► Next Audi S3 prototype driven in Oman
► A little more power, a lot more agility
► Closes the gap to the RS3
Where the Audi RS3 sparkles, the S3 that’s positioned one rung below drives like Coke with the top left off – it just isn’t exciting enough. Mission for the new S3, due later this year? Shake the bottle and be more RS3-like, without trampling all over big brother’s toes.
At a glance
Pros: Much improved, sharper, more energetic and more enjoyable to drive
Cons: Could be faster and have more steering feel
What’s new?
So much has changed beneath the S3’s skin – chassis, engine, gearbox, exhaust, all sorts.
A new pivot bearing at the bottom of the MacPherson struts allow 1.5º of negative camber on the front axle, more than doubling the previous figure, plus there are stiffer wishbone bearings and new tyres – the standard 19-inch Bridgestone Potenza Sports we’re trying, or optionally a more aggressive Falken Azenis RS820 focused on dry grip (they’re 235/35s all-round, unlike the RS3 with its larger front diameter).
A new torque splitter is lifted straight from the RS3 and uses two clutch packs, one for each rear driveshaft, giving very fine control of how the torque is split between the left and right wheels – the logic being that if you direct more go to the outside wheel in a corner, the S3 will be much keener to turn.
What are the specs?
The 2.0-litre four gets more pep thanks to small increases of 23bhp and 15lb ft (for a total of 328bhp/310lb ft), a higher idle speed to perk it up off the line (in Dynamic Plus) and a turbo that now keeps spinning at low-throttle openings, ready for action the moment you click your fingers.
The new S3 gets a 0-62mph time of 4.7 seconds, with a top speed of 155mph. Fuel efficiency is pegged at 34.0mpg, with CO2 emissions estimated at 188g/km.
How does it drive?
There’s only a small amount of extra power, but the 2.0 TFSI feels much more energetic thanks to mods elsewhere. You feel the extra responsiveness more than the extra power when you dig into the throttle, while this car’s new Akrapovic silencer adds a purposefully throaty sound. Gearshifts get more pop too, and the S-tronic unit generally is impressive, especially in its most energetic settings.
The S3 still takes 2400rpm or so to get into its stride, beyond which acceleration is more progressive than astonishing, while those shifts could be more direct still. Given the five-cylinder RS3 will doubtless nudge up from its current 395bhp in in the imminent future, there’s room for more here.
But to paraphrase that old self-help manual, it’s not the amount of horsepower that’s important, it’s what you do with it that counts, and a revised chassis means the S3 can do a huge amount with the power it’s packing.
I experiment with Dynamic mode first, marvelling at how hard you can launch the S3 at a fast corner, and how much more adaptive the quattro all-wheel drive is thanks to the torque splitter, even if the handling balance is ultimately quite neutral. Select Dynamic Plus, though, and things properly click, almost like you’re working against more positive camber on the road surface – the S3 simply digs into the curve more enthusiastically the harder you push. Stability control is still lurking in the background, but knows to keep its nose out. (Unlike the RS3, there is no drift mode.)
What about the interior?
Although we only drove a prototype version of the next S3, the seats were comfy and the driving position was spot on. We’ll need to drive a finished product that doesn’t have bin bags disguising the dashboard for a more accurate verdict, though.
Before you buy (trims and rivals)
Like the A35 over in Stuttgart, the S3 sits in a highly competitive market segment. Designed to step things up over the A3 – but not enough to upstage the RS3 – it’ll be priced somewhere around the £43,000 mark. If you’re after a mid-level hot hatch, then Affalterbach’s A35 or CLA 35 are worth a look.
Verdict
The Audi S3 now seems to be a very rounded, mature-looking car that can suddenly snap awake when the moment comes. One thing we do know; the updated RS3 will need to restore the gap to its much-improved junior sibling.