Audi S3 2013 Review - International

For some, it’s a way to spend more money than the ordinary A3 buyer. Others think it’s the very best A3 model available. Still more deride it as an expensive VW Golf GTI.

The S3 has always been a quiet burner, impressing more in day-to-day life than in a one-off test drive and our first impressions after four hours in this one is that it’s no different.

It has an all-new 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, it has the all-wheel drive version of the Volkswagen’s Group’s MQB modular front-drive architecture and it has the best spec of just about everything in the A3 catalogue.

That’s a pretty handy catalogue, too, because the new A3 hit the ground running last year with its ultra-thin multimedia screen, clean layout and advanced safety and electronics.

It’s faster than any other S3 nameplate (bar the ones with an R before the S), it’s more economical and it’s safer. For fans of the S3 badge, that’ll be more than enough to make a decision.

Expect the new S3 on sale in Australia from December this year and for Audi to shift its 200-unit annual sales forecast by about August each year.

That’s the short version. The long version, as ever mit zee Cherman Werkes, is that there are plenty of options that will allow you to sign a cheque with a considerably larger number on it than that.

There are things you could argue make a big difference to the S3’s daily livability. Amongst them we’d list the magnetic shock absorbers that adjust damping stiffness instantly by changing the electrical current to finitely adjust the alignment of little bits of metal floating in the shock absorber. It works, its fast and it’s usually not bad value.

Then there is the Audi Phone Box option for the centre console area. It essentially means you can forget about making sure you’ve got the right cable because you just sit your phone – just about any phone – in the box and it both charges and connects to the car’s multimedia system.

The optional full LED headlights should be considered, but there’s not much wrong with the stock xenons.

Then you’ve got what is there to start with, including some superbly comfortable leather chairs, aluminium-capped pedals and one of the world’s most natural-feeling steering wheels.

There are four exhaust tips, which we found odd because the S3 has twice the number of exhaust outlets as the RS6 for half the cylinder count. Still, someone at Audi likes it.

Instead, you have to look at the A3 Sportback, with its five doors, for a more accurate look at what you’re going to get.

It’s going to be a little larger inside and out compared to the old S3, but not by an enormous amount in any direction, other than the wheelbase, which is 58mm longer.

Don’t expect that to translate to more legroom or headroom anywhere, because while the data says there are gains, they’re hard to appreciate with an eyeball or a kneecap.

The luggage area has picked up another 10 litres to sit at 325 litres, while dropping both sides of the 60/40-split folding rear seat delivers 1060 litres of capacity.

Like the stocker, the cargo area is highlighted by practicality, including tow hooks, curry hooks and a two-level floor that gives a handy hiding area for stuff below the normal floor.

The interior is where things get interesting, with Audi’s new minimalistic dashboard that is clean and light in its feel. The S3’s electric parking brake also makes the interior feel a lot less busy, with the removal of the old cable wrencher cleaning up the console no end.

It sends more of its command structure through the multimedia control dial than the old S3 and you can see it working through the ultra-thin 11-inch monitor that pokes out of the top of the dashboard.

That’s a car that will have a very close relation of this engine, plus a very close relation to this suspension and a very close relation to this all-wheel drive system. It will also have a very close relationship to this price, too, and it’s two years away.

BMW’s 1 Series M Coupe isn’t really a contender because it’s nearly 40kW stronger and $30,000 pricier. The closest BMW-badged machine to the S3 will be the M135i, which lists at around $70,000. It eschews this four-cylinder silliness by preferring a straight-six power-plant and the coupe’s similarly disdainful of all-wheel drive.

It’s quick, though, with its 235kW (23kW upstream of the S3) and 450Nm hurling it to 100km/h in 5.1 seconds. Slower than the S3? Maybe, but the M135i with a six-speed manual is actually a tenth in front of the S3 fitted with the like-for-like ‘box.

Oddly, for all the hype surrounding the A 45 and CLA 45 AMGs, they’re not cut from the same cloth. They have enormous power and torque advantages and they’re demonstrably quicker in a straight line, but there is no manual ‘box in sight and they’re not on sale here yet.

You could also go Japanese, but while both Subaru and Mitsubishi offer straight-line urgency and cornering brilliance, they don’t offer the flip side of the coin (quality materials, ride quality, comfort) and never have.

