Audi S3 Sportback review (2008 onwards)

Driven What – Audi S3Where – Munich, GermanyPrice – £27,720Available – August, 2008Key rivals – BMW 130i, Subaru Impreza STi, Mitsubishi Evo X

Summary

Subtle mid-life revisions and five doors for the first time on the S3 will maintain the popularity

Likes: seamless turbo performance; practicality of new Sportback model, build qualityDislikes: only four cylinders to BMW’s six, four-wheel-drive ultimately less involving than rear-wheel-drive, option prices

GALLERY: Audi A3 Sportback
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First impressions

Launched in 2004, the Audi A3 ranges gets its mid-life tweaks to see it through to 2012. The visual clues are very subtle, the most obvious being the optional fitment of Audi's distinctive LED running lights. As standard there are new bumpers, head and tail light designs while the interior has a scattering more chrome. Park Assist becomes an option. Drive past a space and the computer tells you if it's big enough. Select reverse and the computer controls the steering while the driver feeds in the throttle and the brakes. It works eerily well, though we found it reluctant to always click into the mode in the first place.

Significantly the 2.0-litre A3 turbo-diesel is the all-new common rail version first seen in the A4 earlier this year. Available with either 140 or 170bhp, it is cleaner, more economical and significantly more refined than before. There is also a new seven-speed automatic "S tronic" gearbox for lower powered A3s.Which brings us to the range-toping 261bhp S3. Now available in five-door Sportback form for the first time it should increase sales - 70% of customers of lesser A3s chose this body style. The power is unchanged by the engine is cleaner and a touch more economical and there are improvements to the quattro four-wheel-drive.

Performance

We dropped into the £23,395 A3 2.0TFSI Sport line first. With front-wheel-drive and 200bhp, it undercuts the S3 by a useful amount and being effectively a Golf GTI under the skin, it should be good. And it is, providing gutsy performance and seamless acceleration from low to high speed. The chassis is great too; this is really as good as most people will want.So the S3 has a lot to live up too. But, perhaps surprisingly, it does have an addictive extra dimension. There really is something quite animal about the way it does the business, driving forward with a relentless thrust of acceleration.

0-62mph is reached in 5.8 seconds, but there's low-down thrust that means hard acceleration is almost always on tap in any gear. Audi has intensively developed this S3 engine, even though on paper it seems little different. The cylinder block has been stiffened with the head casts from a new high temperature alloy. The camshafts and injectors have been changed too, there's a larger turbocharger and a re-engineered charge air cooler that significantly increases the air mass available for combustion.

Ride and handling

The new flat-bottomed steering wheel looks and feels rather race-car-ish and it's the key interaction point to the quattro driving dimension you get with the S3. With power transmitted through all four wheels, there's an immense feeling of security. It's rare for grip to be lost, and though the S3 can be provoked in wet conditions, the traction control and stability systems bail you out. There are those that will always argue a rear-wheel-drive BMW will provide a more pure driving experience.

Ride and handling

It's a fair point, but even for experienced S3 drivers, the difference is mainly noticeable at the extreme limits of the performance envelope. You'll probably get more out of a BMW 130i on a track but the S3 will be a better companion on the road.Especially if you opt for Magnetic Ride. The system that was first seen in the TT has shock absorbers containing minute magnetic particles in the damper oil. When a voltage is applied, the particles line up and inhibit the flow of oil and change the damping characteristics in milliseconds. You can alter the character of the car at the touch of a button.

Interior

What will appeal to a greater number of potential S3 owners is the broadening of the range to include the Sportback. The three-door A3 is noticeably roomier than a 1 Series BMW and the five-door is better still. The changes inside the S3 are largely about little extra bits of chrome trim and some new instruments. But this always was a nice way to travel, Audi judging the balance between a sports interior and classiness just right. Seat comfort is of a really high standard, there's a good gearchange and well-placed control layout. Full bi-level climate control is standard. But forget the list price, because the desirable options ramp up the cost.

Economy and safety

If you opt for the three-door S3 the CO2 levels just squeeze in under 200g/km, but the five-door doesn't quite make it at 201g/km. As close to the BMW 130i as not to matter. The fuel economy is similar too, at 33.2mpg on the average cycle. The S3 is packed with airbags and scores 5 stars in the EuroNCAP tests while the extra grip provided quattro four-wheel drive system boosts active safety to help keep drivers out of trouble to begin with.

The MSN Cars verdict: 4/5

That S3s take 10% of A3 sales is no surprise. Here is a hatchback with genuinely easily accessible performance that the majority of drivers can exploit and enjoy. It's an enticing package too, the changes make it look just different enough to entice a new band of customer. They will like the five-door Sportback too, even if the purists insist that three-doors is the only way to go. The Imprezas and Evos are faster but they are light years away from the Audi's class or comfort. So at £27k the S3 looks like a great buy, though extras will quickly make your wallet wilt.

Ratings out of five:Audi A3 SportbackPerformance*****Ride & handling****Interior****Safety*****Price***Practicality****Fuel economy***MSN Cars verdict****

Need to know

Need to knowPetrol engine2.2-litre, turbochargedPower (bhp)261Torque (lb/ft)2580-62 (secs)5.8Top speed (mph)155Combined mpg27.7CO2/tax201/28%

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Other cars to consider

BMW 130i
Subaru Impreza STi
Mitsubishi Evo X