FirstDrive: Audi S3 Audi will launch the S3 here in November and it aims to arrive with a passionate roar. But can that passion match its price? Paddy Comyn reports
Audi's A3 celebrates 10 years of production this year and since it was launched in autumn of 1996 some 1.5 million units have come off the assembly line.
For some people the A3 will always be a fancy VW Golf but the appeal of the Audi badge and the big improvements to the second-generation car, which now includes a five-door Sportback model, means that there is no sign of the A3's popularity waning just yet.
Here in Ireland, the 1.6-litre petrol version is the most coveted, but there is a new, top-of-the-range A3 coming this winter - the S3.
Audi has been very busy this year churning out performance cars. The S6, S8 and the RS4 have all arrived on our shores. All are performance versions of their standard executive barges, with the RS moniker signifying even more ferocious performance. The RS4 is easily one of the motoring highlights of 2006.
The stunning new TT model is also landing in showrooms right about now, using the 2.0-litre TFSI engine from the Volkswagen Golf GTi which provides 200bhp and an instant pedigree.
This 2.0-litre TFSI engine is featuring a lot in performance cars from the VAG group and the engine has been used again for the flagship S3. Thanks to a new turbocharger with an enlarged turbine and compressor rotor generating a whopping 1.2 bar of boost pressure, along with significant reinforcement, the S3's 2.0-litre puts out 265bhp and 350Nm of torque.
With such power available it is hardly surprising to learn that Quattro permanent four-wheel drive is employed to keep you stuck firmly to the road.
As well as this, firmer springs and shocks, a 25mm lower ride, stiffer suspension and a tweak to the electromechanical steering are just some of the modifications you can't see.
The changes you can see are 18-inch alloy wheels in front of 17-inch brakes with black painted callipers, the single-frame grille features chrome trim, the front apron has a spoiler with large air inlets and the side sills have been restyled.
At the rear there has been a diffuser built into the apron. Aluminium-look wing mirrors and a body-coloured roof spoiler complete the S3 look on the outside.
Inside, the cabin is awash with leather and aluminium-looking details. The squared off steering wheel from the RS4 and TT is available as an option as are figure-hugging Recaro seats.
It all sounds like an irresistible mix so far, doesn't it? However, before we even drove this car we knew that it came with a €52,800 price tag and that of course puts it under a certain amount of pressure. First, it makes it more expensive than a Golf R32, which has 250bhp, four-wheel drive and the option of five-doors and a brilliant DSG transmission.
The choice to go for the turbo four-cylinder over a six-cylinder means the S3 doesn't make the sort of sound you would expect it to do. Start it up and it is really very hushed.
The steering feels light, and the suspension is actually reasonably pliable. Press down on the gas and the response is ferocious, if not all that instant. 100 km/h arrives in just 5.7 seconds and the top speed, limited to 250km/h seems within easy reach.
The driving impression of the S3 is that of a delicate, poised hot hatch that inspires confidence and heavily flatters its driver.
So will you want one? Well I don't know. The difficulty with the S3 is that you are being asked to pay a whopping price for a car that doesn't feel like it should cost that much.
The decision to choose the 2.0-litre TFSI might be good for performance but it doesn't make the S3 feel all that special. To separate it from the rest of the blown four or five-cylinder brigade such as the Golf GTi or Ford Focus ST it really should have gone for V6 muscle instead. One can only guess that we may get an RS3 at some stage.
Buy the S3 and you might be getting the ultimate Audi A3, but you won't be getting the best performance hatchback around.
That for me comes from Volkswagen. The R32 might not be as pretty as the S3, but it is cheaper, equally capable and comes with a noise that makes you feel like it has earned its price tag. The S3 has the looks and the performance, but just not the passion to justify the price.