A manual gearbox-equipped S3 is what
the captain ordered
‘Near enough is not good enough!’ he would
scream, but I would already be giving it my all. Captain O’moore was the
toughest task master there was in advanced jet-training school, but the Lear
45, with its fighter genes, was a handful. Especially for someone whose last
airplane only did three miles a minute, while this one did seven! But that was
no reason for flying one knot away from commanded speed, or so O’moore would
have you believe... Vocal cords in full glory and a vein in his forehead
threatening to pop.
Audi's
S3 has muscle-car styling, giving it a more aggressive appearance than the A3
saloon
Of course, speed wasn’t the only thing that
made the Lear Jet different from the airplane I was trained on before it. This
thing had flight management computers, autopilot that could land it, and enough
buttons to give an eight-year-old a mild attack of fingeritis. It felt like I
had walked in to the next century.
That’s a bit like how I felt in the first
fifteen minutes of driving the S3. Here was a car that had Google Earth
(complete with satellite view) for a GPS, outside rear-view mirrors that told
me when it was safe to overtake, and cruise control that slowed the car down
when you got too close to the car in front. And as if all that nagging wasn’t
enough, it even figured out (and I’ve no idea how it did this) when I was tired
and suggested a coffee break. This thing was more S-Class than S-Line.
The
interior is finished to a very high standard
Until I engaged that clutch pedal,
down-shifted to third, pictured myself as McQueen’s long-lost cousin and let
the 1984cc four-cylinder get some turbocharged breath of fresh alpine air. Boy,
this thing can shift. And because of that manual gearbox, it felt so
reassuringly old school. Like having a keyboard with the mechanical feel of a
typewriter (now there’s something I would buy). Yes, I know self-shifting 'boxes
are now very good and having a manual 'box does make one slower than the
optional 6-speed DSG. But what you lose in a few tenths on the clock, you gain
back in ounces of cool.
‘Slower’ is, of course, a relative term
here, because Audi is claiming some very impressive numbers for the S3 — 0-100
kph comes up in 4.9 seconds, which is faster than a Cayman S! Helping it do
this isn’t just that 296-bhp motor, but also a lot of weight-saving. The hood
is aluminium, as are the front fenders and the sub-frame is made from some
special alloy as well.
S3
owners will be treated to an excellent driving position
You can’t see all this, of course, but what
you can see is how good looking and well-proportioned the car is. That’s
because Audi has chosen to build it as a sedan rather than give a hatchback a
boot. The ‘S’ sits much lower than the sedan would, gets gorgeous 19-inch
alloys, a front diffuser, a quad-pipe exhaust and a boot-lip spoiler. All you
need to do is slap on some stickers, give it a wild paint job and show up at
the next round of the DTM championship. It really looks right enough to just
fit in.
And it probably handles just as well as a
DTM car, too. As you would expect, the S3 gets all-wheel drive. But it does
this through a Haldex clutch rather than the conventional Torsen differential.
Not that that changes things too much — grip addicts still apply here! Enter a
corner, get aggressive with that gas pedal, get the quattro all hooked in and
exit with a beaming smile. Yes, the steering isn’t as communicative as it would
be if it were to come with a blue-and-white badge, but really, if you manage to
get this car sideways, you should try out at the local autocross meets.
Rear
passengers will find plenty of space
Having said that, this is essentially what
makes the S3 a little bit of a nerd. Sure, there is 39 kgm of torque that’s
available from slightly over idle almost till the redline, which makes the car
so driveable, you only really need two gears. Then there is the soundtrack
that’s raspy and sonorous, and made me roll down my window every single time I
entered a tunnel. But if you are the sort who likes their share of opposite
lock, I suggest you look to that other German that only believes in sending
power to the rear wheels.
The
Audi S3 is powered by a 295bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine
Anyway, the A3 is expected to arrive in
India later in the year and given that it is the only entry-level premium
German sedan with a boot, we are hedging our bets on it being a class leader.
The S3, on the other hand, might just sneak its way in, and we really hope Audi
is brave enough to give us the choice of a manual gearbox, if and when the car
does arrive on our shores. Because here is a car that is fast enough, big
enough, loud enough and pretty enough. Sure, it’s not an M car. It’s not an RS,
either. But it is near enough that. And sometimes, near enough is good enough.
Just don’t tell Capt. O’moore I said that.
