Audi S3 Sportback 2020 test: stop overbidding

The start of a new era or the end of another? This is the dilemma we face if we look for a few moments at the technical sheet of this new Audi S3. 310 hp is horse for horse the exact power output of the 2.0 L TFSI on the previous generation. Displacement, power, maximum torque, the engine repeatedly voted best 4-cylinder in the world does not seem to have undergone the slightest change and yet new standards have passed. Decryption.

Who says fourth generation of Audi A3 necessarily says, new version S approaching! In the purest tradition of S versions, the S3 2020 aims to be the perfect mix of sharp chassis, “sufficient” power and disconcerting ease of use for any average driver (and that's not a criticism!). Look, platform, performance, everything goes in the direction of the perfect compromise without neglecting any aspect, except that of the driving pleasure somewhat neglected, often in favor of (too?) Filtered sensations.

Subtle sportiness

When I went to pick up “my” Audi S3 from the weekend, I had the opportunity to come across an old acquaintance, the Audi A3 sedan that I had tested a month and a half earlier on the heights of Marseille. The opportunity for me to play the game of 7 errors, although the type of body is different. It turns out that apart from the optional “black pack” comprising a black lacquered finish on the grille surround, the gills below each headlight, the side strip below the doors, the window surrounds and the mirror caps, an S3 remains in all points identical on the outside to an A3 equipped with the S-Line exterior pack. Only two details let us glimpse the more playful character of our compact, the S3 logo on the grille as well as the diffuser revealing the double tailpipes on both sides, characteristic mark of the S range. a check for a minimum of € 55,900.

Especially since the few elements that one might think are new are on the one hand, optional, and on the other hand, available on a standard A3 as long as you extend the tickets. Audi Sport rims are also strictly identical to those present on the A3 mentioned above. Even red calipers can now be found on a non-S A3. There really is only the specific diffuser to make you stand out. Is it a bad thing for all that? After all, it's been a long time since the S-Line packs are available across the range, just like the AMG and M Performance packs from the competition. The fourth generation S3 therefore does not play in the exacerbated sportiness, the RS3 is there for that, but adopts a subtle sport-chic philosophy. It is also possible to make even more discreet,

You will understand, to stand out, you will have to check a number of style options and that's good, Audi gives you the possibility of opting for rather showy colors without even going through the Audi Exclusive department: Turbo Blue, Python Yellow or Tango Red.

Selfish cockpit

On board, the feeling of cocoon in the driver's seat is screaming. The central screen is very widely tilted towards the driver, the ventilation nozzles on either side of the dashboard hide information from the passenger, and the few buttons remaining on the center console are also turned towards the driver. Only the audio volume control remains easily accessible to your traveling companion. The Virtual Cockpit is obviously part of the game with the possibility of opting for a Sport display of the meters but only through the main menu of the central screen while at VW we find this possibility via the “View” button on the flying. No touch of sportiness or exclusivity, the “S” lettering on the third branch of the steering wheel is available on the A3, as are the sport seats with electric memory adjustment, with a particularly neat finish as usual with Audi. The few plastics whose quality swears in the middle of a cabin so High Tech and design so worked are still present, especially in the doorways and between the armrest and the central console.

Sport with filters

Audi doesn't even hide it in its press release: “ A seven-speed S tronic gearbox, quattro transmission with intelligent control and an S-specific sport suspension with optional pilot-controlled damping deliver effortless power.” Effortlessly, it is the prerogative of this Audi S3 which offers first-rate performance without even lifting a finger. Obviously, the sensations are found to be heavily burdened but I can not really consider that as a defect since Audi sticks to this philosophy voluntarily for its S3. And it is not by whipping it on a winding course that I took the most pleasure on board, but let's dwell on this point all the same.

The 2.0 L TFSI associated with a 7-speed S-Tronic gearbox therefore remains unchanged from the previous generation. The S3, however, gained overweight, 70 kg compared to the 2017 version that I had been able to test on the same roads that I had fun riding again with this new generation. The performance is therefore not transfigured quite the contrary, the S3 2020 takes 0.2 seconds more on the exercise of 0 to 100 km / h than its predecessor, a first in this sense! The evolutions are found especially at the level of the chassis since the new S3 is based on the MQB Evo platform shared with the Golf 8 and the new Seat Leon. The rear suspension with 4 independent links combined with quattro all-wheel drive and optional active controlled damping give this Audi outstanding handling. A lot of work has also been done on the steering, the feeling of which is improved, especially on a dynamic course.

