|
By
EWAN KENNEDY
25 June 2007
After a hiatus of close to two years, Audi is back in the
prestige hot hatch market with its S3 variant of the popular A3.
Now using a variant of the second-generation A3 body, the
latest Audi S3 is powerful and sporting, yet isn’t outrageous in
its style. The lines work in a subtle manner that are just so
right for this upmarket German marque.
From its single-framed grille with bright sporting highlights
in an egg-crate fashion, to the neat spoiler over the bobtail it
works just so well.
Using a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine that produces 188 kW, the
new S3 has the traction advantage of being driven through all four
wheels (quattro) to let it accelerate from rest to 100 km/h in 5.9
seconds. You needed an expensive supercar to achieve that sort of
performance only a few years back.
More importantly than the ability to scorch off the line is the
impressive 330 Nm of torque that gives strong overtaking power at
almost all revs. Indeed, the high-tech, direct-injected engine
produces that torque all the way from 2500 revs to 5000. So unless
you are really hustling it along you will be doing virtually all
of your driving in the peak torque band.
Which makes for low emissions and fuel consumption. Because
this sporting engine is working so easily it has an officially
measured fuel consumption figure of just nine litres per hundred
kilometres. The aforementioned expensive supercar of a few years
back would have struggled to get its performance using twice as
much fuel.
The Audi S3 isn’t cheap at $65,500, though Audi Australia is
quick to point out it has reduced the price by almost $2000 over
the last of the old models. The only variant offered is with the
engine as described, a six-speed close ratio manual gearbox and
quattro all-wheel drive.
But for the model you do get prestige of the sort that simply
isn’t offered by lower cost competitors with similar dimensions
and performance that is usually not quite to the standard of the
Audi.
On road this new Audi S3 is a pure delight to drive. The engine
has minimal lag thanks to the new design of turbocharger, and
sounds simply glorious when you work it hard. The gearbox snicks
from ratio to ratio in a manner that disguises the fact that it’s
a long way from the lever to the ‘box in a car that was
originally designed as a spacious family hatchback.
The way the quattro traction advantage lets it grip the road
has to be felt to be believed. Making the well-bolstered sports
seats all the more welcome for the body support they provide.
Some of our test driving at the press launch was done in
twisting mountainous roads south of Sydney. Roads that were damp
and greasy in places as the low sun hadn't reached the surface at
that time. The confidence provided by the hot little Audi hatch
was superb.
All-in-all a wonderful German machine that should sit somewhere
near the top of the short list of anyone who enjoys driving and
has the wherewithal to afford a car at the top end of the
hot-hatch market.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
