Driving the 2015 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, the plugged-in European wagon

There are plenty of excuses for not considering a hybrid when buying a new car – some legit, some not so much. My personal favorite has long been “If it only performed like the gas-powered model" — that is, until I test drove the new 2015 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron in the Bavarian Alps a few weeks ago.

Now I think that excuse sounds dumb.

Hybrids and electric cars account for only a small proportion of new vehicle sales — a little more than 3 percent market share or 495,685 of the total 15.5 million U.S. passenger vehicles sold in 2013. The plug-in subset, which includes the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, and Tesla Model S, has even smaller market share, less than 1 percent of all vehicles sold, or just over 96,000. Consumers like the idea fo clean energy vehicles but aren't buying them en masse.

Those benefits come at the cost of performance. Typically speaking, gas-electrics lack the power and handling prowess of their internal combustion engine equipped counterparts. But now there is an exception to the rule: The A3 Sportback e-tron, Audi's first plug-in hybrid.

Visually, the A3 has the strong, compact dimensions of the sedan with a well-proportioned roofline and hatch. Even up close and personal, you’d have a hard time distinguishing this plug-in hybrid electric from the outgoing diesel-powered A3 Sportback. Lucky you won’t have to after this year: All Sportbacks will be e-trons starting in 2015; the configuration is reserved only for PHEVs.

Look closely, however, and you will find slight differences. The grille surround is matte black with 14 horizontal bars and forked chrome struts spread across the air inlets. The car comes with more aero-friendly 19-inch alloy wheels. And, the exhaust pipes have been hidden to reinforce the cars environmentally-friendly intent.

In addition, the four rings mounted in the center of the grille slide to the side to reveal the vehicle’s charging port. Just unhook the four rings logo, and plug in: from an industrial power outlet, it'll take two hours or three hours and 45 minutes from a European household plug. (Audi wouldn’t say how long it will take here in the States.)

Inside, changes include a new gauge cluster that displays status of powertrain, battery charge level and energy use, as well as a button on the dash that toggles between the various hybrid modes, from pure EV to automatic to hybrid charge (the engine feeds the battery) and hybrid hold (battery charge is preserved until the A3 gets off the freeways and encounters urban driving).

A slick LCD rises out of the center of the dashboard to handle navigation, infotainment and other secondary systems. It’s controlled via a BMW iDrive-style touch rotary knob, located on the center console just behind of the shifter, keeping switchgear to a minimum. There also a smartphone app to monitor the e-tron’s state of charge and to determine when battery charging starts, as well as preheating/cooling the car.