Audi would like you to think of the S3 quattro as the connoisseur's sport compact. This is the car you're supposed to buy when you've distinguished the difference between a Bordeaux and a Beaujolais, when your Amex card has a five-digit limit, and when you're dating a lady instead of a girl. This is, to use the European parlance, a 'hot hatch' for grown-ups. And in the UK, it costs a hefty 26,995 ($50,200).
The S3 attempts to justify this price by wearing a designer suit. The S treatment for the three-door A3 includes a new front apron, side skirts and trademark S aluminum door mirrors. At the rear, the oval tailpipes and roof spoiler look great, but the diffuser smacks of me-too tokenism. Audi will only be offering the S3 as a three-door, which is the main reason why it won't be coming to the US.
The interior is terrific. The typical Audi blend of top-notch plastics and sculptured aluminum is joined by S detailing. There are new sports seats, aluminum pedals and S3 badges for the instruments, steering wheel and gearstick. It's difficult to think of a better sport compact (or hot hatch) cabin.
A peek under the hood will reveal a specially tuned version of the VW Group's familiar 1984cc direct injection turbocharged engine. A new blower delivers a maximum boost pressure of 1.2bar and is joined by a modified intercooler. To cope with the increase in forces, the cylinder head, pistons, and block have been strengthened.
With 262bhp at 6000rpm and 258lb-ft of torque from 2500 to 5000rpm, it's the most powerful version Audi has made of this engine, comparing favorably with the S3's most obvious European rival, the BMW 130i (261bhp and 232lb-ft), and sporting 15bhp more than the V6-engined A3.
The S3 has a six-speed manual gearbox. Audi's brilliant DSG dual-clutch sequential 'box (now renamed S-tronic and available on the VW GTI) isn't even an option. It's a bizarre omission that hints at development cutbacks.
At least the car is quick. From 3000rpm onwards, with the turbo on song, the S3 delivers a solid and satisfying punch. Helped by the traction benefits of the quattro drivetrain, it will scurry from zero to 62mph in just 5.7 seconds-four-tenths quicker than the BMW 130i-and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph.
But figures don't tell the whole story. While BMW's straight-six and even Audi's V6 proffer a cultured yowl, the S3's four-pot sounds disappointingly coarse. And by turning up the boost, Audi has introduced a hefty dollop of turbo lag. At first, this feels like old-school fun, but it quickly becomes an irritation. A silky delivery and instantaneous response, like that of the 130i, just isn't there.
In contrast to the enthusiast-focused RS cars, which are developed by the Quattro Gmbh team, Audi's S models are engineered by those responsible for the mainstream range and are tuned to deliver everyday performance. To this end, the car has been lowered by 25mm, springs and dampers have been retuned, aluminum wishbones deployed to reduce unsprung mass, gearshift travel shortened, and the electro-mechanical steering tinkered with.
The S3 could be described as sensible. It's quick, capable and easy to drive. There's no shortage of grip from the combination of 225/40 rubber and four-wheel drive, and when the limits are reached, it responds with safe, predictable understeer. The brakes, which feature 17-inch rotors, have plenty of bite, and the six-speed 'box has a slick, positive feel. If your remit is to travel quickly and with a minimum of fuss, the S3 has plenty to offer.
But as a reader of this magazine, you're likely to want something more than mere competence. And sadly, the S3 fails to deliver the excitement expected of its lofty price. The steering is lacking in feedback, and those who like to adjust their car's trajectory using the throttle will find the S3 disappointingly unresponsive. The rear-wheel-drive 130i is a more challenging car to drive hard, but it's also more rewarding.
Audi has proved with the RS4 that it has the engineering capability to take the sport compact fight to BMW. But once again, we are faced with an underwhelming S model. We'd be willing to forgive the car its coarse engine if it delivered an exceptional drive, but it doesn't; the on-paper promise goes unfulfilled. This is one sport compact we're happy to leave to the Europeans.