Volkswagen’s modular architecture, the MQB Evo, has spawned yet another derivative. The performance-flavored Audi S3 joins the ranks of the group’s spicy offerings alongside the VW Golf GTI Mk8, the Skoda Octavia RS and the Cupra Leon. It arrives with more power than its German and Czech platform siblings and on par with the Spanish offering.
Audi’s fourth generation A3 was bound to arrive in the hotter S3 flavor – we just had to look at the timeline for its group brothers to arrive at this logical conclusion. The Ingolstadt-based premium automaker is not disappointing and trumps both the Golf and Octavia in terms of raw power. The same cannot be said about the Cupra Leon, but the Spanish carmaker is taking its own shot at the premium sporty segment as well.
The four-ringed offering is arriving in double form, but unlike the Octavia and Leon, it eschews the family wagon derivative in favor of a shape that will certainly make it a hot sell in the United States. Until it crosses the ocean the folks dwelling on the Old Continent can select both the Sportback and Sedan with a 2.0 TFSI engine good for 228 kW / 306 hp (310 PS).
Capable of 400 Nm (295.0 lb. ft.) of twist, the S3 Sportback and Sedan duo is clearly gunning for solid competition against the Mercedes A35 and CLA 35 duet. As such, both can reach 62 mph (100 kph) in 4.8 seconds and a governed top speed of 155 mph (250 kph). The performance is easily and comfortably achieved thanks to the standard Quattro all-wheel drive system and the quick seven-speed S tronic automatic transmission.
With the Audi A3 already pushing on the dynamic styling pedal the S3 had no other choice but to become overtly aggressive – those massive air vents and the signature quad exhaust tips might have fooled anyone into thinking this was the hardcore RS3 if presented a few years back.
Not forgetting about its technology-infused strategy, the German carmaker is offering many high-tech systems on the S3: matrix LED headlights or an S-specific sport suspension which has optional electronic damper control, and even the semi-autonomous “adaptive cruise assist.”
The cockpit is also fully digital with a 10.1-inch central touchscreen and a 10.25 or 12.3-inch instrument cluster, and Apple CarPlay / Android Auto integration is doubled with Audi connect services (including car-to-X communication).
Space is not always paramount when driving sporty, but it never hurts either. As such, Audi is emphasizing the S3 Sportback and S3 Sedan have outgrown their predecessors by 3 (1.2-inch) and four centimeters (1.6-inch) in length, respectively. They are also three centimeters (1.2-inch) wider and arrive at 4.34 meters (14.2 ft) / 4.50 meters (14.8 ft) in length (five-door / four-door), and 1.82 meters (six feet) in width.
The height of 1.43 m (4.7 ft) and wheelbase of 2.64 m (8.7 ft) is the same for both body variants. The luggage compartment, on the other hand, is not – the smaller S3 Sportback’s 325-liter (11.5 cubic feet) trunk is dwarfed by the Sedan’s 370 liters (13.1 cu ft) offering.
Both models are scheduled for pre-ordering this very month across various European markets, with first deliveries expected in early October. Prices at home in Germany kick off from €46,302.53 and €47,179.83 for the Sportback or Sedan and fans might be tempted by the “Edition one” special market launch series.
Folks will need to settle on the Python Yellow if they want the Sportback and the Tango Red shade for the Sedan. Audi is also throwing in a series of black accented details, 19-inch alloys and elegant Nappa leather sport seats.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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