Technology Feature
Audi A3 Sportback £19,825 - £27,180 A car so packed full with technological marvels and curiosities that it seems churlish to talk about the vehicle itself. Suffice it to say that the Audi A3 Sportback is another What Car? winner — the prize here being the ultimate one: Car of the Year 2013. So it’s a great car. But that’s not what we’re here for! Let’s start low-key. Audi have installed the A3 with the Recuperation system which collects heat and kinetic energy from your brakes and stores it in the battery. As you accelerate, the energy is used to give you a boost. Cool, eh? Audi throw a lot of tech into safety and driver assistance and so you can enjoy xenon headlights which swivel and adapt to driving conditions. As well as lane assistance — which vibrates as you veer — you get side assist, which warns you of other cars, and a camera which recognises speed limit signs and displays from on your dashboard. All very helpful, but not very sexy. How about a voice activated satnav? Or a 12 channel, 14 speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system? I’ll tell you what, the DAB radio will sure sound great pumping through that! Then there’s your mobile phone connectivity. The A3 comes with the ‘Phone Box’ which is a dedicated compartment for your mobile and connects the device with the car’s aerial, allowing for better reception (as well as providing a USB socket for charging). The Audi A3 is the gadget lover’s dream. Forget that it’s beautiful to look at, and great fun to drive (while being relatively inexpensive). Get in the car, get comfy and push some buttons — you know you want to!
46 | www.financial-spread-betting.com | March 2013