Reviewed: Audi NZ’s all-new S3 sportback
Audi’s A3 has also been a success for the brand, but when it comes to something sportier you have to give a big nod to the all-new S3 Sportback that’s just been launched in New Zealand.
More than two decades since the original Audi S3 defined the premium hot hatch market, Audi has launched the fourth-generation that has a retail price from $89,500
“As with the A3, the S3 was the first of its kind – a premium hot hatch that delivered a more luxurious experience and everyday useability, without holding back on performance,” said Dean Sheed, General Manager, Audi New Zealand.
“The car was so successful that it has become an iconic nameplate – and a formula that is still being replicated today.
“The new S3 Sportback brings more driving enjoyment, greater refinement and ride comfort, technology and design from the full-size class of the Audi range,” said Sheed.
“The enjoyment of driving the car does not come at the expense of comfort and practicality, which means that its performance can be accessed in more situations every day – making it a perfect gateway to Audi’s range of performance cars.”
The new S3 Sportback with quattro as standard, dominates at the front with its large rhombus-patterned grille and air inlets, while the exterior mirrors have an aluminium look. The shoulder of the body extends in a line from the headlights to the rear lights.
The areas below are curved inward, a new design element that emphasise the wheel arches like the quattro blisters on RS models.
The 2-litre petrol engine achieves a maximum power output of 228kW, with 400 Nm of torque.
Digital daytime running lights consist of a pixel array made up of 15 LED segments, 10 of which form two vertical lines. At the rear end, the large diffuser and the four exhaust tailpipes accentuate the sporty look.
The 2-litre petrol engine achieves a maximum power output of 228kW, with 400 Nm of torque with 0 to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds. A seven-speed S tronic transmission, quattro drive with intelligent control, and an S specific sport suspension with damper control deliver the power to the road effortlessly.
High-tech features like the Audi valvelift system (AVS) – which adjusts the lift of the intake valves as required – mean that the combustion chambers are well filled, while thermal management helps to ensure high efficiency.
Audi‘s virtual cockpit plus is focused on the driver, with a 12.3-inch diagonal screen sitting in the dashboard..
The driver can use the Audi drive select system to make the sound of the powerful four-cylinder turbo engine even crisper. The seven-speed S tronic with lightning-fast gearshifts and freewheeling function, and the quattro all-wheel drive deliver the torque to the road.
A hydraulic multi-plate clutch in front of the rear axle is fully variable and moves between the front and the back as required, combining dynamic performance with stability and efficiency. It is managed by the modular dynamic handling control – a new system that closely links the quattro drive to the Electronic Stabilisation Control (ESC) and the controlled dampers.
The S sport suspension with damper control sees valves control the oil flow in the dampers so that they can adapt to the condition of the road, the driving situation, and the driver’s individual selection in a few thousandths of a second. The spread between comfort and dynamism is even wider than on the previous model, while the four-link rear axle and progressive steering offers everything required for driving enjoyment.
The S3 dominates at the front with its large rhombus-patterned grille and impressive air inlets
The new electric brake booster ensures strong and spontaneous deceleration, while all four brake discs are internally ventilated. Brake calipers come in red with 19-inch wheels as standard.
Compared with their predecessors, the new S3 Sportback has grown in size; 3cm longer at 4.35 metres, 3cm wider at 1.82 metres. The interior offers more shoulder room and elbow room, while the rear luggage compartment has a capacity of 325 litres which, depending on the position of the rear bench seat, can grow up to 1145 litres.
The striking style of the new S3 Sportback continues on the inside – with the new, compact shifter for the seven-speed S tronic and decorative aluminum or carbon inlays that are designed to evoke the shape of the headlights.
At the rear end, the large diffuser and the four exhaust tailpipes accentuate the sporty look.
Audi‘s virtual cockpit plus is focused on the driver, with a 12.3-inch diagonal screen sitting in the dashboard behind the steering wheel, displaying important information across three different screens.
In the middle of the instrument panel is a 10.1-inch touch display that can recognise letters entered by hand and provides acoustic feedback. As an additional operating level, the infotainment can also be voice-controlled using natural language as standard.
