Audi S3 Review

The Audi S3 has always been part of the A3 lineup, and every generation follows the same formula – take the A3, add a powerful turbocharged petrol engine and four-wheel drive, and sprinkle on a few S badges here and there.

Audi has always kept the S3’s styling fairly subtle. You’ll spot one if you know what to look for (such as the quad exhaust tips), but it looks like a regular A3 to the average person. That blend of performance and understated styling may well appeal to you, or you might prefer your hot hatch to look like something special – in which case the Honda Civic Type R with its big spoiler, or the Toyota GR Yaris with its swollen wheel arches, may well appeal more.

A3 Black Edition (left); S3 (right)

Has Audi gone too far with the subtlety though? This is a picture of an S3 alongside a regular A3 Black Edition – can you spot the difference? With no S3 badge on the front grille anymore, and no silver wing mirrors, the S3 is very normal-looking indeed.

Mind you, the S3 is very good at being a ‘normal’ car. Whereas the Civic Type R, GR Yaris and Ford Focus ST are always chomping at the bit to go faster, the S3 can be as docile as a 1.0-litre A3, and settles down to a fairly quiet cruise.

And then, when you want to go fast, the S3 has plenty of acceleration available at any time. Stick the gearbox into its dynamic mode and the shifts are pleasingly quick, while the engine sounds a lot more exciting at the top end than a BMW M135.

See the red ring around the starter button? That’s the only clue that you’re in something a lot faster and more expensive than a regular A3. Yes, there are sports seats and a flat-bottomed steering wheel with a small S badge, but you get similar things on a high-spec A3.

There are no complaints about the material quality or the infotainment system – both are among the best you’ll find in a family hatchback – but we’d like the S3 to feel a bit more special than the regular A3. Compare the S3 to the Volkswagen Golf R and the VW has plenty of blue accents, although cloth seats compared to the S3’s leather.

In terms of practicality, the one drawback of the S3 is that the boot is a bit smaller than in the standard A3 – 325 litres in the S3 plays 380 in the A3. That’s because of the quattro four-wheel-drive system, which pushes the boot floor up a little.

Consequently, the boot is a bit shallow between the floor and the parcel shelf, although the positive of that is no load lip to haul heavy items over. There’s a 12V socket to power a small compressor or coolbox, and a couple of useful hooks to stop delicate items flying around.

You can choose the S3 in hatchback or saloon bodystyles, and we’d recommend the hatchback unless you’re dead set on a saloon. The longer S3 saloon doesn’t offer any additional boot space, the boot opening is much smaller and you don’t get the option to load above the parcel shelf, as you do in the hatchback.

Whichever bodystyle you pick, you’ll get plenty of rear-seat space with good headroom and legroom. The S3 is better than the Mercedes-AMG A35 in this respect, although the longer Civic Type R blows the rest of the class away for legroom.

The S3 also has deep door pockets, seatback pockets, a fold-down armrest with extra cupholders, USBs and easy-to-find Isofix points. And the rear seats fold individually, giving you the versatility to fold one or two seats down and still carry passengers.

Under the bonnet, there’s a familiar 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine – which has powered the S3 for almost 20 years. Of course, there have been evolutions and enhancements in that time, with the latest version producing more power and fewer emissions.

As with the latest Golf R, which uses the same engine as the S3, power now stands at 333hp. If you drive more gently, you can see up to 33mpg – and we got into the 30s without too much regard for hypermiling.

With so much power and an all-wheel-drive system, it’s no surprise that the S3 is fast. Hitting 62mph from a standstill takes 4.7 seconds. You’ll need the mega-powered Audi RS3 or Mercedes-AMG A45 S to go any faster in a petrol hot hatch.

The benefit of four-wheel drive is that you can put the power down even on slippery roads or in less-than-ideal weather. Front-driven rivals such as the Focus ST can feel a bit skittish on greasy or cambered asphalt, but the S3 stays resolutely planted and unflustered. It does mean that other hot hatches are a little more exciting, with the S3 being incredibly competent but leaving you just a tiny bit cold.

The big news for the latest S3 (from 2024) is the introduction of the torque splitter from the beefy Audi RS3. This shuffles the power between each rear wheel as needed, and improves both agility and stability.

Even if you don’t get a model with this feature, you’ll still enjoy fast steering that makes the S3 feel like it wants to dive headfirst into corners.

The gearbox is also quick to respond in its dynamic mode – make sure to slip it out of its normal mode during fast driving, because it’s not quite so snappy otherwise. You can use the gearlever or paddles behind the steering wheel if you want to change gears yourself.

There are modes for the driving setup as well, with dynamic and comfort modes being joined by an individual setup. There’s little point in comfort mode, because the S3 is always firm. It could do with VW’s Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC), which can genuinely feel soft and compliant, as well as firm and sporty if you wish.