Category: Hot Hatchbacks 
Price Range: £27,480 to £28,020
Quick, holds the road well, high level of comfort.
Pricey, not as involving a drive as it should be.
A very good hot hatch, but not quite as good as the high price suggests.
Put to one side for a moment all the elements that put the S3 in the premium car sector and it's soon apparent that it also performs the primary task of a hot hatch: providing an engaging and fun drive.
The turbocharged direct-injection 2.0-litre engine generates an impressive 261bhp and 258lb-ft of torque, with the turbo lag of old greatly reduced, thanks to changes made by Audi's engineers. All this power means that the 0-62mph sprint takes place in just 5.8 seconds, putting it in the same territory as cars such as the BMW Z4, Nissan 350Z and Lotus Elise. Top speed is electronically limited to 155mph.
The six-speed manual gearbox - which is crisp and provides accurate changes - is the only option available at the moment, but Audi's seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic will become available a later date.
Thanks to the Audi's Quattro system, the power is distributed to all four wheels as and when required by road conditions, so the car always has plenty of traction and high levels of mechanical grip. There is some understeer if you go hard into a corner, but if you ease off the accelerator, the car corrects itself smartly and without any real drama.
Considering the S3's sporting credentials, the ride is compliant, especially if you opt for the Comfort setting on the magnetic ride adaptive damping system that Audi has taken from the TT and R8. If you want a bit more stiffness in the chassis, switch to Sport and you get a nice taut, sporty ride.
However, good though it is, there isn't the extra involvement over the ST or Golf GTI, which comes as something of a disappointment when you consider how much extra you're paying. For that kind of money, we feel that it should be in the same league as the aforementioned 350Z or Elise: it isn't.