The MMI operating system in the new S3 models is powered by the third-generation modular infotainment platform (MIB 3). Its computing power is 10 times higher than that of its predecessor, it performs all tasks relating to connectivity with LTE Advanced speed, and it has an integrated Wi-Fi hotspot.
Digital daytime running lights consist of a pixel array made up of 15 LED segments.
Route guidance is flexible and accurate, while navigation can offer high-resolution satellite images from Google Earth, and traffic information. Individual settings, such as frequently selected destinations or air conditioning preferences, can be stored in up to six user profiles.
Connectivity between the new S3 Sportback and the user’s smartphone occurs via the myAudi app, as well as via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There is also the optional Bang & Olufsen premium sound system with 3D sound that delivers a particularly spatial soundscape.
The driver assist systems includes Audi pre sense front, swerve assist with turn assist, adaptive cruise assist, lane departure warning, lane change, and exit warnings, as well as cross-traffic and park assist systems, and all have the potential to prevent accidents and are included as standard.
The 10.1-inch touch display that can recognise letters entered by hand.
So enough with all the specifications and technology. What is the Audi S3 Sportback like to live with?
We had the S3 just before lockdown, with our photoshoot taking place a few days before Level 4 began. Setting up between Britomart and Wynyard Quarter on a sunny Saturday morning, we had a steady stream of foot traffic looking at the shoot.
My daughter’s boyfriend, Jeremiah, agreed to model for us as photographer Andrei Diomidov thought the S3 Sportback needed a contemporary, urban setting with a cool-looking young ‘owner’ and he wanted it to be similar to photographs you see in cars shoot from Europe.
The new S3 Sportback has grown in size; 3cm longer at 4.35 metres, 3cm wider at 1.82 metres.
As you can see from these photos, it was a success (thanks Jeremiah, you star) and it was worth the effort to showcase such a good-looking car. That’s in part to the grille plus those waist-height lines along the side of it.
What I didn’t expect was an actual S3 owner to approach us during the shoot. He had the previous generation S3 and was nonchalant about the new model until I suggested he sit in the car.
He was speechless at the redesigned and clear look of the dash, especially the integrated screen and the new gear shifter, also found in the new VW Golf. He was so keen he wanted to know the price.
Brake calipers come in red with 19 inch wheels as standard.
Inside and out, the S3 Sportback is a good-looking car but it dominates when it hits the road. As usual, stick to comfort mode around the city but this car deserves to be driven in dynamic mode. Not just because the artificial stereo-speaker-based engine noise kicks in (who doesn't love a few pops and crackles) but also because it’s quattro-biased, it has fantastic control, especially when it comes to manouvering at speed or cornering.
There is also grip on offer and despite some critics complaining that the steering in dynamic mode is too stiff, I like the assurance of taut steering so you don’t go all loosey-goosey (yes, that’s a technical term!).
The S3’s Progressive Steering system increases the speed of the steering the more you turn the wheel, which isn’t just good for turning at speed but better still in the city when you have to park – or in my case, move the car into small spaces for a shoot around some gnarly, knee-hight concrete posts.
The driver can use the Audi drive select system to make the sound of the powerful four-cylinder turbo engine even crisper.
The new Audi S3 continues its positioning at the posher end of the hot hatch scale, thanks to high-quality materials used inside, though the back row isn’t that roomy, making it more suitable for two adults to sit comfortably.
I couldn’t work the voice-activated control system (ditto with Skodas and VWs) with Mercedes-Benz and BMW dominating in the Siri-like systems. So that meant plenty of fingerprint marks on the screen – but as I’m not OCD, it didn’t bother me too much.
So, what are the competitors to the Audi S3 Sportback? There’s the VW Golf R that arrives in early 2022 (albeit any disruptions from the factory due to chip shortage) and the new Mercedes-AMG 35. I can see existing customers, like the Saturday morning walker, stepping up to the new S3, especially with an upgrade in technology and no decrease in power.
The Audi S3 Sportback has a seven-speed S tronic transmission, quattro drive with intelligent control.
