Audi newly unveiled A3 model is being spiced up in UK with the launch of its S version. The sporty treatment is available for both S3 and S3 Sedan.
The new S3 models front is dominated by the Singleframe with its large rhombus-patterned grille and impressive air inlets, and embellished by LED headlights with LED daytime running lights, or upgraded Matrix LED units in S3 Vorsprung models. Their digital daytime running lights consist of a pixel array made up of 15 LED segments, ten of which form two vertical lines. The pronounced shoulder line extends from the headlights to the rear lights, below which the body curves inwards – a new element of Audi design that places a stronger emphasis on the wheel arches. Aluminium door mirror surrounds confirm membership of the S Series.
The firebrand behind the new S3 models is a 2.0 TFSI engine with 310PS and a 400Nm (295 lb-ft) torque peak. It instills suitably highly charged performance, with dispatch of the 0-62mph sprint now requiring just 4.8 seconds in both variants during the climb to a governed 155mph top speed, yet it can also show restraint, returning up to 39.2 mpg in WLTP test conditions, with reduced CO2 output of as little as 178 g/km.
High-tech features like the Audi valvelift system (AVS), which adjusts the lift of the intake valves as required to ensure optimum combustion chamber filling, and comprehensive thermal management measures, help to strike this impressive balance between ebullience and efficiency, as does the seven-speed S tronic with its lightning-fast gear shifts and economy-conscious freewheeling function.
The contradictions also extend to the chassis of the new S3 models, which can comfortably and compliantly accommodate long journeys while also attacking corners with impressive balance, resolve and agility. Lowered by 15 millimetres, equipped with a four-link rear axle and complemented by progressive steering, the standard S-specific suspension is a great all-rounder, and provides excellent foundations for the S suspension with damper control which is a standard feature of UK S3 Vorsprung models. Here, valves control the oil flow in the dampers so that they adapt to the driving situation and condition of the road in a few thousandths of a second, and in this latest incarnation are able to provide even wider, more discernible and more beneficial differentiation between operating characteristics in the Comfort and Dynamic settings available to the driver via Audi drive select.
High-tech look of the new S3 models sets the stage for their interiors with their newly developed sport seats finished in Fine Nappa leather and their crisply defined, driver-oriented dashboards that discreetly integrate the new MMI operating concept with its 10.1-inch black panel touch-screen display. The appropriately advanced new hub of the cabin is able to recognise letters entered by hand, provides acoustic feedback and can also be controlled using natural language. It is powered by the third generation modular infotainment platform (MIB 3), which endows it with ten times more computing power than its predecessor, and all of its connectivity features are delivered at LTE Advanced speed.
