Audi S3 quattro
Fast, Subtle, Very Hot Hatch (03/07/02)
by David Finlay
You know Audi is being serious about performance when it switches the A in one of its cars' names to an S. The S3 is therefore the fire-breathing version of the A3, which in normal circumstances is the baby of the Audi range.
In fact, the S3 now breathes even more fire than it used to. Up until this model year its 1.8-litre turbocharged engine produced an already impressive 210bhp. For 2002 this has been increased to 225bhp. There's a six-speed gearbox too, leading to the quattro four-wheel drive system, and since the A3 uses the small-car platform which underpins a wide variety of cars in the Volkswagen Group, the S3 is therefore largely made of the same stuff as the top-spec Audi TT.
Considerations of style will probably swing potential buyers in the direction of either the S3 or the TT, but in terms of driving experience I'd vote for the S3 as being by far the superior car.
It presents itself in a fairly subtle manner. The S3 does not look that much different from the 1.8 T quattro Sport, exterior tell-tale signs being confined to xenon headlamps, 7.5"x17 alloys with 225/45 tyres, twin chrome exhaust tailpipes and an integrated roof spoiler. If you were standing at the roadside and an S3 trundled past, you might not realise it was greatly out of the ordinary.
It's a little different inside. The Recaro seats (unique in the A3 range) are purposeful. In the first hundred yards of your maiden drive you notice the heavy steering, the considerable road noise and an eagerness to let you know about every last hump and ripple in the road surface.
Those low profile tyres are responsible for all this. You get used to the weight of the steering quite quickly, though it's slightly out of proportion with all the other major controls. And once you're properly on the move you realise that the ride quality is generally very good. The suspension has been set quite softly, so the S3 wafts over larger undulations while chattering over the smaller ones.
It's probably unacceptable in marketing terms to fit the smaller wheels and larger profile tyres of lesser A3s to this car, though I think the results would be very effective. You have to push the car very hard to make use of the superior grip on the rubber it has as standard, and those short, stiff sidewalls also make the S3 feel distinctly nervous if you're driving on damp roads.
Assuming decent weather, though, the car handles absolutely superbly. That soft suspension, plus the distribution of power to all four wheels, makes it extremely difficult to unbalance either end - certainly not at any speed I'd be willing to approach on anything other than a race circuit.
Using the throttle contributes to the handling, of course, but does not overcome it. So does the S3 feel underpowered? Not a bit of it. 225bhp is more than enough to give this little car storming acceleration (fortunately matched by excellent brakes). The whole package is so well balanced that you can sweep through corners and blast between them with almost equal ease. I suppose there are folk who would prefer the power to make the car more of a handful through the bends, but I think it's better the way it is.
Not Just A Racer
Off-boost, the engine is very relaxed, so gentle cruising isn't a problem once you're attuned to the road noise and the slightly frenetic ride quality. It's also possible to go quite a long way between fill-ups - I only managed about 300 miles on a tank, but I was doing quite a lot of performance testing and I'm sure that figure can be beaten easily. Certainly the official fuel consumption figures are quite reasonable, with a combined figure of just over 30mpg.
It takes little more than the drop of a hat to persuade Audi to fit a six-speed gearbox to its cars, and the usual reason given is that the wide choice of ratios matches the characteristics of the engine. Baloney. This engine works strongly across the rev range, and unless you're trying to squeeze another couple of tenths out of the car on a test track you don't need to keep chasing for the most appropriate gear. In any case, as with Audis in general, you can't rush the change, so I'm sure you lose as much time as you gain. Still, as with the tyres, I'm sure this is more of a marketing exercise than an attempt to improve the driving experience.
The S3 is unlikely to be used as a family car, so the fact that it is the only A3 not available in five-door form shouldn't be an issue (nor should the notoriously cramped rear passenger area). The front seat occupants have plenty of space, though you have to be in the right mood for those firm Recaro seats. The passenger also has to be in the mood for the driver's occasional explorations into the potential of one of the hottest - and best - of today's hot hatches.
Price: £24,820
Capacity: 1781cc
Power: 225bhp
0-62mph: 6.6 seconds
Maximum speed: 151mph
Economy: 39.8mpg extra urban, 30.4mpg combined
CO2 emissions: 223g/km
Insurance: Group 17
Audi figures.
Second opinion: I thought the chromed door mirrors were the instant give-away. Otherwise, this must be the least flamboyant high-performance car in its part of the market, and it's certainly easier to get into and out of than the TT coupé quattro. The rear-seat accommodation seems fair enough, when you compare the S3 with its direct rivals. Tremendous acceleration once the turbo wakes up, excellent traction, and a stormer on the hills. Yes, I'd like to see the S3 with more pliant tyres. No, it doesn't really need a six-speed box. And no, Audi doesn't offer memorable gear changing. Apart from the performance and handling, what really appeals about this car is the bomb-proof build quality. It makes some of its rivals seem as if they're put together from second-hand tin cans.
