“As with the A3, the S3 was the first of its kind – a premium hot hatch that delivered a more luxurious experience and everyday useability, without holding back on performance” said Dean Sheed, General Manager, Audi New Zealand. “The car was so successful that it has become an iconic nameplate – and a formula that is still being replicated today.”
“The new S3 Sportback brings more driving enjoyment, greater refinement and ride comfort, technology and design from the full-size class of the Audi range. The enjoyment of driving the car does not come at the expense of comfort and practicality, which means that its performance can be accessed in more situations every day – making it a perfect gateway to Audi’s range of performance cars.
The new S3 Sportback displays its dynamic prowess from the very first glance; the front is dominated by the Singleframe with its large rhombus-patterned grille and impressive air inlets, while the housings of the exterior mirrors have a gleaming aluminium look. The shoulder of the body extends in a strong line from the headlights to the rear lights. The areas below are curved inward – a new element of Audi’s design that places a stronger emphasis on the wheel arches, which are reminiscent of the quattro blisters found on Audi’s RS models.
Matrix LED headlights are available as an option; digital daytime running lights consist of a pixel array made up of 15 LED segments, ten of which form two vertical lines. At the rear end, the large diffuser and the four exhaust tailpipes accentuate the sporty look.
The 2.0 TFSI achieves a maximum power output of 228 kW, with 400 Nm of torque on tap – leading to 0 to 100 km/h sprint in 4.8 seconds. A seven-speed S tronic transmission, quattro drive with intelligent control, and an S specific sport suspension with damper control deliver the power to the road effortlessly. High-tech features like the Audi valvelift system (AVS) – which adjusts the lift of the intake valves as required – mean that the combustion chambers are well filled, while thermal management helps to ensure high efficiency.
The driver can use the Audi drive select system to make the sound of the powerful four-cylinder turbo engine even crisper. The seven-speed S tronic with lightning-fast gearshifts and freewheeling function, and the quattro all-wheel drive deliver the torque to the road. A hydraulic multi-plate clutch in front of the rear axle is fully variable and moves between the front and the back as required, combining dynamic performance with stability and efficiency. It is managed by the modular dynamic handling control – a new system that closely links the quattro drive to the Electronic Stabilisation Control (ESC) and the controlled dampers.
The S sport suspension with damper control sees valves control the oil flow in the dampers so that they can adapt to the condition of the road, the driving situation, and the driver’s individual selection in a few thousandths of a second. The spread between comfort and dynamism is even wider than on the previous model, while the four-link rear axle and progressive steering offers everything required for driving enjoyment.
The new electric brake booster ensures strong and spontaneous deceleration, while all four brake discs are internally ventilated. Brake calipers come in red with 19 inch wheels as standard.
Compared with their predecessors, the new S3 Sportback has grown in size; three centimetres longer at 4.35 metres, three centimetres wider at 1.82 metres. The interior offers more shoulder room and elbow room, while the rear luggage compartment has a capacity of 325 litres which, depending on the position of the rear bench seat, can grow up to 1,145 litres.
The striking style of the new S3 Sportback continues on the inside – with the new, compact shifter for the seven-speed S tronic and decorative aluminum or carbon inlays that are designed to evoke the shape of the headlights. Audi‘s virtual cockpit plus is focused on the driver, with a 12.3-inch diagonal screen sitting in the dashboard behind the steering wheel, displaying important information across three different screens.
In the middle of the instrument panel is a 10.1-inch touch display that can recognise letters entered by hand and provides acoustic feedback. As an additional operating level, the infotainment can also be voice-controlled using natural language as standard.
The MMI operating system in the new S3 models is powered by the third generation modular infotainment platform (MIB 3). Its computing power is ten times higher than that of its predecessor, it performs all tasks relating to connectivity with LTE Advanced speed, and it has an integrated Wi-Fi hotspot. Route guidance is flexible and accurate, while navigation can offer high-resolution satellite images from Google Earth, and traffic information. Individual settings, such as frequently selected destinations or air conditioning preferences, can be stored in up to six user profiles.
