SCINTILLATING AUDI S3 FOR MZANSI

In two weeks’ time Audi South Africa will be launching the brand new A3 hatchback. The car obviously competes with the BMW 1 Series and Volvo V40, as well as the upcoming Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatch. First we’ll see the “pedestrian” models go on sale. Then the S3 will arrive.

The new S3 is now more hot and bothered than ever before. While it was disappointing to receive the cooled-down 188kW version in Mzansi, instead of the normal 195kW that Europe boasted, it was still quite a nifty drive the now-previous S3.

Now enter the new 2013 S3, something really hot underneath the proverbial collar. Charged forward by a 2.0-litre TFSI direct injection turbo engine, the car is now good for a mouth-watering 220kW at 5500rpm, with torque switched on to 380Nm. It’s about as powerful as the 3.0 T engines that Audi uses for the likes of A4, A5 and A6, and is only 30kW short of the outgoing RS 3 Avant. They say it will skip from 0 – 100km/h in just 5.1 seconds when using the S tronic double clutch gearbox, or 5.4 seconds with the 6-speed manual. Top speed is the usual 250km/h and average fuel consumption chills nicely at 7 litres per 100km, despite this being a quattro AWD.

In essence the new S3 is a direct rival to the BMW M135i hatch and looks like it will give the little Beemer some serious competition when it arrives here sometime in early 2013.