2018 Audi S3 Reviews

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the Audi S3 Sportback, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Nothing has been carried over from the previous Audi S3.

The line between Audi’s high performance RS and the "lesser" S models seems to be blurring if the new S3 Sportback is any guide

f you think an Audi A3 convertible is a hairdresser's car, here's a version that makes a mess of any salon sculpture.

Audi's third-generation A3 has been a success story for the brand since its launch in May 2013.

Luxury German brand Audi has recorded booming sales of its high-performance range, showing once again that Australian drivers like their cars to have plenty of life in them.

Real estate has its three golden Ps -- position, position and position. The car game can also boast its own Ps -- power, performance and personality. Audi's hot hatch the S3 Sportsback has them all.

Shorter, lighter, lower, faster, more fuel-efficient -- and cheaper -- than the current one, the new Audi S3 sedan is a deceptive beast.

Audi's hot baby is back but three doors gives way to five. Nimble, a fiery disposition and remarkably roomy, Audi's compact five-door S3 gets ready to knock loudly on Australia's door.It's a welcome return. In the short list of cars that thrill and delight, there is a smaller list of cars that live not only in our minds, but live on in remarkably fresh condition in our garages.The Audi S3 is one of the rare, performance-oriented small cars that is built to levels of quality that few, if any, of its rivals can match. Now it's back - and on sale in December - with the same impressive perfection of construction but enhanced with more power, less fuel consumption and more features.But some things do change. Australia is to miss out on the three-door, hot hatch Audi S3 and instead get the same dynamic drivetrain in the five-door Sportback body. “There's no sufficient market for a three-door in Australia,” says Audi Australia spokesperson Anna Burgdorf.“We have found sales for the three-door model to be very slow. So the A3 is not available as a three-door and even the A1 has the bulk of sales as a five-door.” But there will be a four door. Buyer interest in sedans are strong so the A3 - and particularly the S3 - both arrive in the first quarter of next year.Audi sold 880 S3 examples in its previous generation from 2007 to 2012. For 2014, it expects the latest generation to sell about 200 units.VALUEPricing is yet to be fixed, Audi expects the S3 Sportback to slot in the $65,000 to $70,000 bracket. That makes it a bit cheaper than its aligned rival, the Mercedes A45 AMG hatch, that's due in September.For a compact car the S3 is expensive but repays with exceptional build quality, clever engineering and driving dynamics that will make any critic rejoice. Equipment levels include a high-end sat-nav integrating Google Earth imaging, driver fatigue monitor, xenon headlights with LED tail lights, leather upholstery and 18-inch alloy wheels.DESIGNAudi design is as conservative as its parent Volkswagen but regardless, its cars are neatly balanced and always look as crisp and contemporary as a Zegna suit. The S3 makes up for a degree of muscle with its 20mm lower stance, wide fenders, 18-inch spidery alloy wheels, and deep rear diffuser with four oval tail pipes.The cabin is leather and soft plastic, highlighted by large gauges, sporty flat-bottomed steering wheel and an overwhelming shade of black. The sports seats - there are options here including heavily-bolster quilted chairs - are superbly shaped and repeat the sense that even as a small car, the decor is of a standard normally applied to cars well beyond the S3's price.TECHNOLOGYThe 2-litre engine is all new, despite having the same cylinder dimensions as the old model. It weighs 5kg less, too. The 221kW/380Nm output is up 33kW/50Nm on the previous unit, while fuel use for the six-speed dual-clutch gearbox is claimed at 6.9L/100km, down massively from 8.3L/100km.It equates to a new 0-100km/h time (auto) of 4.8 seconds (previously 5.2). The chassis is the latest MQB design shared with Volkswagen's Golf Mk VII, and pushes the front axle further forward for better balance. The suspension is also new, as is tuning for the electric-assist steering. Magnetic dampers are optional.SAFETYThe car is five-star crash tested, has seven airbags, electronic stability and traction control, all-wheel drive and a driver fatigue monitor. The option list is huge and includes lane-change assist, active cruise control, automatic parking and a preventative crash control system. Still no spare wheel, though.DRIVINGIf it wears an S - or RS - badge there's one aural quality shared with Audi's cars. Exhaust noise. The S3 is no exception, enhancing all the mechanical and gaseous conflicts with an exhaust system with a bypass, a sound box under the bonnet, plus the action of a high-revving four-cylinder engine.That's the background and, many times, replaces the need to glance down at the tachometer. The performance is predictably rapid but the seemingly endless urge of the engine isn't. The dual-clutch gearbox has less slip and lag than most rivals, so all this urge is constantly on tap. The launch control is a neat addition. Handling is superb.The S3 was tested back to back with the new RS6 Avant and the S3 is a sharper piece of work when thrown at some winding roads. Audi's new chassis feels immediately tauter than before but doesn't sacrifice ride comfort.There's more suppleness right at the end of the bump stroke (this is the standard suspension tested, not the magnetic dampers) which makes bumpy bitumen roads less painful to occupant kidneys.VERDICTStill one of the best hot small cars. Build quality is outstanding but now competes with new-found performance and a delightfully tractable drivetrain.Audi S3 HatchbackPrice: est. $65,000-$70,000Warranty: 3 years/unlimited, roadside assistCapped servicing: NoService interval: 12mths/15,000kmResale: 48%Safety: 7 airbags, ABS, ESC, EBD, TCCrash rating: 5-starEngine: 2-litre 4-cyl turbo-petrol, 221kW/380NmTransmission: 6-spd dual-clutch auto; constant AWDThirst: 6.9L/100km; 98RON; 159g/km CO2Dimensions: 4.3m (L), 1.8m (W), 1.4m (H)Weight: 1430kgSpare: None

