333 hp, just like the Golf R later
The Audi A3 Sportback and A3 Limousine are getting a facelift this year, which will of course also include powerful RS3s. Are they too intense for you? Then the S3 Sportback and S3 Limousine offer a solution. It is those updated S3s that Audi now shows covered in a sleek sticker sheet.
The current generation of Audi A3 will celebrate its fourth birthday next month, which means that Ingolstadt has been thinking long and hard about a new variant. It is of course too early for a generational change, but management believes the time is ripe for a facelift. Of course, in addition to regular petrol or mild-hybrid versions, there will also be powerful RS3s, complete with a mighty 2.5 five-cylinder that produces at least 400 hp. Do you want a sporty A3, but are those RS’s too intense for you? Then you can also go for the S3 sporty sub-toppers again. Audi is now showing off the updated Audi S3 Sportback and S3 Limousine, although the duo is still dressed in a – although not very revealing – camouflage suit.
The Audi S3 Sportback and S3 Limousine as you know them now.
In their current form, the Audi S3 produces 310 hp and 400 Nm. The Audi S3 does not squeeze that power from a 2.5 five-cylinder like the RS3, but from a 2.0 TSI with four burners. After the facelift, the Audi S3 Sportback and S3 Limousine are just that little bit stronger. The 2.0 TSI remains, but from now on it produces 333 hp and 420. 23 hp and 20 Nm more than before the facelift. With that power, the S3s reach a speed of 100 km/h from a standstill in 4.7 seconds. That is of course slightly faster than before, although the time gain on the 0-100 sprint is modest at 0.1 seconds. The top speed is again electronically limited to 250 km/h. The power of 333 hp and 420 Nm is extra interesting. We expect that the updated Volkswagen Golf R – now still 320 hp – will also have comparable muscle power.
The updated Audi S3 Sportback and S3 Limousine.
Audi is increasing the power of the S3s, but it doesn’t stop there. According to the Germans, the seven-speed S-tronic automatic transmission will soon be able to jump through the gears faster than before. More technical news? Certainly. The torque will soon also be distributed separately between the rear wheels thanks to the arrival of couplings on either side of the rear differential. Just like with the Golf R. This is not new for the Audi A3, the RS3s already had this system. Audi is also bringing a new driving mode called Dynamic Plus to the S3s and adjusts, among other things, the camber. Also modified: the steering and brakes. Progressive power steering is standard and at the front the S3s get larger ventilated brake discs. They now have a diameter of 35.7 centimeters and at 3.4 centimeters they are also 4 mm thicker than at present. From now on, the calipers are pressed against the discs by two pistons and the brake pads have been enlarged. The Audi S3 will now be fitted with 19-inch tires in size 235/35 as standard.
There is also optical news. Audi gives the S3s – just like the other A3 flavors – new bumper work all around. The S3 gets a grille larded with busy diagonal lines and the ‘letterbox’ between the grille and the hood disappears. The Audi logo will move slightly upwards and will soon be partly in the grille and partly in the part above it. The rear bumper will also be renewed, including a modified diffuser and new but probably closed or semi-closed vertical cooling slots on the sides. Audi also renews the design of the rear lights.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl