**A Comprehensive Review of the BMW 1 Series, Audi A3 Sportback, and Mercedes-Benz A-Class**

When it comes to compact premium hatchbacks, three cars stand out from the crowd: the BMW 1 Series, Audi A3 Sportback, and Mercedes-Benz A-Class. In this article, we'll take a closer look at each of these vehicles, exploring their features, performance, and overall driving experience.

**The BMW 1 Series: A Rear-Wheel Drive Delight**

One of the standout features of the BMW 1 Series is its rear-wheel drive layout, which makes it more sporty and fun to drive. Unlike its front-wheel drive rivals, the 1 Series delivers a more engaging driving experience, with better handling and less tendency to understeer or oversteer. The car's comfort and ride quality are also impressive, with good body control and a smooth ride even on rough roads. However, one drawback is the noticeable amount of road noise that seeps into the cabin, particularly when revving the engines.

The BMW 1 Series boasts an excellent infotainment system, which features Apple CarPlay as standard. While Android Auto is also available, it's not yet a standard feature across all trim levels. The car's design and build quality are top-notch, with a swooping lines and premium materials that exude luxury. In terms of performance, the 2.0L diesel engine in our test model delivered strong numbers, averaging 47mpg on the economy cycle.

**The Audi A3 Sportback: A Well-Rounded Small Premium Hatchback**

The Audi A3 Sportback is a masterclass in how to design a well-rounded small premium hatchback. It's not as sporty as the BMW 1 Series, but it still corners very well and is comfortable and quiet on the road. The car's interior is beautifully appointed, with a range of materials and trim options that make it feel like a luxury vehicle at an affordable price point.

One notable feature of the A3 Sportback is its impressive infotainment system, which boasts a swiveling wheel and touchpad interface that makes navigation and entertainment tasks easy to access. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both available, although smartphone mirroring is not yet supported. The car's design is sleek and modern, with plenty of character-defining features that set it apart from its rivals.

**The Mercedes-Benz A-Class: A Premium Badge Car**

When it comes to the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, there's no denying the appeal of its premium badge. It looks great on the outside, and its interior appointments are luxurious and refined. However, when compared to its rivals, the A-Class feels slightly lacking in terms of comfort and refinement. The car is also noisier than expected, with a certain amount of road noise seeping into the cabin.

The A-Class engine options are only adequate, with the 2.1L diesel engine delivering decent numbers but not spectacular ones. Our test model averaged just 45mpg on the economy cycle, which is disappointing given its lower power output and higher weight compared to the BMW 1 Series. The car's handling and steering feel vague by comparison to its rivals, although it does have a certain charm and character that makes up for this.

**The Verdict: A Close Call Among the Small Premium Hatchbacks**

Ultimately, each of these vehicles has its strengths and weaknesses, and the best choice will depend on individual preferences. The BMW 1 Series is undoubtedly the most fun car to drive, with its rear-wheel drive layout making it a joy to toss around corners. However, its road noise and limited smartphone mirroring capabilities hold it back from perfection.

The Audi A3 Sportback, meanwhile, offers an unbeatable combination of practicality, comfort, and desirability. Its impressive infotainment system and beautifully appointed interior make it a top contender for those seeking a luxury small premium hatchback.

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class, on the other hand, is a more nuanced option that delivers its unique blend of premium badge appeal and character-defining features. While it may not quite match its rivals in terms of comfort and refinement, it remains a solid choice for those seeking a premium badge car with a unique personality.

**Final Thoughts**

In conclusion, these three small premium hatchbacks offer distinct strengths and weaknesses that set them apart from one another. The BMW 1 Series delivers a more engaging driving experience, while the Audi A3 Sportback offers an unbeatable combination of practicality and desirability. Meanwhile, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class provides a unique blend of premium badge appeal and character-defining features.

If you're in the market for a compact premium hatchback, we recommend taking each of these vehicles for a test drive to determine which one best suits your needs and preferences. With its impressive infotainment system, beautifully appointed interior, and well-rounded design, the Audi A3 Sportback is our top pick among these three contenders.

**Individual Reviews**

For those seeking more detailed information on each vehicle, we recommend checking out our individual reviews of the BMW 1 Series, Audi A3 Sportback, and Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Our in-depth assessments cover everything from performance and handling to design and build quality, providing a comprehensive understanding of each vehicle's strengths and weaknesses.

