Audi S3 prototype review: more of a baby RS3 than ever before?

Blimey, that’s quite a colourful livery…

Yeah, we’re not sure anyone told Audi that camouflage is actually supposed to help you blend in with your surroundings. Still, at least this bold look gives us a very good glimpse at the S3’s upcoming facelift. Looks like there will be new bumpers front and rear, new lights and a fresh grille. All pretty standard fare for a refresh.

We’re not actually allowed to talk about that yet because Audi wants to keep the styling secret until a later date. Maybe shouldn’t have painted the new bits bright orange, then. Just a thought. 

So, what can you talk about?

We’ve actually already driven this updated S3, and it’s genuinely more than just a cosmetic refresh. Yes, we know every manufacturer says that when a model reaches the middle of its life, but the S3 is about to get a couple of key updates that allow it to feel more like a baby RS3 than ever before.

That’s exciting. Can you share any specifics?

We certainly can. The headline news is Audi has extracted even more power from the VW Group’s venerable EA888 2.0-litre turbo engine, so you’ve now got 328bhp and 310lb ft of torque to play with. Pre-facelift you were looking at 306bhp and 295lb ft. As a result – and combined with a ‘preloaded turbocharger’ like you’d find in the VW Golf R 20 Years – the 0-62mph time drops by a tenth to 4.7 seconds (although we reckon that’s a conservative estimate), while top speed is still limited to 155mph. 

That extra grunt isn’t actually the most important change, though, because Audi has also stuffed the S3 with the rear axle torque splitter from the RS3. You can see where this is going, can’t you? Unlike in the RS3 and things like the Mk8 Golf R, the S3 doesn’t actually get a dedicated drift mode, but stick it into the newly created Dynamic+ drive mode and this is an S3 that oversteers. We never thought we’d see the day.

Hang on, oversteer in an S3? Is the world about to end?

Yep, we’re pretty sure that ancient script, Fifteen Signs before Doomsday, noted that ‘the sun will turn black’, ‘the dead will rise and sit upon their tombs’ and ‘Audi will build a hot hatch that favours oversteer over understeer’. Something like that.

Anyway, the splitter can send up to 100 per cent of the torque at the rear axle to either wheel, so it’ll send more power to the inside wheel in slippery conditions or in the more reserved drive modes, or it’ll send more to the outside wheel in sportier drive modes to tuck the nose of the car in through bends. 

Alternatively, if you’re in that new Dynamic+ mode (which puts the ESC in its sport setting, ups the rpms at idle and improves throttle response) and you give it a boot-full of power mid-corner, then it’ll rapidly overspeed the outside wheel and stick you sideways. On smooth, sandy mountain roads in Oman, the S3 was very keen to do this at every opportunity. It may not be the most natural way to induce a slide, and that outside wheel overspeeding is a strange sensation, but we can’t deny it’s damn good fun. And when was the last time anyone said that about an S3?

Sounds great. What else do I need to know?

Well, Audi says it has improved its seven-speed S tronic gearbox to cut shift times by half under full load. It has also fitted new wishbones and some front suspension trickery from the RS3, which allows for a stiffer front end and greater negative camber. Initial turn-in is now much improved as a result, and the S3 feels much pointier than it ever did before. Good weight to the wheel too after some fiddling with the steering characteristics. We’re not talking Porsche levels of feedback, but that initial tendency to understeer is all-but-gone. 

We can’t really comment on ride quality given the ultra-smooth tarmac and adaptive damping, but we’d suggest it won’t be that much firmer than the outgoing S3. There is still a bit of body roll through corners. 

Those bright orange wheels are wrapped in sporty new tyres too, and underneath there are larger 18-inch brakes with ventilated discs, twin-piston calipers and larger pads for better stopping power. First impressions would suggest that brake feel isn’t too bad by modern standards, and a kamikaze camel on our test route proved that the upgrades were worth the effort. 

Oh, and you’ve probably noticed that Akrapovic exhaust hanging out the back. That’s lighter and louder than the standard S3 exhaust and will be an optional extra when the facelift comes to market. Given the popularity of the Akrapovic on Golf Rs, we’d expect every S3 to have this fitted from now on. Sounds decent too, although make sure you switch off the fake noise that’s pumped into the cabin. Why pay more for a fancy exhaust if you’re just going to let speakers do the work for you?

What else can you tell me about the cabin?

Ah, erm… not much. See that large black tablecloth that’s cloaking the whole interior? Yeah, Audi wouldn’t let us sneak a peek underneath that, but at least you can see those proper physical buttons on the steering wheel. Hurrah!

Truthfully though this update is all about the oversteer. This might just be the most fun we’ve ever had in an S3. It may not have the characterful five-cylinder engine, but it certainly feels closer to the RS3 than it ever has before. Let’s just hope it wasn’t all down to those sandy roads…