Hot on the heels of the freshened Audi A3 is a new S3, and it’s arrived packing some impressive high performance hardware. As a key rival to premium hot hatchbacks like the Mercedes-AMG A 35, Volkswagen Golf R and BMW M135i, the current S3 has had a reputation for being a tad soft, something this update could well amend.
Starting under the bonnet, the S3’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine has picked up a 23bhp upgrade to generate a new 328bhp total. This is backed up by 20Nm more torque than before at 420Nm, helping rocket the new S3 to 62mph in 4.7 seconds – 0.1s faster. In addition to the on-paper improvements, however, Audi’s also making noise about the engine’s more aggressive demeanour.
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