Audi S3 (2013)

You’re looking at the Golf GTI’s worst nightmare. Never mind the Fiesta ST, 208 GTi and Clio RS nipping at its heels, the real danger to the world’s most iconic hot hatch comes from one of Volkswagen’s own: the new (and near-300bhp) Audi S3.

Boring stuff such as the VW Group’s vast economies of scale dictate that beneath the skin S3 and Golf GTI are somewhat similar, but the automotive equivalent of a stay at the Godolphin Stables has endowed the Audi with four-wheel drive and an extra 79bhp. Forget the GTI – the S3 is as quick as a Porsche 911. Could it be the perfect hot hatch? And is the sight of four stubby exhausts disappearing into the distance something all GTI owners need to get used to? Let’s find out…

‘More torque than the latest Porsche 911’

Fifteen years ago a 911 Carrera with Porsche’s first water-cooled flat-six proudly boasted 296bhp, but the new S3 has just as much power. Plus more torque than the latest 911. The cause? A new turbocharged 2.0-litre that shares only its cubic capacity with the outgoing S3’s engine. For the VW and Audi anoraks it’s no longer the highly tuneable EA133 found in the Scirocco R, old Golf R and GTI 35, but a variant of the newer EA888 that powers both the Mk6 GTI and latest Mk7 GTI. Still with me?

So, it’s on par with a Porsche, and to achieve that, Audi’s used indirect injection to throw lots of fuel into the engine at high revs and produce lots of power. At least that’s what I thought. The S3 has both direct and indirect injection, but unlike Jaguar’s abandoned C-X75 supercar – which proposed to use direct injection in the low and medium range for fuel efficiency, and then port-fed injection for more power at big revs – this 2.0T works the other way around. The direct-injection system is always operational, but indirect injection is only active under partial loads to reduce consumption and emissions. Still with me?

‘Almost as pleasing to the ear as a straight-six’

Thankfully, whatever trickery is at play beneath the bonnet, the resultant sound is about the best made by any four-cylinder: it’s bassy, really deep and rich, and unlike a Megane RS or Astra VXR there’s no domineering turbo roar as the revs increase, just a harder-edged timbre near the redline. And if you’ve got the optional twin-clutch S-tronic ’box, each upshift is accompanied by a whoomph from the quad pipes. Two flaps in the exhaust and an electromechanical actuator near the bulkhead artificially enhance the noise, but who cares when it’s almost as pleasing to the ear as the straight-six in BMW’s M135i.

It’s a sweetly spinning engine too, never droning or labouring as the revs rise, instead whipping merrily towards the 6800rpm cut-out. If only the S-tronic transmission didn’t then automatically upshift: no matter which driving mode you’re in, or whether you’ve slotted the gearstick into Sport or Manual, the double-clutch ’box always selects the next cog rather than letting you run into the limiter. The S-tronic will always kick down too, so you’re robbed of interaction and ultimate control. Still, for those moments when you do beat the transmission to a gearchange, the new steering-wheel-mounted paddles are much more satisfying to use than before. New R8 aside, the paddles in every Audi are flimsier than a credit card, but in the S3 they’re now big and thick, with rubberised centres and metalled edges. I think Audi pinched from the BMW M5. We need them in our RS4 asap!

‘Launch Control gets you to 62mph in the same time as a 911 Carrera’

Want to shift gear yourself? A six-speed manual is standard, and will save you £1480, but the shift is a little notchier than in other A3s, the clutch a little heavier, and you lose out on the upshift theatrics. And it’s only with the S-tronic transmission that the Launch Control electronics scamper you to 62mph in the same time as a current 911 Carrera. Around 60% of customers are expected to opt for the manual, but forgive me, as I’d take the S-tronic.

Yet even with the twin-clutch ’box, and four-wheel drive, the S3 weighs 25kg less than the M135i. Granted the BMW has two extra cylinders, but if you opted for the xDrive version (not available in the UK) then the difference on the scales would increase to 100kg. Thank the S3’s new MQB platform, the same one that underpins every other A3, the Golf and… actually, I’ve put you through enough VW Group jargon. Simply, the new Mk3 S3 is 60kg lighter than the Mk2.

‘Quick, composed, and more agile than the last A3’

And that means it feels lighter and more alert. There’s plenty of grip too, and four-wheel drive means traction isn’t an issue. The smooth roads we were on weren’t the sternest test of the springs and dampers, but sitting 25mm lower on stiffened sports suspension (and going on how an S-line A3 rides on UK roads) I reckon it’ll be rather firm when we get one back in Blighty. Our car didn’t have the optional £995 adaptive dampers but they might be a sensible choice, yet for now the S3 is quick and composed, more agile than the last S3, and definitely more so than the old five-cylinder RS3 that lugs around an extra 160kg.

It’s a sensation no doubt helped by the new Progressive steering. Unlike the Dynamic system in RS models (which can vary the ratio by nearly 100% using a gear in the steering column) the S3 uses a variable-ratio rack akin to what you’ll find in the Ford Focus ST. The teeth get further apart towards the extremities of the rack, and although the S3 isn’t quite as darty as the Ford, the further you turn the wheel, the quicker the steering gets.

‘More communication from the front wheels is definitely needed’

If only the steering was as talkative as the girls that hand out nightclub fliers in Magaluf. In the Comfort setting there’s a little light dead spot around the straight-ahead position, which is welcome when you’re hammering along the autobahn at an indicated 165mph, but not when you stumble across a decent country road on the edge of Munich. I long ago gave up on the Auto setting in any Audi equipped with Drive Select, finding its attempts to constantly keep up with your driving style somewhat clumsy, so let’s switch to Dynamic. Then the weighting is both heavier and more immediate – and with four-wheel drive the steering isn’t corrupted by the torque when you’re turning and applying power – but more communication from the front wheels is definitely needed. Few modern hot hatches have great steering, but that doesn’t mean we accept it quietly.

Speaking of being quiet, does any 300bhp hot hatch fly under the radar quite like the S3? I know the M135i looks little different to a regular M Sport 1-series, and even the 355bhp Merc A45 AMG isn’t that overt, but besides the extra NHS orthodontics in the grille, the aluminium-effect door mirrors and multitude of exhausts, the S3 could be our editor’s new long-term A3.

‘The sports seats resemble a King Cobra rising to strike’

It’s equally restrained inside, unless you spend £795 on the supportive ‘S’ sports seats whose diamond-quilted sides resemble a King Cobra rising up to strike. There are a smattering of S3 badges, and a boost gauge replaces the water temperature read-out in the rev counter, but otherwise it could be any S-line A3. I’d personally like a few more S3-specific touches, though as we’ve said before there are few finer interiors, and everything from the intricate air vents and slender pop-up multimedia screen, to the beautifully lit air-con controls and intuitive MMI rotary controller makes it feel very special. All we’d say is you might want to wait for the more practical five-door Sportback if you’ve got more than two people to carry.

Verdict

Mix that delectable interior with the powerful, rorty engine, plus the lighter and more agile chassis, and the four-wheel traction that makes for easy cross-country speed, and there’s more than enough appeal to make up for a mildly uninvolving driving experience. The new S3 is a good ’un. But a Golf GTI beater…?