Could The Audi S3 Be The Ultimate AWD Hot Hatch?

This is the new Audi S3, a near-300bhp four-wheel drive hot hatch that’s as quick as a Porsche 911 and a rival for BMW’s M135i and the forthcoming Mercedes A45 AMG. Is it a VW Golf GTI turned up to 11, or just a faster Audi A3? Read on for our first drive review of the new Audi S3…

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GermanNut - 4/10/2013 4:33:05 PM

-5 Boost

AutoExpress has another fantastic review of the new Audi S3:

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/audi/s3/63466/new-audi-s3

M5twinturbo - 4/10/2013 10:16:23 PM

+3 Boost

CAR Mag, and Autoexpress both gave the S3 4 stars, but each mag gave the M135i 5 stars! : )

Patronus - 4/10/2013 8:34:59 PM

+3 Boost

NO, it will not be the ultimate AWD hot hatch - not with an AUTOMATIC.

Save the Manuals!

irishmike - 4/11/2013 12:37:48 AM

+1 Boost

Patronus, me too!!

MercedesSL - 4/11/2013 11:09:27 AM

+3 Boost

Mercedes A45 Amg is the ultimate AWD hot hatch.

Satriani1 - 4/11/2013 11:13:50 AM

-3 Boost

Wait for the comparison tests in a few months. Once the reviewers have the chance to drive the cars back to back and gauge the public's response to the S3, let's see what their opinions are then.

I think the S3 comes with six-speed manual as standard (0 to 100 km/h or 62.14 mph is 5.5 seconds). The six-speed dual-clutch S-tronic transmission is an option (0 to 100 km/h or 62.14 mph is only 5.0 seconds, faster and hotter than the manual). The reviewer's test car had the dual-clutch option.

Given so few cars with manual transmission are sold nowadays, it's obvious that despite all the whining about "save the manuals", very few drivers are really willing to buy manually-equipped cars. Why car makers are adding to their overall costs (which the majority of car buyers who buy automatics end up paying for) by supplying such manual transmission cars to a tiny minority makes no sense and penalizes the majority of car buyers. It's time for the vocal minority to adapt to the times.

Car and Driver on the 2013 BMW M5 Manual: "The time has long since passed when we expect manual-transmission cars to be quicker than their auto-shifting counterparts... The surprise was that, after our time in the manual-equipped car, we might actually choose the DCT, were we buying an M5. Yes, we're the "Save the Manuals!" guys. And we're delighted that BMW decided to make the manual available. But this marriage of manual transmission to M5 is not an especially happy one. The clutch takeup is abrupt. Perhaps it will mellow with age, but our tester, with 4800 miles, is all we have to judge. What's less likely to improve over the car's life is the shifter, which is long of throw and rubbery in action. The M5 manual also suffers from a distressing amount of fore-aft movement, which we're attributing to driveline windup and inappropriate throttle mapping. Try as hard as we might, a run through all the gears had all of our passengers nodding their heads in sympathy with every shift. This is a difficult car to drive smoothly... And with its drivability failings, the manual-transmission arrangement doesn't help."
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-bmw-m5-manual-test-review

Motor Trend on the 2013 BMW M5 Manual: "North America is the only continent where you can buy the 2013 BMW M5 with a manual transmission. In that truth hides a stubborn reluctance, a hesitance from a vocal minority to adapt to the onward march of progress... Controlling 560 horsepower with a manual is fun, but in a dumb kind of way... wouldn't a twin-clutch gearbox better match the philosophy that built the car? Let's go a step further. If you're a purist who pines for manual control of your car, why are you considering an M5?"
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes/1211_2013_bmw_m5_first_test