2001 Audi S3 Reviews

This two-litre is blissfully flexible with response on tap all the way through the rev band.The headline almost came with the same element of surprise as one which screams “Poms win the Ashes.”A British magazine recently carried a cover story which simply said “RS4 beats new M3.”It was the face-off everyone who takes even a passing interest in supreme compact German performance had been waiting rather impatiently for.Until now everything that had come up against the M3, which started life as a four-cylinder more than 20 years ago then progressed for a few generations as a cracking inline six before going the grunt with a high-revving V8, had come off second best.Beating the super coupe by which a performance chassis is measured is no mean feat. But this test is not about the M3 nor, for all its glory, the RS4. It is about the Audi S3, which unlike the RS4 has few direct rivals. Even so it will be of no surprise that the second-generation S3 crackles and sizzles.At $65,500, this two-door hatch is not on everyone's shopping list, as defined by the 32,000 global sales of the first generation.There is simply nothing on the market, not the rice-burners from Japan, not even competition from within the family such as the VW Golf R32, that comes close to fusing the levels of luxury, quality and slick performance as the S3.Slide into the S3 and the splashes of silver around the air vents, door handles and gear lever are reminders this is quite different from the cooking class of A3s.Audi's trademark interior style and quality build rolls out like a red carpet.Point-to-point the S3 is a stirring ride with crisp steering, impeccable handling and loads of grip from the Quattro all-wheel-drive layout.The steering is well weighted and it thankfully transforms from being light at low speeds to feeling heavier as you truck along the highway and plough through bends briskly.This is a very slick hatch and for all its A to B prowess it remains quite liveable as a day-to-day drive, as it somehow gives you a ride that is the perfect balance between cosy and hard. And that is even taking into account the low profile 18-inch wheels and the fact the ride height is 25mm closer to the ground than an everyday A3.Running stiffer springs and dampers, the S3 is vice tight with excellent body control.It has “let me loose in a tarmac rally” written all over its windscreen.There is a Japanese slant to the intercooled turbo with the wastegate nattering away as the driver lifts off the throttle.The aural experience intensifies with the pace as the note becomes more pronounced from about 4000rpm.This two-litre is blissfully flexible with response on tap all the way through the rev band. Even in the upper echelons and in sixth gear there remains urge on demand.Specific power is an impressive 7.73kg per kilowatt, as the reworked engine develops a total of 188kW with the 330Nm of torque running through the most important part of the range from 2500-5000rpm.It can take more load, Audi has given the engine more strength with stronger pins for the pistons, new rings and reinforced connecting rods with new bearings that transmit the increased force to the crankshaft.Given that this 5.9sec 0-100km/h S3 is no slouch, it runs massive 17-inch brakes that bite big time.There are black calipers all round with the ones on the front gaining the S3 motif.The S3 is easily identified on the road with with trademark S silver wing mirrors, a rear roof spoiler, front and rear aprons and diffuser and prominent sills and the S logo embedded inside the single-frame grille.An improved range of colours are available now with the test car, a striking Sprint Blue pearl effect not a patch on an exclusive, Solar Orange hue if you really want to be ostentatious.The boot space is relatively tight at 281 litres but the rear bench seat folds flat increasing the load area to a wagon-like 1011 litres.Dynamically, the S3 should be an improvement over the first generation with an increase in wheelbase by 59mm to 2578mm.Silk Nappa leather comes standard. The multi-function flat bottom steering wheel comes as a $700 option as does metallic paint at $1300.If you really want to lash out on options there are Audi Exclusive front buck etseats for $6700 and the Navigation Plus pack, including the glove box-mounted CD changer, is available for $5300. On its own the CD changer in the glove compartment is a $950 option.It is very much a select market this hot hatch and Audi says it will be happy with sales of around 100 per year. Audi S3$65,500Engine: 3 starsElastic, responsive, meatyTransmission: 3 starsWell spaced ratios with a tidy shift actionHandling: 4 starsRide is quite neutral and corners like it's on railsSafety: 4 starsEvery conceivable safety system is coveredValue: 3 starsOn its own, $65,500 for a two-door hatch is exorbitant, but there is some justification in bang for your bucks Tech specsBody: 2-door hatchbackEngine: direct-injection four-cylinder with intercooled turbochargerPower: 188kW @ 6000rpmTorque: 330Nm @ 2500-5000rpmTransmission: 6-speed manualTyres: 225/40 R18 Verdict For: Blissful marriage of comfort, quality and red hot performanceAgainst: You could have three Mazda 3s for this priceWill get you to the opera in record time and in comfortOverall: 4 stars 

