First Drive: Audi S3 Sportback & Sedan

The new Audi S3 finds itself in a sweet spot. Let me explain: Firstly, there isn’t a world of expectations pinned on it quite like the RS 3. Secondly, if Audi had made the S3 too technical or digital-heavy, that’s fine too since it’d fit well within the brand’s premium positioning. Contrast that with its Wolfsburg cousins, the Golf GTI and R, which are constantly subjected to Kardashian-level scrutiny and nitpicking, and the S3 is indeed in a good space.   

At its core, the Audi S3 still shares the components of said cousin, the Golf R, but with slight tuning variations. Same 1,984cc engine, same 7-speed gearbox. But that’s about where the similarities stop, though. The rest is pretty much all Audi, and all premium. The crisp-looking and easy-to-navigate 10.1-inch touchscreen display is still present, as is the interchangeable virtual cockpit, with the new S3 adding a redesigned gear selector and beautifully textured laser-cut fabric inserts in the front door panels. 

Does it look different?

Erm, yes, slightly. To add a sense of attitude, the hexagonal frameless grille is flatter and wider, while at the rear the redesigned bumper, Audi says, imparts a “more dynamic character than ever before”. As has become standard for S3, there are four tailpipes with the option to add Akropovic trumpets. Buyers can now also tweak their daytime running light signatures with a choice of four different patterns. Still on customisability, Audi is rolling out three new mainstay colours, District Green, Ascari Blue and Progressive Red, while Audi Exclusive also offers the choice of matt-finish Daytona Grey. 

Tell me about the power…

Arguably the biggest on-paper change, and likely the one that matters most to aspiring hot-hatch buyers, is power, and, on that evaluation, Audi has delivered. Total power from the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine has been bumped to 245kW and 420Nm, an increase of 32kW and 20Nm that officially surpasses the Golf R (235kW & 400Nm) while also leaving the BMW M135 (233kW & 400Nm) in its wake. In addition to the power increase, Audi brought some RS-ness to the S3 by adding a torque splitter to the rear wheels that uses electronically controlled clutch units to distribute up to 100% of active torque between the inside or outside wheels through a bend. 

How does the Audi S3 drive?

As you’d expect from the S3, it’s quite easy-going around town and on the highways. Even dialled into Dynamic mode, it feels a bit tauter, and it’s a bit louder, but it never loses that characteristic drive refinement. On the track, however, it lets go of any and all inhibitions. 

Between the painted kerbs of Redstar Raceway, a notoriously taxing circuit, that performance precision comes to the fore, as the hot hatch clings to the tarmac with utter determination. This is helped by the torque splitter, which helps combat understeer (something the quattro all-wheel-drive system is known for) by spinning up the outside rear and effectively coercing the car into the bend. 

Out of the corner, the gear changes are sharp and precise, and should you wish to take over shifting duties, the car has a digital interface that indicates the optimal up-shift timing. Strangely, though, if the gearbox detects even marginal acceleration and braking overlap, as is normally the case with left-footed efforts, it cuts power for about a millisecond while it has to take stock of the situation. 

Speaking of brakes, while I didn’t test them on the raggedy edge, they proved surefooted and repeatable around Redstar, with the S3 receiving new 2-piston callipers and larger 357mm ventilated discs, up 17mm from the pre-facelift model, while it’s also chunkier at 34mm thickness, a 4mm improvement over the previous model. 

I heard it can now drift? True?

Well yes, it can. Unlike the dedicated ‘Drift Mode’ in the Mercedes-AMG A45, Audi has added a new mode called ‘Dynamic Plus’, which aggressively sends torque to the outer rear wheel to initiate oversteer. We tested it on a skid pan, and well, it certainly translates into something you’d call a drift. Besides just getting the rear out, this mode unlocks a more aggressive engine and gearbox map while also raising the engine speed at idle. 

All considered, the updated Audi S3 (whether you opt for Sportback or sedan style) carries Audi’s entry hot-hatch lineage forward with meaningful power, good tech and richer premium features. At R1,091,100 for the Sportback and R1,106,100 for the Sedan, it makes me question if its breadth of talent, be it as a refined commuter or its alias as a competent track toy, isn’t perhaps kicking at the RS 3’s pedestal. R400,000 more for a 5-cylinder engine, 49kW and 80Nm? I’m overthinking it perhaps, but it makes you wonder… 

Audi S3 Sportback: R1,091,100

Audi S3 Sedan: R1,106,100