The 145kg engine is 5kg lighter than the old motor, though, so they’ve sliced a few bits of metal out of it here and there.

The core numbers are pretty impressive. Its 221kW of power is 33kW greater than the old car had and its torque has jumped from 330Nm to 380Nm.

It’s strong everywhere, too, especially on paper. It reaches its torque peak at just 1800rpm and it holds it all the way to 5500rpm – the exact same engine speed its power peak uses to announce its arrival. It still has breathing capacity beyond that, and its rev-limiter arrives at 6800rpm.

It’s a sophisticated little beastie, with the fuel arriving at 200 bar of pressure via two different fuel-injection systems (one direct, one indirect), just to cover all the bases. It has variable valve timing on both the inlet and exhaust valves and there is a two-stage valve lift system, too.

It promises to be a smooth unit, with two balancing shafts that rotate at twice the engine speed to ward off any unruly wobbulations and, to help its exhaust system to deliver the engine note Audi thinks it ought to have, it also has an electro-mechanical sound actuator in the front bulkhead. Excessive? Perhaps.

The reason that’s needed is, of course, the car’s turbocharger. They usually deliver plenty of added gristle but chew up all the exhaust energy needed to make beaut noise. This one chews up a lot of the exhaust energy (Audi would call it utilising a resource that’s being thrown away anyway) through its twin-scroll turbocharger that delivers 1.2 bar of pressure into the manifold.

It’s slightly unusual, in that the exhaust manifold itself is integrated into the aluminium-silicon cylinder-head and is bathed in coolant. Inside there are stronger connecting rods and heavily modified pistons.

This all sits across the engine bay and is attached to either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed dual-clutch auto – depending on your preferences in cost, speed, economy and intimacy with your machine.

It’s all-wheel-drive, obviously, and pushes its drive through the latest evolution of the electronically controlled, multi-plate Haldex clutch system and has its spin pumped through 225/40 R18 boots all around, though a 19-inch wheel and tyre package is optional.

All of this is fitted into a body structure that is 60kg lighter than the old S3, even though its MQB architecture is mostly steel. It’s lighter because the steel pieces are precisely as heavy and strong as they need to be, and because there are aluminium parts all over the front-end in an attempt to shift more weight rearwards.

Still, it ends up a 60/40 front/rear weight proposition and the S3 will weigh around 1400kg in Australia-bound five-door Sportback form.

The new S3 takes all of that and does it every bit as well. Just faster.

We tried both regular and magnetic ride versions and found the magnetic one better, but the stocker not poor either.

Both models rode well on Bavarian blacktop and handled with a precision lacking in lesser-engineered cars. They are trustworthy, clean handlers and they’re very swift indeed.

The difference the magnetic units bring is that it is also capable of adapting itself to deal with the worst of the road conditions. The stock set-up rides well most of the time; the magnetic version rides well all the time, everywhere.

One of its highlights is its all-wheel drive, which combines with a sophisticated rear-end to deliver terrific grip and security without ever falling into the all-wheel drive habit of feeling, well, dull.

Its steering is more convincing than even the stock A3, too.

The engine has plenty of stonk, but it’s not lacking for sophistication at any revs, on any level. It might be quiet for some at idle, but the Sport mode fixes that at the touch of a button to deliver a deeper, richer sound, even at 800rpm.

The beauty of this engine is that it’s strong all the time, from any revs, in any gear. It’s smooth and that’s always a good start. But it’s smooth at 6000rpm on full throttle or on a light load. It’s smooth at 4000rpm and it’s smooth at 2000rpm.

It’s even smooth on the rev-limiter, which hits at 6800rpm with a wave of computing prowess that softens the crankshaft’s acceleration into a soft constant speed. Not for the S3 the RS6’s brutal BAP-BAP-BAP-BAP.

There’s no reason to doubt Audi’s acceleration numbers, either, because while it won’t hang with a CLA 45, it always feels more than quick enough and delightfully willing.

The sound makes a massive jump up in intensity at 4000rpm as the trick audio box thing fires itself up and then the electronics add any extra character with plenty of burbles and pops on the overrun and long braaaps on each upshift of the dual-clutch gearbox.

Combine all of that with an interior that’s both easy and comfortable and you end up with just one mild criticism – that the seats could use a touch more lateral bolstering around the shoulders.

But that’s it.

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