The hatchback market is set to get decidedly warmer as
fires are lit underneath the VW Group’s MQB platform
HIS is an important car for a number of reasons. Not only is
it the first indicator of the A3’s performance potential, but it’s also the
first time the VW Group’s much-vaunted
MQB platform gets an opportunity to put on its track spikes.
So far, given the highly capable cars spun from MQB, we’ve
been mightily impressed with the versatility the Modular Transversal Toolkit
(the translation of MQB) has displayed. Indeed, much has been said about the
seventh-generation Golf and third-generation Audi A3, with the Golf GTI
highlighting the MQB’s weight-saving advantages in a car that is both
light-on-its feet and agile, but also impressively composed when the going gets
twisty.
Audi S3 Quattro S Tronic
As athletic as the GTI is, though, the S3 is the first car
to show the true performance-oriented benefits of MQB and, until the Golf R
gets here early next year, it alone will have the King Of MQB bragging rights.
First, then, to the engine that underpins that boast...
Bolted to the versatile platform is an all-new incarnation
of the company’s EA222 engine. Rebuilt from scratch, the new T FSI power plant
shares only its 1984 cm3 displacement with its predecessor. Five kilograms
lighter (at 148 kg), the new unit features a lightweight aluminum silica
cylinder head, new pistons, reinforced connecting rods and, significantly, a
larger turbocharger set to 1,2 bar of boost. The inclusion of indirect
injection, working in conjunction with a direct fuel feed, allows for improved
efficiency in all driving conditions.
Understated
styling allows space for RS3 to up the ante.
One slight disappointment is that the SA climate was deemed
too hot for it to be turned to its full wick. The S3 (and in the upcoming Golf
R) gets a detuned 206 kW as opposed to 221 in other markets. Fortunately,
though, maximum torque remains unchanged at 380 N.m and is available from 1 800
to 5 500 r/min.
Impressively smooth and responsive, this new engine is mated
with either a six-speed manual or six-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission,
the latter option featuring a launch-control setting that was able to slingshot
our S3 test unit from standstill to 100 km/h in 5,23 seconds with no
wheel-spinning drama.
It’s difficult to imagine what the soundtrack to this
performance might be without the electromechanical sound actuator in the
bulkhead, but the S3’s otherwise Cosy cabin is certainly better thanks to the
entertainment value it adds. In dynamic mode, upshifts at the 6 800 r/min
redline (though always automatic even when manual mode is selected) are greeted
with a healthy vrooomp exhale, while under hard acceleration flaps in the
tailpipes open to increase the drama. It’s by no means a soundtrack to rival
that of the Mercedes Benz A4S AMG, but perhaps that’s the domain of the
forthcoming RS3.
It’s difficult to
imagine what the soundtrack to this performance might be without the
electromechanical sound actuator in the bulkhead
With its sports suspension, the new S3 rides 40 mm lower
than a standard A3. Significantly, the newest S model has had its front axle
moved forward by 42 mm on its platform, allowing for an 18 mm stretch in its
wheel base over the previous-generation three-door S3.
Fitted with 18-inch wheels at each corner, the benefits of
this new stance (together with the already mentioned overall weight savings)
afforded our test unit welcome poise and balance both round town and while
pushing on.
While detractors of the somewhat uninvolving (read: less
inclined to go sideways) nature of all-wheel-drive hot hatches will tell you
there is more fun to be had behind the wheel of rear-wheel-driven rivals (in
this case, the BMW M135i), there is still something to be said for planting the
accelerator pedal mid-corner in an Audi S model and allowing the Quattro system
to eke out every inch of available traction. Certainly, at the very limit, the
S3’s front tires will lose grip first, but a gentle lift of the throttle
quickly allows the rear to catch up and pull the car straight.