This two-litre is blissfully flexible with response on tap all the way through the rev band.The headline almost came with the same element of surprise as one which screams “Poms win the Ashes.”A British magazine recently carried a cover story which simply said “RS4 beats new M3.”It was the face-off everyone who takes even a passing interest in supreme compact German performance had been waiting rather impatiently for.Until now everything that had come up against the M3, which started life as a four-cylinder more than 20 years ago then progressed for a few generations as a cracking inline six before going the grunt with a high-revving V8, had come off second best.Beating the super coupe by which a performance chassis is measured is no mean feat. But this test is not about the M3 nor, for all its glory, the RS4. It is about the Audi S3, which unlike the RS4 has few direct rivals. Even so it will be of no surprise that the second-generation S3 crackles and sizzles.At $65,500, this two-door hatch is not on everyone's shopping list, as defined by the 32,000 global sales of the first generation.There is simply nothing on the market, not the rice-burners from Japan, not even competition from within the family such as the VW Golf R32, that comes close to fusing the levels of luxury, quality and slick performance as the S3.Slide into the S3 and the splashes of silver around the air vents, door handles and gear lever are reminders this is quite different from the cooking class of A3s.Audi's trademark interior style and quality build rolls out like a red carpet.Point-to-point the S3 is a stirring ride with crisp steering, impeccable handling and loads of grip from the Quattro all-wheel-drive layout.The steering is well weighted and it thankfully transforms from being light at low speeds to feeling heavier as you truck along the highway and plough through bends briskly.This is a very slick hatch and for all its A to B prowess it remains quite liveable as a day-to-day drive, as it somehow gives you a ride that is the perfect balance between cosy and hard. And that is even taking into account the low profile 18-inch wheels and the fact the ride height is 25mm closer to the ground than an everyday A3.Running stiffer springs and dampers, the S3 is vice tight with excellent body control.It has “let me loose in a tarmac rally” written all over its windscreen.There is a Japanese slant to the intercooled turbo with the wastegate nattering away as the driver lifts off the throttle.The aural experience intensifies with the pace as the note becomes more pronounced from about 4000rpm.This two-litre is blissfully flexible with response on tap all the way through the rev band. Even in the upper echelons and in sixth gear there remains urge on demand.Specific power is an impressive 7.73kg per kilowatt, as the reworked engine develops a total of 188kW with the 330Nm of torque running through the most important part of the range from 2500-5000rpm.It can take more load, Audi has given the engine more strength with stronger pins for the pistons, new rings and reinforced connecting rods with new bearings that transmit the increased force to the crankshaft.Given that this 5.9sec 0-100km/h S3 is no slouch, it runs massive 17-inch brakes that bite big time.There are black calipers all round with the ones on the front gaining the S3 motif.The S3 is easily identified on the road with with trademark S silver wing mirrors, a rear roof spoiler, front and rear aprons and diffuser and prominent sills and the S logo embedded inside the single-frame grille.An improved range of colours are available now with the test car, a striking Sprint Blue pearl effect not a patch on an exclusive, Solar Orange hue if you really want to be ostentatious.The boot space is relatively tight at 281 litres but the rear bench seat folds flat increasing the load area to a wagon-like 1011 litres.Dynamically, the S3 should be an improvement over the first generation with an increase in wheelbase by 59mm to 2578mm.Silk Nappa leather comes standard. The multi-function flat bottom steering wheel comes as a $700 option as does metallic paint at $1300.If you really want to lash out on options there are Audi Exclusive front buck etseats for $6700 and the Navigation Plus pack, including the glove box-mounted CD changer, is available for $5300. On its own the CD changer in the glove compartment is a $950 option.It is very much a select market this hot hatch and Audi says it will be happy with sales of around 100 per year. Audi S3$65,500Engine: 3 starsElastic, responsive, meatyTransmission: 3 starsWell spaced ratios with a tidy shift actionHandling: 4 starsRide is quite neutral and corners like it's on railsSafety: 4 starsEvery conceivable safety system is coveredValue: 3 starsOn its own, $65,500 for a two-door hatch is exorbitant, but there is some justification in bang for your bucks Tech specsBody: 2-door hatchbackEngine: direct-injection four-cylinder with intercooled turbochargerPower: 188kW @ 6000rpmTorque: 330Nm @ 2500-5000rpmTransmission: 6-speed manualTyres: 225/40 R18 Verdict For: Blissful marriage of comfort, quality and red hot performanceAgainst: You could have three Mazda 3s for this priceWill get you to the opera in record time and in comfortOverall: 4 stars