Dynamism, sportiness and sophistication – the Audi A3 holds an outstanding position in the premium compact class. Now its top-of-the-range version is ready to go, the new Audi S3 boasting 265 bhp and quattro permanent four-wheel drive. With its sparkling performance it pursues the ideal of pure driving pleasure coupled simultaneously with excellent everyday practicality – like all Audi S models.
For the standing 100 metres Audi claims a mid-five-second figure and says it will run very easily to its governed 250km/h cutout.
There is a purposeful look about Audi's A3 Sportback which will appeal to the no-nonsense driver looking for a prestige car and not wanting the full-on sports version.
At speeds well above those likely to be attempted by the average driver the handling is still pretty sharp for a car with a front-transverse engine. Road grip remains strong and neutral at speed.
Some models come with Audi's quattro system for added road grip, but the drive in the Audi A3 is normally only to the front wheels.
There can be quite a racket at times from the Audi A3's tyres on the coarse-chip roads commonly used in country Australia as a low-cost form of surfacing, but on standard road surfaces the A3 carries a smooth, refined ride typical to a much larger car.
The interior conveys an atmosphere of sportiness, with materials of the highest quality and painstaking craftsmanship. The elements that dominate the styling are the sports seats with prominent side sections, the black headlining, also available in silver, and the instrument cluster with its special dials and needles.
The next Audi S3 update is expected around December 2009. Audi has announced a 2.0T Quattro model for the North/South American market due out in 2009/2010 to coincide with the S3/A3 body upgrade.
