Has a hot hatch ever changed less than the Audi S3? At the end of the 20th century it was a turbocharged, four-wheel drive, 150mph version of the A3 hatch, with a very subtle visual makeover and safe - if not inspiring - handling. Today Audi reconfirms the appropriateness of that formula with a new version in much the same mould. While not everyone's cup of tea, the new model's vital statistics prove once again that Audi knows precisely what its customers are after.
The fourth generation of S3 is available for UK buyers to order, priced at £37,900 for the five-door Sportback or £38,465 for the Saloon. As before, power comes from a 2.0-litre TFSI turbo, producing 310hp and 295lb ft - figures broadly comparable to its key rivals from Mercedes and BMW. The seven-speed S Tronic dual-clutch is standard fit, meaning 4.8 seconds to 62mph, 155mph and up to 39mpg. Audi is promising a "relatively hushed" sound from the four exhaust pipes in everyday driving, with a sound "crisper and more bass-heavy" when trying a bit harder.
Aiming to complement that performance is a reworked A3 chassis; the S3's ride height is 15mm lower than standard, with progressive steering as well and two-stage damper control available on the Vorsprung model. The latter is said to provide "more discernible and more beneficial differentiation between operating characteristics" than ever before. The quattro all-wheel drive is managed by a multi-plate clutch ahead of the rear wheels and "modular dynamic handling control" which more closely aligns the functions of the ESC and quattro. The overall result is said to be an S3 that can "comfortably and compliantly accommodate long journeys" as well as showing "impressive balance, resolve and agility" through bends. Often lost in the Golf R's shadow, the last S3 was a decently sorted hot hatch - let's hope that continues.
Elsewhere it's as you might expect for a fast Audi, with a lightly overhauled interior and exterior designed to gently hint at the model's sporting intent. Standard wheels in the UK will be 18-inches, the Vorsprung that's set to follow later in the year - and which will likely prove most popular - upping that diameter to 19-inches, while adding Matrix LED lights, Audi Virtual Cockpit Plus, Audi Phone Box, additional active safety technology and the aforementioned damper control. Prices for that model are to follow.
It should come as little surprise that the £37,900 and £38,465 RRPs for the S3 Sportback and Saloon respectively are closely matched to the opposition in a fiercely competitive segment. A BMW M135i xDrive starts at £36,430 (the M235i four-door at £37,255), and the Mercedes-AMG A35 is £35,970 as a hatch or £36,565 as a saloon. So the Audi is more, but expect the amount to be negligible when it comes to those all-important monthly payments. Which one is more deserving of your money is a question to be answered later this year - but it promises to be a close-run thing.
1 / 12