Audi connect also integrates apps into the infotainment system that deliver the online community services Facebook and Twitter in a form specially adapted for in-vehicle use. Joining the text-to-speech function is a practical text function: Prepared text modules can be combined with data such as the current position of the vehicle, for example, to keep the driver’s friends informed of the driver’s location, if desired.
A new service from Audi connect is Picturebook Navigation. The driver stores photos of destinations linked with navigation data in a “picture book” on a server. These can be the driver’s own photos or images from Google Earth or the online community.

The driver can then use the images to put together a route. This service is particularly attractive for vacations.

Driver assistance systems.
The new Audi A3 Sportback also uses advanced technologies for the driver assistance systems. The most important of these is Audi adaptive cruise control. At speeds up to 150 km/h (93.21 mph), the radar-based cruise control keeps the car at an interval defined by the driver from the car ahead. With the assistance package, which combines multiple systems, the system is active at speeds up to 200 km/h (124.27 mph). In combination with S tronic, ACC offers a stop & go function for low speeds.

Additional systems round out the lineup. Audi side assist monitors lane changes with rear-facing radar, and Audi active lane assist helps drivers remain in their lane by slightly correcting the electromechanical steering, if necessary. The latter system’s video camera is also used for the traffic sign recognition system, which displays speed limits and other signs. The driver information system with rest recommendation detects when the driver is getting tired and issues a warning.

Several systems are available to make parking easier; the top of the line is the park assist system with 360° display. It takes over steering from the driver when parking in both parallel and perpendicular spaces, maneuvering multiple times, if necessary. Its twelve ultrasonic sensors detect obstacles all round the vehicle. The park assist system can be supplemented with a reversing camera.

Another high-end option is the safety system Audi pre sense basic. If the A3 Sportback begins to skid, it tenses the front seat belts electrically, and the windows and sunroof begin to close. The additional function pre sense front is integrated into the adaptive cruise control. In the event of a pending rear-end collision with the vehicle ahead, it warns the driver in stages and initiates precise and partial braking, if necessary.

At speeds below 30 km/h (18.64 mph), Audi pre sense front brakes the A3 Sportback in an emergency with nearly full power. If a collision occurs nevertheless, a new subsystem is activated: the multicollision brake assistant. It ensures that the vehicle does not continue to roll uncontrolled.

Features.
Audi is launching the new A3 Sportback with a generous array of standard features. The package of restraint systems, which also includes a knee airbag for the driver, can be supplemented with side airbags in the back. The comprehensive list of standard equipment includes such features as a manual air conditioner and a tire pressure indicator.

The driver information system with color display is standard with the Ambition and Ambiente lines. Besides the rest recommendation function, it also includes the efficiency program with gear-change indicator.

The A3 Sportback Ambition also includes sport seats, a sport suspension, 17-inch alloy wheels and the Audi drive select system. Ambiente includes cruise control, an LED interior lighting package and a rear parking system. Individual options directly from the luxury class are available in all trim lines for further customization. These include the panoramic glass roof, the convenience key and auxiliary heating.

Lighting technology.
The new Audi A3 Sportback can be optionally equipped with xenon plus headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights. These form a narrow, visually homogenous contour of light at the top and inside edges, like an eyebrow. If xenon plus headlights are fitted, the rear lights also use LED technology. Light guides fed by LEDs light up in flat, uniform arcs; the turn signal lights close the contour as a strip on the upper edge. The adaptive brake light, which pulses during hard braking, is standard.

The xenon-based Audi adaptive light swivels into curves. It is also linked to the navigation system and can be upgraded with special lighting functions of urban, interurban and highway driving, as well as for intersections and tourist attractions. When combined with the front-facing camera, the light-dark boundary of the headlights is automatically and steplessly adjusted for substantially improved visibility and safety.

A true first in the premium compact class are the optional LED headlights, which previously have only been available in large-size vehicles. The low beams are generated in two free-form reflectors with a total of nine high-performance LED chips. Ten high-performance LEDs in the matt aluminum trim provide the high beams.