Audi S3

Step inside and settle into those garish seats and the promise of excitement. They are pukka Recaros, trimmed in the kind of suede normally found in the cockpits of fully fledged race cars. The padding is firm, the substantial thigh and torso bolsters more so. Electrically adjustable for cushion height and tilt plus backrest angle (cushion length can be extended manually), the seats eliminate one concern when exploiting a car's performance, namely being securely positioned. Combined with the rake and reach adjustable steering wheel, reasonable pedal positioning, and a sensibly placed left-foot rest, they provide an excellent driving environment.

Fire up, and the familiar Audi 1 781 cm3 20-valve motor emits an uncharacteristic rumble through the pair of chrome-tipped exhausts. It is a step up from the cooking
A3 1,8T, boasting a substantial power increase of 44 kW to a new peak of 154, delivered just 100 revs further up the scale at 5 800. Torque is improved too, by 60 N.m to 270, all of which is on tap from 2 100 to 5 000 r/min. Not quite as brawny as the 165 kW/280 N.m unit in the TT coupé and roadster, it still has enough on-paper muscle to suggest plenty of spirited behaviour.

And not only in a straight line. For some time now, Audi and stablemate VW have been offering cars with generously sized wheels and tyres encapsulated by bold wheelarches, which not only look good but help endow the vehicle with more than ample grip. Throw in four-wheel drive, a technology that Audi has had in its product line-up for the last 20 years, and there is added potential for g-challenging progress, especially in something as compact as the S3.

Head for the open road, and there is immediate notice of what is concealed beneath the car's skin. The six-speed gearbox has a notchy, mechanical action - the spring loading is not too heavy - and the clutch is comfortably weighted, but the four-pot motor offers little in the way of inertia-beating torque low down. Traction is so good that getting off the mark needs considered throttle/clutch activation if the occasional stumble is to be avoided, but attempting to pull away from yield signs at low speed in second gear is a no-no. It is only when the tacho needle glides past 2 500 that you will find the expected wallop.

Thing is, the S3 is deceptively quick. The build integrity of the body, the quality of the fixtures and fittings, and the apparent excellent NVH control combine to subdue any mechanical mayhem - even the turbo adds to the noise damping process, but not to the point that the engine cannot be heard being worked hard. In this guise, the motor does not sing sweetly, and begins losing penetration when revs approach 6 000, but keep it on its expansive torque plateau and it delivers a linear progression of thrust. The gearbox, with its unusual twin output shaft configuration (see sidebar), carries ratios that provide fairly evenly spaced speed ranges. It is a joy to use.

Out on the test strip, our car did not quite make the times we were expecting. Audi claims 6,9 seconds for the sprint to 100 km/h, but the best we managed was 7,4 - which is still rapid for a car with a test weight of nearly 1,5 tons plus two crew members. (We compared figures with the slightly more powerful, but heavier, TT Roadster tested in December 2000, and found that third gear acceleration times were also down, suggesting that the S3 was somehow being stifled until it was up and running.) The standing kilometre was achieved in 27,81 seconds at 187,2 km/h (anything under 28 seconds is commendable) and top speed was 236 km/h. Numbers do not always tell the whole story, though, and our enthusiasm was not dampened. Kept between that 2 100-5 000 max torque spread, the S3 is quick. Period.

Tackle a series of bends and you will be forgiven for initially under-achieving. Drive to the four wheels is courtesy of what is basically VW's 4Motion system that, in turn, was adapted from Audi's quattro format. Essentially, 4Motion is to transverse-engined cars what quattro is to those with in-line powertrains. Most of the drive
is sent to the front wheels in normal conditions, where EDL (Electronic Diff Lock) takes care of any wheelspin at speeds up to about 40 km/h. When greater demands are placed on the drivetrain, an electronically controlled Haldex coupling on the rear differential apportions torque to the wheels that need it the most to achieve balanced traction. All this forms part of the car's Electronic Stability Program (ESP), which can be switched out if the driver wishes to challenge the laws of physics. Not something we recommend...

But back to the twisties. Simply put, the grip offered by the 225/45 Z-rated 17-inch rubberware is not far short of phenomenal. Go in deep, turn in with commitment and the nose of the S3 simply charges through without any loss of composure. Hard-charge through tight corners and the rear can be felt getting a little out of sorts, but not to the extent of raising a white flag. In such circumstances, consider the speed of the manoeuvre and the S3's remarkable handling becomes very apparent. It seduces, teases then deals with everything that you can demand of it. We can think only of a Subaru Impreza WRX as a serious competitor.

A price has to be paid for such handling precision: hard-riding suspension, especially at low speeds. Pottering around, any serious imperfections in the road surface reveal themselves with a sharp thwack through the suspension. A rash of corrugations has a similar effect to a weight loss vibrator. Conversation becomes staccato. At cruising speeds, the effect is less pronounced, but sharp ridges and ruts struck by the low-profile tyres simultaneously transmit a nasty short shockwave. However, while the condition of the country's roads is hardly exemplary, there is plenty of smooth tar to appreciate, and in an overall context the S3's firmness is an acceptable trade-off.

Ventilated disc brakes all round with ABS and EBD control are powerful. Dual front and side airbags are fitted, and the front head restraints are height and tilt adjustable.

At night, instrument backlighting is a model of clarity. The white-lit rev-counter needle to-ing and fro-ing over the red characters is like watching a swishing sword from a Star Wars battle... Fun, and functional.

Dial-a-temp air-con with an auto mode is standard, and the Audi Concert RDS radio/cassette player has a six-CD shuttle in the boot. Door windows are power operated and can be opened and closed by holding down the appropriate remote central locking button when approaching or leaving the car. Rear side windows hinge open for extra ventilation. Exterior mirrors are electrically adjusted. Audi's familiar five-function trip computer is part of the spec, too.