By taking the time to research and compare these three vehicles, you'll be well-equipped to make an informed decision about which one best suits your needs and preferences. Happy shopping!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enif you want a small car that doesn't compromise on luxury nor desirability then you need one of these but which should you choose between the recently updated Mercedes a class the even more recently updated Audi A3 sportback or the not quite so recently updated BMW one series small Posh car group test yeah these are cars I can actually afford and I want to help you decide which of these suits you best I'm going to compare their cabins I feel like I'm sat in the future critique their design it's a little bit like Curry ver and sauerkraut see how practical they are so yeah it's a case of form over function and test what they like to drive now this one Series has an ace of its sleeve but first let's talk about their prices so the a class starts at 19,900 the A3 is a bit cheaper it starts at 9,365 but it's the BMW that's the most expensive because it starts from $2,930 but then it does have a more powerful engine the entry level BM W than the other two cars and anyway what really matters is the price you can get on these cars in real life and if you click up there to go to car. co.uk you can build your ideal car and see the best deal you can get on it so let's start with the BMW which is actually the oldest car here but hey I'm here to do an unbiased review so that shouldn't put you off this car and actually you know there's plenty to like about this one series such as it is definitely the most sporty feing to sit in and I like that about it trouble is the design is a little bit on the boring side and what it feels solid there are quite a few Cheapo materials if you look deep enough it's actually a very similar story here in the a class I mean it all looks very good but it just seems to have a little bit more Pizzazz than the da BMW but the attention to detail isn't quite what you might expect from a Mercedes for instance the door trim doesn't match up to the dash I mean come on guys there's none of that slap Dash nonsense here in the Audi A3 oh no instead you got some rather cool features like this optional digital drivers display this is one totally aome upgrade and it's dead easy to use and so is the rest of the cabin material quality is noticeably superior to the BMW and the Mercedes and the design is simple yet elegant a theme which continues on the outside of the car Audi has recently given the A3 a little bit of a revamp with some new bumpers at the front and here at the back plus some pulsing rear indicators despite the changes though the Audi is still the most conservative the BMW on the other hand has a far more distinctive flavor it's a little bit like Curry verst and sauerkraut not to everyone's taste there is no doubting this is a BMW and in this M sport trim it looks like it means business though in an aggressive Telly cell sort of a way with the a class it's all about that Mercedes badge which is absolutely massive it's a bit like having a huge logo on a piece of designer clothing to be fair the design does a good job of combining the Elegance of the Audi with the sportiness of the BMW but there is a price to pay for your art so the design of these lights actually eat into the boot opening so yeah it's a case of form over function the boot is not only the hardest to pack it's also the smallest of the three and while cubby spaces are good fitting a chart seat is made Difficult by the small doors and tight rear Headroom means it's a squeeze for taller people in the back however it's okay for shorter people and wide enough to make three up not too much of a squeeze the BMW has better rear Headroom but the narrow body means it's the worst for carrying three at once plus it has the least leg room however ever wide opening rear doors means fitting a baby seat is hasslefree also the boot is bigger and easier to load than the Mercedes a classes what's more surprising is that in the BMW incast storage is actually pretty decent I mean look at the front door bins they can hold three drinks actually this too get rid of that c are just as good in the Audi and it has the biggest and most useful boot with an adjustable Force floor and loads of room the widest rear doors and easy access isix anchors make it the simplest for fitting a child seat and if has the best rear head and legro of all three cars here it's just a shame the central seat is really uncomfy if it's just two of you in the back then there's Oodles of room it's definitely the most comfy car of the three in the rear seats and the most practical one overall however this isn't usually a priority for these kind of cars what's often a bigger lure for Target buyers is onboard technology so the Mercedes it is okay but it system isn't quite as slick as the other two cars also the screen is a little like a knockoff iPad though it does look better with the larger display you get if you upgrade to the expensive command online but if you don't want to spend the extra cash you do get apple carplay as standard though at the moment there's no Android auto however you don't get any smartphone mirroring with the BMW but it's not such an issue as the iDrive is the most intuitive operating system here it's just so easy to use and the online services are impressive the swiv wheel and touchpad system is the nicest to operate too the new Audi system gets very close though it's really good to use and well thought out plus it's the only car here to get both Apple carplay and Android auto but the icing on the cake is that amazing optional virtual cockpit which just helps the new A3 to win this Tech battle but that doesn't mean the war is over these cars still need to fight things out on the road let's start with the BMW now this one Series has an ace of its sleeve and that's the fact that unlike the other two which are front-wheel drive it's actually rear wheel drive and that just makes it more sporty and more fun and