Audi makes some wonderful large luxury vehicles.It makes some even better large luxury performance cars.Sadly absent from the Australian line-up since 2003, the S3 is back and it is, as Michael Jackson might say, b-a-d, bad. But that's a good bad, if you get my drift.The S3 is on sale now from $65,500 with standard 18-inch wheels, quattro all-wheel drive, xenon headlights, sports suspension, sports seats and six airbags — front, side and curtain. That is slightly less than the exit price of the previous model.You can increase that base price considerably with a range of options, including the full bucket seats at $6700 (and for that you lose the side airbags, reducing the count to four).There is also the flat-bottomed steering wheel at $700, satellite navigation at $5300, two-tone leather for the basic seats ($400) and a sunroof ($1850).“The S3 is not a car for everybody, it is one for the driving enthusiast,” Audi Australia managing director Joerg Hofmann says.“It is a sports car for everyday driving and we expect to sell around 100 a year.”There is nothing particularly mystical about the S3. It is a series of sensible, performance enhancements on VW's proven Golf GTi package that mesh together to provide a seriously fun whole.The underpinnings of the car are the “standard” McPherson front end with a multi-link rear, a good splash of aluminium components to reduce unsprung weight, a 25mm lower ride height than the standard A3 and the firmer settings of the S-Sports suspension package.Motivation is from the VW/Audi family's brilliant 2.0-litre direct injection turbo, which has been beefed with optimised injectors and an increase in turbo pressure of 0.3 bar up to 1.2 bar to give the little four V6 power of 188kW at 6000rpm and a cracking 330Nm of torque from 2500rpm through to 5000rpm. That may be 7kW and 20Nm down on the European tune for the engine, necessary according to Audi Australia because of durability issues in Australia's hot climate and 95 RON fuel, but it hardly diminishes the performance of the S3.Keeping it all together and getting the drive to the road in a manner that allows a 5.9 second sprint from standstill to 100km/h and a limited top speed of 250km/h is Audi's quattro all-wheel drive.The system utilises the electro-hydraulic Haldex clutch, modified for the S3, to distribute optimised drive through all corners.The six-speed manual is a precise box with shortened throws and well-sorted ratios.Ride quality is not plush but that is not what you would expect from this package. What the car does do is cling to corners like an obsessive octopus. The grip is something to behold and the envelope for forgiveness extreme.That mechanical grip coupled to the array of electronic minders — stability and traction control, electronic limited slip differential, anti-lock brakes and brake assist — makes the S3 both exciting and secure.Unlike many similar “hot” versions of mainstream cars the S3 does not announce its presence with wings, airdams and screaming badges. Some discreet badges, the purposeful stance and twin pipes are the limit of the car's boastingLaunching at the same time as the S3 is another of Audi's niche products, the Roadster version of the TT, which will arrive at $77,500 for the 2.0-litre turbo and $92,900 for the 3.2-Litre V6.Not as focused as the S3, the ragtop TT is nonetheless a creature of some ability and considerably more overt presence.One of the more sensible results of adding a folding roof to the TT is the absence of the two rear seats from the coupe.Utilising the Audi spaceframe construction, the TT Roadster is a nicely balanced package with extensive use of aluminium to keep weight down. Audi says 58 per cent of the TT is aluminium with a bias to the front, while the heavier steel components are used in the rear of the car.The result is a chassis 120 per cent torsionally stiffer than the previous model and 45 per cent lighter than an all-steel construction.As much as it is a car for being seen in, the TT Roadster can hold its own in most equivalent company putting the 0-100km/h sprint behind in 6.5 seconds in the 2.0-litre FSi and an impressive 5.9 seconds with the V6 fired up.All of that is with an automatic box because there is no manual option available. Not that there is anything wrong with the six-speed S-Tronic (read double clutch DSG) box.The test car benefited from the addition of the optional ($3000) active magnetic ride dampers.In essence the dampers are filled with a fluid which contains particles sensitive to electric charge.When the central control unit deems it necessary, taking input from a battery of sensors around the car, a charge is passed through the fluid, changing its viscosity almost instantly, stiffening the rebound and providing the car with a totally new character. SNAPSHOTAUDI S3Price: $65,500Engine: 2.0L 4-cyl turbo FSI, 188kW, 330NmTransmission: 6-speed manual, quattro all-wheel drivePerformance: 0-100km/h in 5.9 seconds, 250km/h top speed limited AUDI TT ROADSTERPrice: $77,500 (2.0); $92,900 (V6)Engine: 2L 4-cyl turbo FSI, 147kW, 280Nm; 3.2L direct-injection; V6 petrol, 184kW, 320NmTransmission: 6-speed manual with auto mode; front-wheeldrive (2.0), quattro AWD (V6)Performance: 0-100km/h 6.5 seconds (2.0), 5.9 seconds (V6); 237km/h top speed (2.0), 250km/h limited (V6)

It will be a V6-powered three door with around 170 plus kilowatts on tap and the usual quattro all wheel drive. The current S3 is a 1.8-litre, four cylinder turbo with twin intercoolers and 165kW/280Nm.It has been around for a few years now but was significantly upgraded a couple of years ago. Engine is a lift from Audi TT quattro.Rather an expensive three door hatch at $67,420, the current S3 delivers performance nearly up to a Subaru WRX.delivers luxury, compact, sports motoring for a select few. Engine performance is a strong point with superb roll on acceleration and strident torque from low in the rev range.Fuel economy is good for a car with this performance potential.Six speed manual is handy with top gear low enough to be useful and not merely a cruising cog. Shift action is smooth.A number of electronic systems modulate drive and they are subtle enough not to detract from the sporty performance and handling.Suspension is firm Macstruts up front and double wishbone at the rear. Controls S3 nicely on smooth roads, becomes untidy in corners if pavement is broken or bumpy.Has powerful brakes with multi piston calipers and grippy 17in tyres on attractive spoke alloys.ABS is not over eager.Steering has good feel, firmly weighted, direct response.It's a heavy little beast at 1420kg – due to quattro drive and all the fruit inside.Has stunning interior. Test car with body colour coded (yellow) suede leather inserts – extremely groovy. Dash has impeccable look and function as do other aspects of interior.Access to the rear seats is difficult. Front seats are a pain to fold/slide and return.Seats themselves are comfy but not much room in the back.0-100kmh sprint goes in 6.6 seconds – not hanging around.Requires premium unleaded, becoming expensive these days.Full array of safety equipment including multiple bags and pyro belts x five three point.Generates a pleasing exhaust note but otherwise quiet, minimal wind noise.Superb finish, looks classy.