Audi up to speed

A new five-door version of the Audi S3 will join the refreshed three-door model this year.

The S3 Sportback will arrive in time for Christmas and should be priced close to the $65,900 three-door.

Audi spokeswoman Anna Burgdorf said pricing had yet to be confirmed but she expected the Sportback to be less than $70,000.

Many prospective buyers had been asking for a five-door model.

“Obviously, with the two extra doors, we expect the Sportback to appeal to a broader range of buyers,” she said.

“It makes sense to have the three- and five-door here, particularly given that our market loves five-door small cars.”

The Sportback will be equipped with the same engine as the three-door, the re-engineered hot direct-injection 2-litre TFSI.

This engine produces 188kW at 6000 revs and 330Nm from 2500 to 5000 revs and is mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

The beefy engine catapults the three-door to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds and 5.8 seconds for the Sportback version.

The car's top speed is limited electronically to 250km/h and yet the S3's fuel consumption is reasonably contained at an average of 8.5 litres/100km.

The six-speed transmission works through Audi's quattro all-wheel driveline, and 18-inch wheels and sports-tuned suspension enhance handling.

Visually, the S3 is 25mm lower than the standard A3 and integrates lightweight aluminium components.

To cope with the power, the car gets beefier 17-inch disc brakes.

Like the three-door, the Sportback has a deep radiator grille, front bumper with an integrated spoiler and a spoiler on the roof, as well as aluminium-look exterior mirrors.

At the back, a modified hatch and tail-light design uses fibre optic rods to create a bright, clear look.

As a result of the redesigned bumpers, the new A3 has grown 25mm to 4240mm. The sporty proportions of the Sportback remain virtually unchanged at 4290mm.

The Sportback benefits from a slightly larger boot, 20 litres more than the three-door when the rear seats are upright or folded flat.

Inside, it has leather-clad sports seats, but racing-style bucket seats will be available as an option.

Also part of the equipment are aluminium pedals, automatic airconditioning, twin exhausts, anti-theft alarm and xenon-plus headlights with LED daytime running lights.

The second-generation S3 made its debut last June and Audi Australia has sold 45 so far this year. The company expects to sell about 100 S3s a year. Audi sold 380 of the previous-generation S3s, which were available here from 2000 to 2003.

PRICE VARIANTS

Audi has announced pricing for the new A3 Cabriolet arriving in August.

It will come in two variants at launch including the 1.8 TFSI with Attraction specification ($49,900), and the 2-litre TFSI engine with Ambition trim in six-speed manual ($54,900) and S tronic ($57,500).

A 1.6-litre version with Attraction specification will arrive later in the year.

It features a semi-automatic lightweight soft top that opens and closes in nine seconds. An optional fully automatic hood will cost an extra $1300.