actually it's a really comfortable car to travel in it deals with bumps in the road very well if there is one problem it's the fact that you do get quite a lot of road noise can't F the engines really I mean they are a bit noisy the Diesels but they're strong performance and pretty economical I'm averaging 47 in this 2 L 120d I actually prefer the petrols always get an auto if you can afford it the 8-speed Auto in the BMW 1 series is wonderful the automatic in the Audi A3 isn't quite as good but it's still pretty impressive and the manuals are definitely nicer to use than those in the B BMW but how does the rest of the car compare okay so this car is the perfect lesson in how to do a well-rounded small premium hatchback so it might not be as sporty to drive as the BMW but it still Corners very well and it's super comfy and quiet I mean everything just works it's just dead easy to live with this is a car that you can enjoy no matter whether you're driving in town on the motorway or on a twisty Road it is really impressive so to of the engines this diesel I've got in this the 2 L diesel 150 horsepower supposed to do well 67 MP gallon and I'm getting I'm getting 56 it's really hard to fault this A3 maybe that makes it a little bit predictable but predictably good finally we come to the a Class A Car which has so much to live up to considering how good the rest of the Mercedes range is so have we saved the best till last so when you first drive the Mercedes a class you really hope for a lot because it does look pretty smart on the outside and it's got that three-pointed are in isolation it's all right but when you compare it to its premium Rivals it seems just a little bit lacking it's not as comfortable as it should be it's noisier than you'd expect the Mercedes to be the engines are only all right and the diesel in this it's it's quite noisy when you rev it out it's punchy enough though the 2.1 l in this A200 and economy should be around 68 m per gun though I'm only getting 45 oh dear and if you think this car is sporty because it looks sporty yeah don't go throwing it into any Corners because it does start to run wide if you get a bit carried away and it doesn't help the steering is all it's really vague still loads of people will buy it because of the badge w't there let's be honest so then where does all that leave us well the a class I mean it looks great and it's got that Ultra desirable Mercedes badge which well well that'll be enough for some people the BMW 1 Series yeah it's the most fun car here to drive and it's got a brilliant infotainment system but really it's the new Audi A3 sport back with its well it does everything it's practical it's comfortable it's desirable it's packed full of tech and it drives beautifully you know I could go on but we need to finish the video and that's why the A3 sportb wins this test if you enjoyed this video please like it share it and subscribe to our Channel and if you click over there you can watch the individual reviews of the Audi A3 the Mercedes AC class and the BMW 1 series now did you know that the Audi A3 using this test actually had over £5,000 worth of options on itif you want a small car that doesn't compromise on luxury nor desirability then you need one of these but which should you choose between the recently updated Mercedes a class the even more recently updated Audi A3 sportback or the not quite so recently updated BMW one series small Posh car group test yeah these are cars I can actually afford and I want to help you decide which of these suits you best I'm going to compare their cabins I feel like I'm sat in the future critique their design it's a little bit like Curry ver and sauerkraut see how practical they are so yeah it's a case of form over function and test what they like to drive now this one Series has an ace of its sleeve but first let's talk about their prices so the a class starts at 19,900 the A3 is a bit cheaper it starts at 9,365 but it's the BMW that's the most expensive because it starts from $2,930 but then it does have a more powerful engine the entry level BM W than the other two cars and anyway what really matters is the price you can get on these cars in real life and if you click up there to go to car. co.uk you can build your ideal car and see the best deal you can get on it so let's start with the BMW which is actually the oldest car here but hey I'm here to do an unbiased review so that shouldn't put you off this car and actually you know there's plenty to like about this one series such as it is definitely the most sporty feing to sit in and I like that about it trouble is the design is a little bit on the boring side and what it feels solid there are quite a few Cheapo materials if you look deep enough it's actually a very similar story here in the a class I mean it all looks very good but it just seems to have a little bit more Pizzazz than the da BMW but the attention to detail isn't quite what you might expect from a Mercedes for instance the door trim doesn't match up to the dash I mean come on guys there's none of that slap Dash nonsense here in the Audi A3 oh no instead you got some rather cool features like this optional digital drivers display this is one totally aome upgrade and it's dead easy to use and so is the rest of the cabin material quality is noticeably superior to the BMW and the Mercedes and the design is simple yet elegant a theme which continues on the outside of the car Audi has recently given the A3 a little bit of a revamp with some new bumpers at the front and here at the back plus some pulsing rear indicators despite the changes though the Audi is still the most conservative the BMW on the other hand has a far more distinctive flavor it's a little bit like Curry verst and sauerkraut not to everyone's taste there is no doubting this is a BMW and in this M sport trim it looks like it means business though in an aggressive Telly cell sort of a way with the a class it's all about that Mercedes badge which is absolutely massive it's a bit like having a huge logo on a piece of designer