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine that makes 201 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. You can have it either in the front-wheel-drive configuration or with a Quattro all-wheel-drive system. When powering the front wheels, the sedan takes 6.6 seconds to 60 mph from rest, and with the all-wheel-drive system, it takes 6.3 seconds. The top speed is limited to 130 mph in both cases. Forget quicker, for all we know, the A3 Allstreet will probably be a tad bit slower to 60 mph.

Again, these are comparisons based on the optimistic thinking that the A3 Allstreet might make it to the U.S. If not, it will be powered by the same 1.4-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine or the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder diesel engine that’s offered in the European models. The earlier prototypes seemed to be plug-in hybrids as there was a charging port on the front left fender, but that is missing here, thus indicating a pure internal combustion engine.

The A3 Allstreet is expected to debut in the coming months as a 2023 model, and it could be priced a few thousand bucks more than the standard A3. The 2022 A3 sedan starts at $34,800 in the U.S. and goes all the way up to $44,100.

Source: Image Credits: Carpix