Just a few hours after the official presentation of the new generation of the A3 Sportback model of the German premium car manufacturer Audi , the sharp version of this popular hatchback named S3 was shown to the world for the first time . It will be shown to the public for the first time, as well as its more practical variant, as early as next week at the International Motor Show in Paris, and it will go on sale at the beginning of next year at a base price of 38,900 euros, which translates to roughly 965,000 crowns. And what do customers get for this money?
Let's start with the most interesting. Drive unit. Under the hood is a turbocharged four-cylinder TFSI with a displacement of 2.0 liters with direct fuel injection, with an output of 220 kW (296 hp) at 5,500 rpm and 380 Nm of torque. The Audi S3 thus lost a significant 35 hp and 30 Nm of torque between generations.
Power of almost 300 horsepower is sent to all four wheels via a standard six-speed manual transmission. A double-clutch transmission S Tronic will also be available as an option. We can't leave the acceleration from zero to 100 km/h unnoticed either, which happens in 5.4 seconds if the manual transmission is used, while the dual clutch can handle this discipline even 3 tenths faster. And just to remind you, the last generation was able to accelerate to 100 km/h in 5.8 seconds. On the contrary, those who don't want to go crazy at every traffic light and feel the wind in their wallet, can enjoy looking at the on-board computer, which should ideally give them a view of the value of the combined consumption oscillating around 7 liters for every 100 kilometers.
We should have a little something to do with the technology used and driving performance. What about the design? The Audi S3 with a curb weight of 1,395 kilograms is not much different from a regular A3 equipped with the S-Line package. Nevertheless, we can notice the distinctive radiator grille, the modified bumper and, above all, the amazing front headlights with LED diodes. The novelty also differs from the regular A3 in the use of more prominent side sills and, above all, the rear diffuser, which hides four tailpipes of the sports exhaust system. There is also a discreet wing located on the upper part of the luggage compartment lid and the much-loved chrome exterior mirrors perfectly matching the 18-inch light-alloy wheels with 225/40 tires.
The interior will then offer a view of the sporty multi-functional steering wheel covered in leather with white stitching, the sporty head of the gear selector or the sporty seats with pronounced side guides. There are also aluminum pedals, side skirts, ubiquitous S logos and a multifunctional system displaying information essential for sporty driving.
