Audi twins a rush of power

Audi has refreshed the A3 and S3 twins. Nile Bijoux finds out if they’re more than just reskinned Golfs.

Audi has updated the A3 and S3, giving them an updated interior and exterior, fresh engines, and a bit more electrification. But should you pay extra for them over a VW Golf?

Outside

The new A3 and S3 have sharper styling now, in line with Audi’s other new models. There are new upside-down-tick-shaped headlights, with blocky DRLs on the vertical slice, large corner intakes (unfortunately fake, but they still look good) on either side of a big single frame grille.

Around the back are narrow LED tail lights, a small roof spoiler, and a quartet of exhaust pipes and a diffuser on the S3. The lesser A3 has two rectangular pieces of trim that mimic exhausts, while the actual pipe sits behind the bumper.

It would be unfair to call these cars bad looking, because they just aren’t. The way the bonnet creases angle in towards the nose, meeting at a slit in the front end, is an interesting styling nod to the

Quattro rally racer from the 1980s.

They look mean, especially the S3. It looks like a proper hot hatch – which, by most standards, it is. But more on that later.

Inside

The new interior is a slight stumbling block. It’s not bad, it’s just a little sub-par compared to the rest of the car.

I don’t like the angular design, and the materials feel plasticky, especially considering the price. I do appreciate that it shows an effort from Audi to differentiate the cabin from other models, but it doesn’t entirely work. Unfortunately, that extends to the S3 as well as the A3.

Looking at the cabin at an angle shows how jagged the dash is, extending out into the door. It looks like Audi is making an attempt at taking some of the ‘‘youth’’ market that Seat traditionally takes care of for the Volkswagen brand.

The MMI infotainment screen is crisp and responsive, and the MMI system itself is leagues better than what Volkswagen has in the Golf (not to mention the frustratingly complex Seat OS), but the screen is an absolute fingerprint magnet. You can’t escape it either, as Audi has ditched the clickwheel from the old model.

Thankfully, Audi has left the screen count at two, with airconditioning and the like controlled by a flurry of physical buttons, much more preferable to the touchscreen in the e-tron SUV or the touch-slider system of the Golf.

The S3 gets more leathery bits, sportier Nappa seats, special S3 badging, and lots of stitching, but still doesn’t quite feel as premium as a nearly-$90,000 price tag should.

Under the bonnet

The A3 40 gets a nice 140kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo-four, paired with allwheel-drive and a seven-speed dualclutch transmission. This is about half a step down from the Golf GTI, which offers 180kW/370Nm, fed through the front wheels versus all four on the Audi.

Moving up to the S3 gets you the same powertrain, a two-litre turbofour with quattro and a seven-speed dual-clutch, but a healthy bump in power to 228kW/400Nm. That’s closer to Golf R output.

The 40 might be ‘‘lesser’’ in terms of raw output but it’s really quite a punchy powerplant. It won’t set your world on fire but it’s smooth, with a lovely surge of torque starting from 1500rpm, which is basically idle speeds.

Meanwhile, the S3 is a different kettle of fish. It’s as fast as any of the hot hatches from a few years ago, with peak torque arriving as early as 2000rpm. Smooth too, especially with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Thankfully, Audi seems to have ironed out the usual DCT problems of this one, with little to no lag at takeoff or jerky reversing.

On the road

Starting with the A3, the stronger engine and all-wheel-drive in the 40 makes for a quick little machine. There isn’t any active body control going on, like the Golf GTI has, but the car still remains as flat as you’d like, even in hard cornering. It’s what you would expect of the entrylevel Audi; agility without much sacrifice in ride quality.

It’s the better of the two for urban driving too, because of a more compliant suspension tune. The S3 gets S Sports Suspension with damper control, and while it’s not exactly uncomfortable, the A3 still takes it for overall cushiness.

Though, as we mentioned at the launch of the A3/S3, large bumps in the road transmit into the cabin quite noticeably, particularly in the A3 with its more basic suspension and lack of damping control. It’s not the worst I’ve ever felt but, considering the price tag, it’s a bit of a shame.

You’d get the S3 if you’re more interested in the driving experience, with that extra dollop of power. The S3 is a properly fast car now, making hot hatch power, despite being the middle child in the A3 range.

It’s a restrained sort of fast though, as you might expect, without much noise made from those four tail pipes. Wind noise is kept to a minimum too.

There are drive modes, but you can honestly just leave it in Comfort mode and let the car figure everything out. Dynamic is still where the most fun can be had, with more (fake) engine noise and longerheld gears to go with the stiffer ride.

Torque-vectoring by brake helps the S3 really eat into corners, in a way you might not expect from a quattro-propelled Audi, but the best part of the S3 is that you won’t feel like you’re missing out on much in the upcoming RS 3.

Verdict

The A3 40 and S3 pair are generally brilliant cars, let down by an interior that could be better and a price tag that should have even the most diehard Audi fans asking questions.

Seventy-thousand dollars is a lot of money for a hatchback that isn’t hot in nature, and nearly $90k is simply too much for a mid-spec hatch as well.

Consider the fact the Cupra Leon VZ Wagon asks $65,900 and packs broadly the same sort of performance as the S3, and the VW Golf GTI or Skoda Octavia RS outpower the A3 for roughly $15k less.

I know these will still sell, because they are still very good and people want the badge. Driving an Audi still has a certain gravitas to it that a Volkswagen, Skoda or Seat doesn’t.