Gulf Insider experiences a spacious and practical four-door hatchback… that goes like a rocket.
The Audi S3 Sportback manages to be super-fast, sexy, and practical all at the same time, and having the opportunity to drive it around Bahrain over a 3-day weekend was a huge amount of fun.
I collected the car from Audi Bahrain Showroom in Sitra, where I was introduced to its specialties and potential.
The S3 Sportback is a ‘Hot’ version of the standard Audi A3. Both are powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, but the S3’s engine is a lot more powerful and offers 306-hp enhanced by Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive system. The S3 also gets a lowered, more aggressively tuned suspension, grippier sport seats, a special grille, and four large exhausts that indicates it’s a sports car; enhanced when the engine is running. Yes, the engine makes a beautiful sound!
There’s all-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, adjustable air suspension system, and a top-class infotainment system. Safety features include 360-degree camera system, adaptive cruise control, and blind-spot monitoring.
The S3’s cabin is nearly identical to the A3’s, but adds some racier styling elements such as sport seats with quilted leather inserts, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, and three-zone automatic climate control. The beautiful leather interior offers just about every comfort you could possibly require.
The S3 is a refined and quick hot hatchback with lots of tech. Despite its sporting prowess, I found this car to be as easy to drive as a standard Audi and in normal traffic it felt no different than the basic Audi A3… until I put my foot down!
For more information and to arrange your own test drive, visit the Audi website or call 1745 9933.
