Audi S3: BEST European Sport Compact Sedan?
Does Audi have the best European compact sport sedan? Or is the Audi S3 a swing and a miss?
That's what this video review by today's TTAC content creator, Jonathon Rivers, attempts to answer. Though the title might give it all away.
Or perhaps it's not really a surprise -- all-wheel drive, a turbo four, and torque vectoring tend to work towards making a small car that much more fun to drive.
Though we at TTAC are not sure how we feel about the DCT. Click on the video to hear Rivers' take.
And be sure to comment below on if Jonathon is correct -- or wrong -- in his assessment. Be sure to say why.
Welcome to Drive Culture!
A detailed car review YouTube channel hosted by the ultimate car enthusiast, Jonathon Rivers!
Who is Jonathon Rivers?
Well, he's a +15 year Auto Industry veteran, born and raised in the Motor City!
He lived several years in Japan, speaks & reads Japanese, and now works for American Honda Motor. (Although this channel is his own & not affiliated)
He's owned several fun cars including a Evo IV, multiple Civic Si, Focus RS, and most recently the Integra Type S (which he lead planning for Acura)!
He's also been lucky enough to drive just about every key new product in the market from compact cars, to SUVs, EVs and super cars!
If that isn't enough to prove his "car guy" status, Jonathon has also been featured in Motor Trend, Car and Driver, AutoBlog, Jay Leno's Garage, Raiti's Rides and the SavageGeese channels!
Check back every Friday at 7am Pacific Time for new content and videos!
The TTAC Creators Series tells stories and amplifies creators from all corners of the car world, including culture, dealerships, collections, modified builds and more.
Welcome to Drive Culture, a detailed car review YouTube channel hosted by car enthusiast, Jonathon Rivers. Rivers is a 15-year-plus auto industry veteran, born and raised in the Motor City! He lived several years in Japan, speaks and reads Japanese, and now works for American Honda Motor (this channel is his own & not affiliated). He's owned several fun cars including an Evo IV, multiple Civic Si, Focus RS, and most recently the Integra Type S (which he led planning for Acura). He's also been lucky enough to drive just about every key new product in the market from compact cars, to SUVs, EVs and super cars. If that isn't enough to prove his "car guy" status, Jonathon has also been featured in MotorTrend, Car and Driver, AutoBlog, Jay Leno's Garage, Raiti's Rides and the SavageGeese channels. Check back every Friday at 7am Pacific Time for new content and videos!
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I had a 2009 A3 S-line and loved it. But when the new models came out and there was no hatch and no manual I said no. More power sure, but now it's even more expensive. I think I could be just as happy with a Integra and if I buy used can get a manual and save some money too.
Another take after 4 months and 5,200 miles on an Ascari Blue S3 with Premium Plus package, Tech package, S-Sport package, Black Optic package, Nappa leather package, Blacked out roof, S-beam lights, and all weather mats package.
Pros:
Price competitive, especially given it's at the top end of the performance charts. Car and Driver just did a comparison test between the Audi, Acura, BMW, and Mercedes small sports sedans. The Acura won mainly on lower price and having a stick shift. But the Audi provided the numbers.
Easy launch control. I've clocked 4.0 secs 0-60. And the brakes will make sure the auto-tighten seat belt feature is triggered on a regular basis. These are beast mode brakes.
Looks good. Glad Audi has kept the design as an evolution and not a total revolution, so it will age so much better than the German rivals. And the DRL and turn signal light show doesn't get old.
The DSG is sublime. Listen...I love stick shifts. I wish this Audi had a stick. But after too many shoulder injuries/surgeries, and some lingering knee issues from too much banging them around in my younger days, a stick has become a painful challenge. This DSG reads your mind. There is no delay, no catching it sleeping. It shifts in milliseconds and adds a lot to the feel of the car.
Little to no lag. Audi has installed the turbo pre-loading system that greatly reduces lag. So there is minimal drama with a sudden need to accelerate while waiting for the boost to build.
Really comfortable seats. Coming from the rock-hard, iffy leather quality thrones in the MX-5, these seats are amazing. Support in the right places, very soft leather, no fatigue after many hours on the road.
Excellent fuel economy once the engine has broken in. In my last road trip, I was getting 34 on the highway. Mixed driving nets me around 29, and around town only, around 26. It's a 3500 pound, AWD, heavily boosted engine car. That's really good fuel economy.
Real controls. Climate control - real buttons. Headlights, heated seats, window switches - no haptic crap. And most of the rest of the functions are easy to find in the infotainment.
Cons:
It has a small interior. With 2-six footers in the front, the people in the back must be short. I'm 5'10" and I had a tough time sitting behind myself. The trunk is usable, and I swear the 8.3 cu/ft figure quoted is incorrect (the Mazda was quoted 5 cu/ft and this trunk is well more than double that), but you're reminded that the interior is in a small car.
The Sonos stereo sucks. No other way to put it. They removed an excellent B&O unit for a muddy sounding unit from a company that's always on sale at Best Buy.
Sport and Dynamic modes pipes in WAY too much fake engine noise. It will drive you crazy.
All cars now have too much hard plastics. Audi at least keeps it down low where it won't be touched that much. But the piano black trim will streak, smudge, and show dust five minutes after each cleaning.
And I'll never understand why Audi removed the front "S3" grille logo. And it's odd that the rear trunk lid has the new "S" logo, but the interior uses the old logo on the seats, sill plates, and S-Beam lighting.
Usual small sports sedan faults - rock hard ride, extra ride noise, and it doesn't calm down much. And the steering has the dreaded curse of no real feel. It steers like a video game.
And back to the pricing. This is not a $60,000 car. Fight hard to get it to below $55,000 and closer to $50K. That's a bit more reasonable. But this starts looking better when you know the new RS3 is going to have epic markups, and now around a 12-18 month waiting list depending on the dealer allotment schedule.