A Saloon to savour – Audi’s S3 gets serious

Steve Berry

10 hours ago

What is it and How much?

The Audi S3 Saloon is a rather understated but incredibly quick saloon, designed for those drivers who enjoy performance – but don’t want to shout about it too loudly – but still want space and practicality for the family.

It’s had a mild(ish) update recently with some body and engine tweaks and now includes a rear torque-splitter differential that lets the driver have a little fun with the rear end – despite the S3 having permanent quattro, all-wheel-drive.

All S3s now have Dynamic Plus driving mode which disables stability control so you can make the most of that new split differential and get the rear end out. Just don’t expect Nissan Skyline levels of drift . . .

Headline figures for potential S3 owners are as follows:

333 PS– up 23 PS from previous model

420Nm of torque – up 20Nm

0 to 62mph in 4.7 seconds – about the same

There are just 2 trim levels to choose from – “Black Edition” (from £48,115 OTR) and the “Vorsprung” (£53,590) which adds adaptive dampers – which could be a big plus on our pot-holed UK roads.

Miura or Minger?

Although I described the Audi S3 Saloon as “understated”, my press model came in Python Yellow metallic which was about as understated as John Cleese in a silly walk.

If you don’t want the standard solid white paintwork, there is a good choice of metallic colours (and one pearl) which all add £595 to the price.

The exterior updates are quite difficult to spot but the most obvious is the redesigned front grill which has lifted the four-ring Audi logo slightly, so it sits partly on the grill surround. Looks a bit awkward.

The front air vents are now slightly bigger and the rear diffuser is fussier looking but better than the old one.

The S3 badge has been dropped from the front but remains on the rear and standard wheels are now 19-inchers with twin-pot calibers for the front brakes.

Yes, still grown-up looking; sleek and low with no obvious boy-racer add-ons. If in-yer-face is what you’re after then there is always the Honda Civic Type R (which I love, BTW).

How Does It Drive?

Like a sporting Audi. Quick but with a firm ride. The 4-pot turbo-charged TFSI engine is mated to a 7-speed S tronic gearbox which together can chuck you at the horizon rapidly and with as much drama as you wish.

We took the S3 on a long journey from Fife in Scotland to visit family in Yorkshire, so were able to have a blast on some of Britain’s better driving roads – and it didn’t disappoint.

Is it as good as the 2.5-litre, 5-pot RS3? No, of course not – but it’s now much closer thanks to those systems that have been lifted directly from the RS3. It doesn’t sound as good but there are enough pops, bangs and whistles to keep most happy – even if, once again, they are “understated”.

The S3 is very well balanced on the place where you’ll want to drive it most – twisty A and B roads.

The quattro system provides plenty of grip and confidence. Dynamic mode sharpens things up and gives a better aural experience, while Dynamic Plus mode gives you a bigger thrill and allows you to “push” out the back end should you wish to get playful.

Sending most of the power to the rear wheels may appeal to some, but for most buyers I suspect it’s something that won’t get a great deal of use as they’ll value the sure-footedness of AWD more, when trapping on. The new rear torque-splitter allows for some degree of slip anyway – and it’s something you can certainly feel when pushing hard out of corners. It’ll definitely put a smile on your face.

The brakes and steering feel spot-on with great feel to them both. The new twin-pot calipers at the front do a great job of arresting the 357mm front disks while the new adaptive steering is well calibrated and loads up nicely in both Dynamic modes.

The 7-speed auto gearbox has also had some upgrades to make the shifts quicker and although I didn’t notice a vast difference, I found the gearchanges to be intelligent and unobtrusive, making the S3 feel like an impatient beast, pulling at the leash if you’re heavy with the right foot.

Altogether a very satisfying drive with some artificial “5-pot warble” thrown in for good measure.

What’s the Inside Story?

If it aint broke . . .

Not a great deal of change from the last incarnation of the S3. There’s some use of Alcantara-esque material which lifts the cockpit and you’ll notice the gear selector is now even more minimalist.

There’s some configurable mood lighting to play around with (before settling on Purple again) and you can even use the Multi Media Interface (MMI) to select different patterns of lights for the DRLs. Peak gimmick from Audi . . .

The nappa leather upholstery is very classy and looks great, while the front sports seats hold you very well and are multi-configurable – so finding the correct driving position is a doddle.

There is quite a lot of piano-black plastic around – especially down in the centre console – so be prepared for lots of fingerprint marks.

Thankfully there are also quite a lot of physical buttons too, which means no poking around the infotainment screen to adjust temperature, turn on heated seats, select drive modes or select the camera views – they’re all available below the touchscreen and easily accessible on the move. Hurray!

In fact, the whole infotainment system is very easy to use. The 10.1-inch screen is responsive and very easily navigated with the most-used functions having their own permanent icons on the right of the screen.

There’s wireless charging for your phone – which is essential if you’re using wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

Other highlights which are standard fit, include a head-up display, 3-zone climate control and an excellent Sonos sound system.

There’s also adaptive cruise control – which is a joy to use as it’s intelligent enough not have you rocking backward and forward every time a car pulls in front of you on multi-laned roads.

Audi’s Virtual-Cockpit is still a class-leader, looking sharp and impressive through the top of the 3-spoke, multi-function steering wheel and providing a myriad of display options, including the full Sat Nav screen.

It seems unfair to mention the niggle of intrusive warning sounds, because all new cars have them by default. However, it’s how easy each manufacturer makes them to disable that is becoming the focus for many potential buyers.

In the Audi S3 it’s not so easy as you need to poke your finger at the screen 3 times before you can switch off the over-speed warning. Not too much of a faff once you’ve done it a couple of times but you will need to do it EVERY time you start the car. Or just leave it on, like I did, as the sound Audi choose is much less intrusive than most.

That industry-wide niggle apart, the S3 is a very pleasant place to be sat. Visibility is good all around, even being acceptable through the rear window. The driving position is excellent and everything is easily to hand. All a driver wants.

Rear passengers get decent head and leg room, although I wouldn’t call it generous. But a couple of kids will be fine.

Boot space is compromised somewhat by the addition of that rear torque-splitter, so it loses around 100-litres to the everyday Audi A3 Saloon. Still, 325 litres will be sufficient for most.

Conclusion

The Audi S3 Saloon is a fine sporting sedan that is now more capable than the older model, thanks to some tweaks lifted straight from the crazily-quick RS3. Is it worth the premium over the hatchback model? I would say yes as I think it looks sleeker and more exclusive. You do lose some practicality though.