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The Audi S3 has been a staple of the manufacturer’s range for quarter of a century now, and it isn’t hard to see why. Much as the Golf GTI does for Volkswagen, the S3 trades outright excitement for refined performance, a rock-solid image, and day to day usability - and that makes it the perfect hot hatchback for some buyers.
Actually, it’s more like the Golf R, since the S3 is, and always has been, all-wheel drive, which means it doesn’t struggle when there’s stuff falling from the sky, either. The latest generation arrived in 2020 and like the last generation S3, also comes in saloon form.
The Golf R, BMW M135i, and Mercedes-AMG A35 are the closest cars in spirit to the S3, all with 2-litre turbocharged engines and all-wheel drive, and very similar performance. The Mercedes A35 Saloon and CLA35 are both alternatives to the S3 Saloon.
The Audi S3 is a hot hatchback for people who prioritise image, build quality, and easily-accessible performance over more visceral hot hatchback thrills. The S3 has always been a more refined take on the hot hatch formula (or, for the last two generations, the compact sports saloon), and the current car is more of the same.
You do get slightly sharper styling and indeed slightly sharper handling in 2020-on cars - they drive better than any previous generation of S3, with a tighter feel to the controls and a slightly more engaging chassis balance, if not as lairy as some rivals. It’s a quick car too, with Audi’s S Tronic dual-clutch gearbox making the performance very easy to access, and quattro all-wheel drive meaning you can put most of it down whatever the weather.
The cabin is much like the A3, which is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a modern design and well-built, but doesn’t feel greatly more special than that of any other A3. The minor controls make more sense than they do in a Golf though, as Audi has given you more physical switches to complement those in the touchscreen.
The S3’s boot is a little smaller than that of a regular A3 (and strangely, the Saloon’s claimed boot space is identical to the Sportback, albeit a different shape) but passenger room is identical, so it’s largely as practical as any A3. It should be similarly reliable too, though being a performance car, will need a little more care and maintenance expense throughout its life.
The S3 is similar under the skin to the Volkswagen Golf R, and has similar power and performance figures to the BMW M135i and Mercedes-AMG A35. Only the A35 is also offered in saloon format (and as the sleek CLA35 four-door coupe). One option we’d be tempted by though, provided you don’t need four or five doors, is the BMW M240i xDrive Coupe - the only similarly-sized model to get a six-cylinder engine.
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The biggest choice here is whether to go for the S3 Sportback or the S3 Saloon. There’s no real difference in the way they drive, and in terms of passenger space there’s not much in it either - so it comes down to whether you need the convenience of a hatchback, and which shape you prefer.
The regular S3 has enough kit to cover most bases and unlike some S and RS models higher up the Audi food chain, the higher-spec versions don’t make up the bulk of examples on the used market - so we’d stick with S3 trim, and only seek out Vorsprung if you can’t live without adaptive dampers.
The Audi S3 is available in similar trim lines to those of other Audi S models. It was launched in S3 and S3 Vorsprung trim, with the regular car subsequently dropped and a higher-spec Black Edition introduced as the starting point in the range. These trim lines are available on both S3 Sportback and Saloon models.
The Audi S3’s dimensions are:
The Audi S3’s boot size is:
Early versions of the 2020-on Audi S3 just sneaked under the £40,000 mark, so these will be cheapest to tax, with a bill of £180 per year. Most other models will currently cost £570 per year including the government’s surcharge, only dropping to a lower figure from their seventh year of registration onwards.
Despite its performance, the S3’s insurance group ratings don’t seem excessively high. The regular S3 starts from group 31, rising to group 34 for Vorsprung models - similar to the ratings you’ll find in equivalent rivals.
Read our full Audi S3 review
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18474
How many Audi S3 cars are available for sale?
209