can't stop looking at the new Audi S3. That's odd, because the S3's basic shape has been with us in the form of the A3 for nearly four years. I've always considered it an attractive car of its sort but, at the end of the day, if I'm going to go swooning over a car it's rather more likely to be some slice of Italian exotica than a mass-produced German hatch. Even so, as I look at those brilliant 18" rims, the muscular front spoiler, subtle rear valance and wing, I know Audi has captured perfectly the right look for the S3.
A shame, then, that the same cannot be said for the car underneath.
When the S3 goes on sale in the UK early in the New Year, Audi will be asking 26,995 for it. Along with all the visual improvements referred to above, and more inside, what you're really buying is a 2.0-litre turbo engine from the Golf GTI that's been boosted up from its already high 197bhp to a frankly stratospheric 265bhp. The Haldex four-wheel drive system used by the Golf R32 ensures that all this power finds its way to the tarmac with a minimum of fuss, while stiffened springs and re-rated dampers aim to provide the S3 with the sporting feel owners of the original 210bhp S3 say is why they bought the car in the first place.
The theory's fine, but I'm not so sure it actually works. The first problem is the engine. No one is going to quibble with the amount of sheer performance on offer, as this is a car that'll hit 62mph from rest in just 5.7sec, making it clearly quicker than any hot Focus, Astra or Golf you can buy at the moment. But I wonder what customers will make of its pronounced turbo-lag and the rough, gruff noise it makes when extended. Quick it may be, civilised and sophisticated it most certainly is not. In fact, despite the dazzling technology it uses, including direct injection, the engine reminded me rather more of the old-school turbos I used to drive around in the late 80s. Below 2500rpm there's precious little urge available, and when it does arrive it comes in a big whooshing rush.
Of course, back in the late 80s what would have happened next is that the car would have gone wandering all over the road as the front tyres tried and failed to put this power where it was needed - on the ground - but, thanks partly to modern suspension geometry and mainly to the four-wheel drive system, the S3 copes with the onslaught. Even the ratios of its six-speed gearbox are close enough to make sure that, if it's warp-factor acceleration you're after, you can keep the turbo on the boil from first through to sixth. But that still doesn't make this a nice engine to use.
More curious still is the decision to deny S3 owners the superb VW/Audi DSG paddleshift gearbox. I'm not usually a fan of these contraptions but this transmission is almost impossible to fault: race-car quick in manual mode, limo-smooth as an automatic, it has an answer to every road condition you're likely to face. Elsewhere in the range, Audi itself markets the gearbox as a pure sports option. And yet although you can have one on any quickish petrol or diesel Golf or A3, S3 owners have to go without. Audi say owners were asked the question and they don't want one; I say it would have been nice to have given them the choice.
other areas too the Audi doesn't quite realise the promise of its 'S' badging. There's no question about the competence of its handling - I drove it in conditions that varied from dry to drenched and it took it all in its stride - but I never felt the pulse quicken or the grin broaden. The steering feels a little remote and the chassis tuned determinedly to make sure it never gets you into trouble, but I think drivers of such cars look for at least a little adventure, and this appeared to be in somewhat short supply in the S3.
It does, however, make more sense as an everyday tool for someone more concerned with looking good than enjoying traditional driving pleasures. The cabin is no less impressive than the outside. To my eyes, the quality of the interior is quite beyond that of any other car in the class, and the S3 modifications - the aluminium-effect pedals, vent surrounds and gear lever, combined with the S3 badging on the dials, leather wheel and kickplates - strike the perfect balance between natural good taste and sporting purpose. But the ride quality is a worry as it felt fairly stiff even on smooth German back roads, while at a constant cruise you can always hear the engine, which would be less of a problem if it were something worth listening to. It's not.
In the end, while I admire the look of the S3 and its raw performance, the car as a whole feels like an A3 that's been pushed harder than it cares to go. Most of its problems would be solved by a less raucous engine with a gentler delivery and a wider powerband, and I still struggle to understand why Audi, with just such an engine already in an A3 in the form of its 250bhp 3.2-litre V6 motor, elected to use a 2.0-litre four instead. Audi says it keeps the car light and it's what old S3 owners wanted, but to me the problems it brings far outweigh any potential benefit.
So despite its great looks, I'm going to pass. Were I in this market not only would the S3 fail to get my business but so too would what Audi claims are its most immediate rivals, the BMW 130i and Mercedes-Benz C350 Sports Coupe. Instead I'd walk straight past their doors and into the local VW dealer where I'd buy a car with not only the same chassis, with the same four-wheel drive system as the S3, but also what recent experience suggests is a better blend of ride and handling. And it has the very same 3.2-litre V6 that the S3 is crying out for. It would be a little slower for sure, but I'd enjoy driving it fast much more. It's called the Golf R32 and, best of all, it costs 2755 less than the S3 and is available with a DSG gearbox. In this class and for this money, its case looks unanswerable.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=546 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=text11 align=right>by: Andrew Frankel</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>
[4Car]
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