clothing to be fair the design does a good job of combining the Elegance of the Audi with the sportiness of the BMW but there is a price to pay for your art so the design of these lights actually eat into the boot opening so yeah it's a case of form over function the boot is not only the hardest to pack it's also the smallest of the three and while cubby spaces are good fitting a chart seat is made Difficult by the small doors and tight rear Headroom means it's a squeeze for taller people in the back however it's okay for shorter people and wide enough to make three up not too much of a squeeze the BMW has better rear Headroom but the narrow body means it's the worst for carrying three at once plus it has the least leg room however ever wide opening rear doors means fitting a baby seat is hasslefree also the boot is bigger and easier to load than the Mercedes a classes what's more surprising is that in the BMW incast storage is actually pretty decent I mean look at the front door bins they can hold three drinks actually this too get rid of that c are just as good in the Audi and it has the biggest and most useful boot with an adjustable Force floor and loads of room the widest rear doors and easy access isix anchors make it the simplest for fitting a child seat and if has the best rear head and legro of all three cars here it's just a shame the central seat is really uncomfy if it's just two of you in the back then there's Oodles of room it's definitely the most comfy car of the three in the rear seats and the most practical one overall however this isn't usually a priority for these kind of cars what's often a bigger lure for Target buyers is onboard technology so the Mercedes it is okay but it system isn't quite as slick as the other two cars also the screen is a little like a knockoff iPad though it does look better with the larger display you get if you upgrade to the expensive command online but if you don't want to spend the extra cash you do get apple carplay as standard though at the moment there's no Android auto however you don't get any smartphone mirroring with the BMW but it's not such an issue as the iDrive is the most intuitive operating system here it's just so easy to use and the online services are impressive the swiv wheel and touchpad system is the nicest to operate too the new Audi system gets very close though it's really good to use and well thought out plus it's the only car here to get both Apple carplay and Android auto but the icing on the cake is that amazing optional virtual cockpit which just helps the new A3 to win this Tech battle but that doesn't mean the war is over these cars still need to fight things out on the road let's start with the BMW now this one Series has an ace of its sleeve and that's the fact that unlike the other two which are front-wheel drive it's actually rear wheel drive and that just makes it more sporty and more fun and actually it's a really comfortable car to travel in it deals with bumps in the road very well if there is one problem it's the fact that you do get quite a lot of road noise can't F the engines really I mean they are a bit noisy the Diesels but they're strong performance and pretty economical I'm averaging 47 in this 2 L 120d I actually prefer the petrols always get an auto if you can afford it the 8-speed Auto in the BMW 1 series is wonderful the automatic in the Audi A3 isn't quite as good but it's still pretty impressive and the manuals are definitely nicer to use than those in the B BMW but how does the rest of the car compare okay so this car is the perfect lesson in how to do a well-rounded small premium hatchback so it might not be as sporty to drive as the BMW but it still Corners very well and it's super comfy and quiet I mean everything just works it's just dead easy to live with this is a car that you can enjoy no matter whether you're driving in town on the motorway or on a twisty Road it is really impressive so to of the engines this diesel I've got in this the 2 L diesel 150 horsepower supposed to do well 67 MP gallon and I'm getting I'm getting 56 it's really hard to fault this A3 maybe that makes it a little bit predictable but predictably good finally we come to the a Class A Car which has so much to live up to considering how good the rest of the Mercedes range is so have we saved the best till last so when you first drive the Mercedes a class you really hope for a lot because it does look pretty smart on the outside and it's got that three-pointed are in isolation it's all right but when you compare it to its premium Rivals it seems just a little bit lacking it's not as comfortable as it should be it's noisier than you'd expect the Mercedes to be the engines are only all right and the diesel in this it's it's quite noisy when you rev it out it's punchy enough though the 2.1 l in this A200 and economy should be around 68 m per gun though I'm only getting 45 oh dear and if you think this car is sporty because it looks sporty yeah don't go throwing it into any Corners because it does start to run wide if you get a bit carried away and it doesn't help the steering is all it's really vague still loads of people will buy it because of the badge w't there let's be honest so then where does all that leave us well the a class I mean it looks great and it's got that Ultra desirable Mercedes badge which well well that'll be enough for some people the BMW 1 Series yeah it's the most fun car here to drive and it's got a brilliant infotainment system but really it's the new Audi A3 sport back with its well it does everything it's practical it's comfortable it's desirable it's packed full of tech and it drives beautifully you know I could go on but we need to finish the video and that's why the A3 sportb wins this test if you enjoyed this video please like it share it and subscribe to our Channel and if you click over there you can watch the individual reviews of the Audi A3 the Mercedes AC class and the BMW 1 series now did you know that the Audi A3 using this test actually had over £5,000 worth of options on it\n"