Connectivity between the new S3 Sportback and the user’s smartphone occirs via the myAudi app, as well as via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For music fans, the optional Bang & Olufsen premium sound system with 3D sound delivers a particularly spatial soundscape.
The driver assist systems in the new S3 Sportback demonstrates Audi’s technical expertise and commitment to safety, with Audi pre sense front, swerve assist with turn assist, adaptive cruise assist, lane departure warning, lane change and exit warnings, as well as cross-traffic and park assist systems and all have the potential to prevent accidents, and are included as standard.
Available in Audi dealerships now, the Audi S3 Sportback carries an MRP of $89,500**.
– End –
The facts and figures
Exterior
• Wide Singleframe with large rhombus grille and strikingly designed air inlets
• Distinctive shoulder line, inwardly curving sides, aluminum-look mirror caps
• Optional matrix LED headlights with digital daytime running lights consisting of 5 x 3 LED segments
• Eight paint colors, including Python Yellow and Turbo Blue for the first time
• Rear end with large diffuser and four exhaust tailpipes
Drive
• 2.0 TFSI with 228 kW of power between 5,450 and 6,500 rpm, and 400 Nm of torque between 2,000 and 5,450 rpm; sonorous sound – controllable by the driver using Audi drive select
• Technical features for power and efficiency: injection system with 350 bar pressure, Audi valvelift system (AVS) for variable valve control
• Seven-speed S tronic with freewheeling function
• quattro all-wheel drive with hydraulic multi-plate clutch and fully variable torque distribution between the front and rear axle depending on the driving situation
Suspension
• Four-link rear axle and progressive steering as standard
• S sport suspension with adaptive damper control as standard
• Audi drive select dynamic handling system with five profiles as standard
• 19-inch wheels as standard – three optional designs available
• 340-millimetre front brake diameter, with 310 millimetres at the rear
• New electric brake booster with extremely rapid response
Interior
• Spacious interior, sporty seat position for the driver
• Driver-focused instrument panel with stitching, black-panel look from the full size class
• Selector lever designed as compact shifter, steering wheel paddle shifters as standard
Controls and displays
• MMI 10.1-inch touch display, and Audi virtual cockpit plus 12.3-inch diagonal display in the dashboard (with three different screens)
• Touch display with handwriting recognition, natural-language voice control
Infotainment and Audi connect
• New main unit: third-generation modular infotainment platform
• MMI navigation plus including Audi connect with LTE Advanced and Wi-Fi hotspot
• Connectivity via myAudi app and Audi smartphone interface
• Optional Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound System with 3D sound in the front and 15 loudspeakers
• Personalisation with individual settings for up to six users as standard, activated via the myAudi smartphone app
Driver assist systems
• High level of safety as standard with Audi pre sense front, collision avoidance assist, turn assist, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise assist, lane change warning, exit warning, cross-traffic assist rear and park assist.
* As per global WLTP standard. Acceleration, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures depend on the individual vehicle specifications.
**Maximum Retail Price (MRP) excludes on road costs and any optional extras.
The Audi Group, with its brands Audi, Ducati and Lamborghini, is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium segment. It is present in more than 100 markets worldwide and produces at 16 locations in twelve countries. 100 percent subsidiaries of AUDI AG include Audi Sport GmbH (Neckarsulm), Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy) and Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (Bologna, Italy).
In 2017, the Audi Group delivered to customers about 1.878 million automobiles of the Audi brand, 3,815 sports cars of the Lamborghini brand and 55,900 motorcycles of the Ducati brand. In the 2017 fiscal year, AUDI AG achieved total revenue of €60.1 billion and an operating profit of €5.1 billion. At present, approximately 90,000 people work for the company all over the world, more than 60,000 of them in Germany. Audi focuses on sustainable products and technologies for the future of mobility.