Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the 2016 Audi S3 with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its Australian launch.

Audi's S3 has occasionally come under fire for being a posh Golf GTI, with proponents of the latter sniffing at the former's higher price tag and all-wheel drive. Audi has responded over the past few years by putting daylight between the two with a funkier, high tech interior and a bit more fun on the driving side.

Audi's S3 comes in three flavours - hatch, sedan and convertible (which we haven't driven yet) and all three sell quite well, thanks very much. The S3 is very popular here in Australia, going up against the rear-wheel drive 1 and 2 Series cars from BMW and holding their own - Australian buyers are fans of the top of every range and we're hungry for the fast stuff. And we seem to really like Audis, with the company looking to complete the twelfth year in a row of growth.

The S3 fits in between the A3 2.0 TFSI quattro and the bonkers RS3, giving buyers a nice halfway house both in terms of pricing and performance, as well as the coveted Audi Sport badge on the boot. The new one changes almost nothing in that respect, sticking with the formula that has served it so well.

Price and Features

Previously the Sportback in either manual or S-tronic started at $61,100, the sedan adding $2500 to the price and then a jump to just under $70,000 for the convertible. BMW isn't far away with the M140i/M240i while Mercedes' pricing is stratospheric (and there's no convertible) with no direct competitor.

The updated S3 pricing is up a decent chunk, around $1800, starting at $62,900 for the Sportback, $64,500 for the sedan and a leap to the Cabriolet at $72,000. Sportback and Sedan are available with a six-speed manual or seven-speed s-tronic, while the Cabriolet goes without the self-shifting option.

The price increase does bring more stuff, though - Audi says the increase is more than eclipsed by $4900 of "additional value." That means the S3 now has LED headlights, the digital Virtual Cockpit dashboard, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, smartphone interface (Apple Carplay/Android Auto) and DAB+ digital radio, several of which weren't available in the older cars.

That's on top of the standard safety features of the A3 range, 18-inch alloys, cruise control, auto headlights and wipers, dual-zone climate control, front and rear parkings sensors, sat nav, reversing camera, ten-speaker stereo with MMI touchpad, bluetooth, leather trim and sports front seats.

As with the A3, there's a range of packages you can load up, but you're down to three here.

The updated S3 pricing is up a decent chunk, around $1800.

The S Performance 1 ($4537) adds S sport front seats with funky diamond pattern stitching (these are excellent seats), magnetic ride adaptive damping, Bang and Olufsen sound system with 14 speakers, different 18-inch alloys and red brake calipers.

S Performance 2 includes all of the above but adds an inch to the wheel size with titanium look and part-polished V spokes, for $6487.

The familiar Assistance Package ($1950) adds active cruise control, AEB up to 200km/h, auto high beams, lane keeping tech and hill holder.

Practicality

Both S3 Sportback and sedan are fine four seaters for medium-sized people. Both have good head and legroom although kneeroom is at a premium and, depending on the front seat design, so is foot room.

The Cabriolet, short a couple of doors, merely has two bottle grabbers.

The S3 sports cupholders front and rear for a total of four for the car, with bottle holders in each door as long as you're not ambitious about the size of the vessel. The Cabriolet, short a couple of doors, merely has two bottle grabbers.

The Sportback's boot will swallow 380 litres with the seats up and 1220 seats down, the Sedan's 425 (just 55 off the A4's) and the Cabrio will take a still-okay 320 litres.

Rear passengers in the Sportback and Sedan will enjoy decent leg and headroom, most likely the best-in-class but hardly limo-like. The Cabriolet's rear passengers will want to be short, slight and missing the lower half of their legs if the driver is more than five-foot-six.

Design

The S3 is usually hard to pick from the rest of the range and this new one is no different. There's some subtle reworking of details, but you'll be hard-pressed to spot the difference between old and new.

With the lower suspension, the S3 Sedan and Sportback variants look a little meaner than their standard counterparts, while the bigger alloys fill the arches with purpose. Front and rear splitters add the mildest drama, with a discreet S3 badge here and there.

Inside is much the same too, with some re-working of the materials and seats. Once again, this interior is the class of the segment, with BMW's 1/2 Series a bit austere (although just as functional) while the Mercedes competitor is a mess of dodgy plastics and chintzy detailing.

Engine and Transmission

Audi's 2.0 TFSI turbo four-cylinder returns to duty, belting out 213kW and 380Nm of torque, 3kW up on the older car. All four wheels are driven via either a seven-speed twin-clutch S-tronic or a slick six-speed manual.

The extra performance over the older car is obviously not down to the 3kW power bump.

Both Sportback and Sedan will streak to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds (0.2 quicker) and the Cabriolet in 5.2 seconds (also 0.2 quicker). Manual versions are six-tenths slower at 5.4 seconds. The extra performance over the older car is obviously not down to the 3kW power bump - first and second gear are shorter in the new twin-clutch gearbox.

Fuel Consumption

On the combined cycle, Audi says you can expect between 6.5L/100km and 6.8L/100km on the combined cycle with the S-tronic or 7.1L/100km with the manual. Needless to say, we got nowhere near this on the fun, twisty roads we tested on, so we'll leave these figures for a more considered approach.

The official figures are a seven percent improvement on the older model, partly down to the quattro system that disconnects the rears, cutting mechanical drag and consumption.

Driving

Audi's S3 has always been about the same thing - get it straight, go fast. On first acquaintance, this new one is a bit more than that, though, which is refreshing. We did only get a go in the magnetic ride equipped cars, but we can't think why you wouldn't if you could. There's a good reason, though, you have to buy it as part of a wider, more expensive package.

That aside, it's as fun as ever, with a hefty wallop of torque across a good spread of the revs. Piling into corners is a barrel of laughs, with good strong brakes to pull you up, steering with real feel to let you know what's happening and all-wheel drive grip to sling you towards the next corner.

Our test loop had a particularly endearing set of bends that demanded a lot of the car's suspension - left, right, left, right, high crowns and steep cambers, which meant not only changes of direction but also attitude. The S3 managed it all in its stride, along with the surprise potholes and scruffy edges.

One thing that has remained is the fundamental understeer of the S3.

The suspension was also quieter than I remember - not that it was ever noisy, but the thuds seemed more distant over the bigger bumps and level crossings.

One thing that has remained is the fundamental understeer of the S3 - the power is less prone to be shot rearwards as it is in, say, the TT-S, so a bit of very manageable understeer reminds you that you're going very quickly. You can pull it back into line with a little lift and then get back on the power.Simple, neat, secure.

I'd like a bit more torque from the engine and lots more noise. There's a bit of crackle and bang, but only when you're really hoofing it.

Safety

Similar to the A3, there are seven airbags (including driver's knee bag), ABS, stability and traction controls, autonomous emergency braking (up to 65km/h), driver attention detection, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert.

The $1950 Assistance Package adds higher speed AEB (up to 200km/h), active cruise control, lane departure warning and lane keeping and hill holder.

The five star ANCAP rating, the highest available, continues.

Ownership

The S3 comes with Audi's three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and three years roadside assist. 

Three years/45,000km of servicing can be pre-purchased for around $1700. Covered items are laid out on the website but buyer beware when it comes to "scheduled servicing." Audi expects to see you once a year or every 15,000km, whichever comes first.