The front axle is imperial, unbreakable. It follows the trajectory without batting an eyelid largely aided by the rear axle when exiting a curve to provide particularly appreciable driving smoothness. Audi claims that the driven damping of the Drive Select in Dynamic mode has been firmed up. We end up with a feeling of damping sometimes breaking on the irregularities of the road but the body roll remains too present for my taste to correspond perfectly to the sporting use that we would make of this mode, so much to leave the suspension in Auto mode which only provides infinitely little more body roll but preserves the lumbar (the individual mode is there for that). Overall, the S3 is very easy to handle and is pretty much forgiving even with the ESP cut off as long as you don't put too much steering wheel angle at the end of braking. Braking let's talk about it, for me it is one of the two big black spots. The attack of the pedal is not straightforward for a penny while the race seems endless to obtain braking worthy of the name. I even ended up with a light smoke on the front discs without feeling like I was lacking in endurance. The feeling therefore remains imprecise, even if I will learn later that some of the first 4000 kms of the car had been made on the circuit. Second black point and not least, the engine. Unfortunately, I did not find the ardor that I knew under the hood of the previous generation S3, especially as the new standards made it completely voiceless. However, the gear ratios do not seem to have changed, the FAP must play a castrating role here, too bad. it is for me one of the two big black spots. The attack of the pedal is not straightforward for a penny while the race seems endless to obtain braking worthy of the name. I even ended up with a light smoke on the front discs without feeling like I was lacking in endurance. The feeling therefore remains imprecise, even if I will learn later that some of the first 4000 kms of the car had been made on the circuit. Second black point and not least, the engine. Unfortunately, I did not find the ardor that I knew under the hood of the previous generation S3, especially as the new standards made it completely voiceless. However, the gear ratios do not seem to have changed, the FAP must play a castrating role here, too bad. it is for me one of the two big black spots. The attack of the pedal is not straightforward for a penny while the race seems endless to obtain braking worthy of the name. I even ended up with a light smoke on the front discs without feeling like I was lacking in endurance. The feeling therefore remains imprecise, even if I will learn later that some of the first 4000 kms of the car had been made on the circuit. Second black point and not least, the engine. Unfortunately, I did not find the ardor that I knew under the hood of the previous generation S3, especially as the new standards made it completely voiceless. However, the gear ratios do not seem to have changed, the FAP must play a castrating role here, too bad. The attack of the pedal is not straightforward for a penny while the race seems endless to obtain braking worthy of the name. I even ended up with a light smoke on the front discs without feeling like I was lacking in endurance. The feeling therefore remains imprecise, even if I will learn later that some of the first 4000 kms of the car had been made on the circuit. Second black point and not least, the engine. Unfortunately, I did not find the ardor that I knew under the hood of the previous generation S3, especially as the new standards made it completely voiceless. However, the gear ratios do not seem to have changed, the FAP must play a castrating role here, too bad. The pedal attack is not straightforward for a penny while the race seems endless to obtain braking worthy of the name. I even ended up with a light smoke on the front discs without feeling like I was lacking in endurance. The feeling therefore remains imprecise, even if I will learn later that some of the first 4000 kms of the car had been made on the circuit. Second black point and not least, the engine. Unfortunately, I did not find the ardor that I knew under the hood of the previous generation S3, especially as the new standards made it completely voiceless. However, the gear ratios do not seem to have changed, the FAP must play a castrating role here, too bad.

Threatened sportsmanship

If the S3 has never been a pure sport by definition, this new generation confirms the differentiation that Audi operates between its S and RS range. Overall, we could summarize the S3 as an Audi A3 Quattro with horsepower, and we would not be very far from the truth, the standard A3 already having remarkably efficient chassis behavior. Few changes therefore in terms of sportsmanship. The same cannot be said of the high-tech part which takes even more precedence over driving and transforms this S3 into an outstanding roadster that has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of in the face of the upper segment, even if the consumption displayed does not seem so suitable for exercise. From 8.0 L announced, we came out with an average of 11.4 L / 100 km. On the penalty side, we should happily exceed € 8,000 from next year with a minimum release of 183 g for an S3 Sedan. Displayed at € 73,555 with the full list of options available in the catalog, our S3 for a weekend has definitely entered a new era.

Some numbers

Dimensions: 4350x1820x1440
Empty weight: 1500  kg Boot
volume: 325 L
Fuel tank volume: 55 L 
Advertised combined consumption (WLTP): 8.0 L / 100 kms (* test model)
Mean reported CO2 rejection (WLTP): 188 gCO2 / km (* test model)
Displacement: 1984 cc
Max power: 310 hp between 5450 and 6500 rpm
Max torque: 400 Nm between 2000 and 5400 rpm
Max speed: 250 km / h
0 to 100 km / h: 4.8 s