Audi is in the process of updating the fourth-generation A3 Sportback and Saloon family for its mid-cycle overhaul, with 35 TFSI and 35 TDI petrol and diesel cars getting mildly revised looks, fresh paint colours and alloy wheel designs, along with increased in-car tech, but not much else. However, the S3 - also available in the four- and five-door bodies - is part of this update process and, happily, it does benefit from some powertrain and chassis upgrades as well. So, does it turn the previously ‘fast but a bit dull’ S3 into something a driving enthusiast ought to take more notice of?
In the metal
All facelifted Audi A3s, from base-spec to this S3, have a wider, flatter ‘Singleframe’ grille that, er, no longer has a frame around it. There are also revised bumpers and light clusters, fore and aft, the former of these with the choice of four configurable daytime running lamp signatures. Audi has further added five different body colours and new designs of 17- to 19-inch alloy wheels for all cars, so considering it all holistically it’s a mild tweaking of the appearance of the A3, rather than a radical overhaul.
To these aesthetic amendments, the S3 adds the usual hot-but-discreet Audi signifiers, such as silver door mirrors, window surrounds, side sills and front air-intake highlights, along with quad exhaust pipes, black S-specific badging and branded brake callipers too, plus bespoke 19-inch alloys. Perhaps less discreet on our test model were the silver-highlighted inserts for the front grille and that panel above the exhausts/diffuser at the back, marked out by what looked like little repeated hockey sticks lying on their sides, but they can probably be optioned out on the configurator if you think that they’re a bit garish. One final note on the exterior: we prefer the look, and the more unique appeal, of the S3 Saloon, but we’re driving the ‘hot hatch’ S3 Sportback here.
Inside, again there are S-related upgrades over a regular A3’s cabin - such as sporty bucket seats, loads of ‘S’ logos, some upmarket material finishes for the seats and door cards, and a flat-bottomed steering wheel - but in general it’s an excellent interior in the Audi, as you’d expect. The S3 also benefits from additional technology, such as the Audi Virtual Cockpit Plus instrument cluster, Audi Phonebox Light with wireless charging, and the Audi App store feature as well.
Driving it
When we bring you a review of the A3 Sportback facelift, we can’t talk about much on the driving aspects as they’re unchanged from before, mechanically speaking. However, that’s not the case for the Audi S3. For starters, it has more power now, as if it needed such a thing. The 2.0-litre TFSI turbocharged four-cylinder engine up front has been given an additional 23hp and 20Nm, for overall peaks of 333hp and 420Nm. Channelling this through all four wheels via the means of a seven-speed S tronic gearbox with 50 per cent quicker gearshifts than before, the increased muscle results in a tenth being shaved off the S3’s 0-100km/h time, with it now capable of a searing 4.7-second run. The top speed remains pegged at 250km/h.
Obviously, you won’t really feel that extra power subjectively - you’d need to strap timing gear to the updated S3 and a pre-facelift car and run an extensive series of performance tests to really confirm the 7 and 5 per cent uplifts in horsepower and torque, after all. But what you will sense is the new rear axle. Taking learnings from the even-more-potent model above the S3 in the family, namely the five-cylinder, 400hp RS 3, this version now also gains the torque-splitting rear axle. Previously, the S3 could shuffle torque in its quattro system from front to rear as required, but it couldn’t accurately apportion that torque out differently to each of the back tyres as there was just one clutch at the back of the quattro set-up. Now it has twin clutches on the rear axle, meaning it can fling torque at whichever wheel needs it the most.
The results are notable and most worthwhile. This is a fast Audi that feels far less nose-led and much more willing to adjust its line using the tail of the car on corner exit with a dollop of throttle. If you’re in a tighter turn in one of the Audi’s sportier settings, then you can feel the S3 thumping torque into the outer-rear tyres, which makes the back of the Sportback swing wider into an almost neutral-to-oversteer stance. There’s none of the former sensation of the front tyres scrabbling to haul the Audi out of the corner, or of the nose of the car feeling heavy and unwilling to do much more than understeer (go straight on when the front wheels are turned to one side or the other).
This is quite a technical driving experience breakdown, so let us put it another way that’s easier to comprehend: this updated S3 is way more enjoyable to drive in a spirited fashion than it was before. And this is most excellent news. After all, the RS 3 is extreme to look at and extremely expensive to buy. It’s not that the S3 is cheap, of course, but it’s not as dear to purchase in the first place, it’ll be easier on your wallet to run, and some will prefer its understated, classier appearance. The fact it is now sharper handling as well is merely the icing on the cake.
On which note, ride comfort and rolling refinement are both superb on the revised S3. This wasn’t always the case, and it does, perhaps, depend on the S Sport suspension being enhanced with the fancy adaptive dampers (likely optional), as fitted to our test car. This allows the fast Audi to have a comfortable if taut-edged low-speed ride, without sacrificing too much body control at the limit. When we first drove this generation of S3 at launch back at the end of 2020, we found the standard fixed-rate springs and dampers on the Sportback too firm, so we’re keen to try a revised model without the variable shock absorbers to see if that’s still the case. However, with a suitably hushed interior, even at speed, and a surprisingly cosseting ride on these variable dampers, the updated S3 turns in an all-round polished and thoroughly likeable dynamic performance.
The S3 is not without its faults, though. The steering still lacks for much in the way of genuine engagement and feedback, even in the car’s Dynamic Plus setting, and we remain baffled as to why Audi has decided to synthesise a five-cylinder engine note through the S3’s speakers - as in, the company has tried to make the S3 sound like an RS 3. But why? There is an RS 3 already capable of doing that; Audi should have instead let the EA888 2.0-litre engine in the S3 have its own voice, because it can sound pretty good as these turbocharged four-cylinder units go. Weirdly, there is the option of an Akrapovič exhaust upgrade for the S3, which was fitted to our car, but we couldn’t discern what this fabulous set of pipes was doing over all the fake five-pot blaring the Audi was making. Annoying.
What you get for your money
We’re still waiting for Audi Ireland to confirm the prices of the new range of A3s, S3 included, so until we know the specs and pricing for these updated cars, we’ll leave this section be for the time being and update you when we know more.
Summary
Mildly different looks and technology on the updated Audi S3 Sportback hide the bigger news, which is that the new rear axle blesses this high-performance car with a truly enjoyable, rewarding chassis. It’s not an inexpensive car to buy or run here in Ireland, but if you want a rapid, premium hot hatch - or even an express compact saloon - then the new S3 is one of the best of its kind now.
