Audi S3 Sedan

While the interior layout of the Audi S3 is shared with the regular A3 sedan, it is the choice of colours, upholsteries and added bits that make it more special than the cabin of the latter. The cabin of the Audi S3 has an all-black appeal, which is well characterized by silver accents in places.

The driver’s cockpit of the Audi S3 looks properly sporty with a flat-bottom multi-functional steering wheel with contrast red stitching and leather finish and a full-TFT virtual cockpit instrument console behind it. The instrument console is flanked by two edgy looking AC vents on its upper corners, which is a unique arrangement for the AC vents never seen before in a car.

The rest of the dashboard looks sleek and modern with a horizontal silver layer flowing across its width. There is a slanted touchscreen music system with wireless smartphone connectivity placed in the middle, while the rest of the middle layer of the dashboard has large and horizontally laid AC vents within them.

The lower part of the centre console has a compact and slanted panel for the switches of dual-zone automatic climate control. Apart from this, the Audi S3 comes with black Nappa leather seats with S branding, which along with the door pads, also come with contrast red stitching. The transmission tunnel in the middle is long and laid out in a slanted manner, with a silver finish for the sides and a glossy black panel towards the bottom around the stubby transmission toggle.

Based on the regular A3 sedan, the Audi S3 looks like a spicier version of the former in every essence, which is very evident from the way it has been styled on the outside. The design has several sharp creases, which make the S3 perfectly edgy from all angles.

The Audi S3 shares its inverted L-shaped LED headlamps with the regular A3, with the car getting a smoked effect in them. These headlamps come with a headlamp cleaning system, while Audi also offers the option of Matrix LED illumination at a premium. The huge hexagonal grille in the middle has honeycomb inserts within them, which are present in the sporty-looking faux air inlets in the corners of the front bumper.

The Audi S3 looks very stylish from the sides, with the beautiful looking 10-spoke 18-inch sporty alloy wheels, door-mounted black-coloured rearview mirrors and the sharp crease running sideways from front to rear. Audi also offers the option of bigger and sportier-looking 19-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, red brake callipers and carbon finish for the rearview mirrors at an additional cost.

The Audi S3 looks properly sporty from the rear as well, with the car having a quad exhaust tip setup, with two outlets each on either side. The boot lid looks sleek with the edgy looking LED tail lamps with dynamic LED turn indicators and rounded upper lip, while the rear bumper has a sporty appearance with faux air inlets with honeycomb inserts on its corners and a gloss black diffuser at the bottom.

The Audi S3 has a suspension setup of Macpherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear, which along with the S Sport suspension setup, makes driving the S3 a thrilling experience. Further sportiness is ensured by taut electromechanical progressive steering, Quattro all-wheel-drive and Audi drive select.

The Audi S3 is offered with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged TSI petrol engine, which is coupled to a 7-speed S Tronic transmission as standard. This engine is one of the most refined and powerful engines in its class, with a maximum power output of 310 PS and a peak torque output of 400 Nm. The S3 can cover 0-100 kmph in 4.8 seconds, while its top speed is rated at 250 kmph.

For its price, the Audi S3 is properly loaded with safety features like front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control, hold assist, lane departure warning and park assist with reverse camera. The Audi pre sense basic package is also available at an additional premium.

The Audi S3 is purely for those who want a compact four-door sedan, but with an added touch of thrill and performance in their daily driving duties.