SHARP Drives: Can the New Audi S3 Pick Up Where the Beloved RS3 Left Off?

“Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Most know that quote from Tennyson and will have opinions on the message. For us, however, the meaning is easily transferable to our relationship with the extraordinary Audi RS3 that was available in Canada for a short time. When the new RS3 was announced last year, my euphoria was quickly replaced with sadness at the news the next-gen RS3 would not be imported to the Great White North.

That feeling of melancholy was set aside back in December last year when Audi invited a small group to Salalah, Oman to drive heavily camouflaged prototypes of the upcoming Audi S3 sedan. As part of the mid-cycle improvements to the sporty compact, engineers set about closing the gap between the S3 (seen as the penultimate performance model) and the all-out screamer RS3.

Despite seat time in the new car, an ironclad embargo on reporting about driving impressions, plus a lack of any details about the powertrain or mechanical revisions, there was not much to report at that time. In truth, the event was staged mostly to allow a flock of engineers, who rode shotgun with us, to pick our brains for feedback on the vehicle.

However, a deeper dive (drive?) was arranged recently in Munich featuring production models, devoid of camo-paint schemes and without interior masks covering the dashboard.

A Visual Feast

Visually the S3 screams performance with an aggressive new front layout centred around a wider single frame grille, larger front air intakes and new theatrical LED front headlights with a choice of four different light signatures. At the rear, a new split diffuser frames a quartet of large exhaust tailpipes.

Cabin enhancements include a new smaller finger-sized transmission shifter, sporty flat bottomed steering wheel and S-model specific stitched seats. New standard equipment includes the Audi Virtual Cockpit that provides a customizable instrument cluster behind the steering wheel and the almost-essential Audi phone box with its wireless charging function.

Leafing through the list of mechanical revisions, the engineering have clearly been busy. I’ll save you the pain of engineer speak and hone in on the bits that matter to most.

More Power

The 2.0L turbocharged engine gets a significant power boost. Assuming we did this math right, this small-but-mighty engine now yields 328 horsepower (+22) and 310 lb-ft of torque (+15). The uptick drops the 0-100 km/h sprint time by 0.1 seconds to around 4.75 secs.

The steering components have been recalibrated and stiffened and a new Dynamic Plus setting for the Audi Drive Select system has been included.

The most significant upgrade to the Audi S3 is the adoption of the Audi Sport Differential on the rear axle.

With the legendary Quattro all-wheel-drive system, power flows between front and rear axles at ratios determined by the Drive Select mode. Additionally, the Sport Differential allows varying amounts of power to be sent to either rear wheel, based on need. Up to 100 per cent of the engine’s torque can be sent to one of the rear wheels if needed. (A mechanical miracle!) The theory being that the resulting force on the outside rear wheel muscles the S3 around a corner more eagerly. And, folks, the science stands up to scrutiny.

From Oman to Germany

On our original drive of the prototypes in Salalah, we were simply doing out best to avoid running afoul of the many speed cameras lining the roads through the Omani countryside, or gain notoriety by being the latest idiot to scuttle a prototype.

One engineer riding along with us started becoming agitated with our conservative approach to piloting around the Sultan’s highways. On one particular section of mountain switchbacks his exasperation escaped and he blurted, “More gas!” In an effort to showcase the car’s improvements, you need to accelerate into and through corners. The sport differential burst into action and, as if on rails, the S3 sucked itself into corners; there was even a trace of oversteer to flick out the rear end of the car. The more precise steering kept us tracking exactly where intended. It was glorious. (And, ultimately, if anything had happened I was always going to blame the salaryman onboard.)

Now in Munich, devoid of these concerns and having supreme confidence in the safety systems onboard the Audi S3, we’re making more confident progress. Navigating the small villages and towns around the Munich airport demonstrated the incredible upgrades brought to the premium compact sports sedan. It was heartwarming to see that none of the performance thrills or sharp handling evident in the prototype examples had been lost on the path to production. Accelerating while sweeping through highway ramps or from a stop sign on a 90 degree turn will illustrate the amazing effects of the new Sport Differential.

With deference to Stephen Stills, it’s a whole lots easier to love the one you’re with if there’s so little appreciable difference between the two. The old RS3 is gone, but the new Audi S3 is a thrilling consolation prize.

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