This Audi S3 is no ordinary machine with the full Quattro underpinnings and bigger feet it has the makings of a legend. However in this article I will not ever mention the word Audi Quattro (the original world rally champion). You see, this beast has the same principle in mind but somewhere the technicians at Audi must have lost it trying to make it too civilized for road use.  A car like this was meant for driving off the road, snow, rain, hail, whatever the weather conditions are, this car is meant to take it with all engines firing. The engine is a 1.8-litre four cylinder turbo which pumps out 210bhp and 199lb ft. Performance figures are somewhat where the disappointment comes and it only manages a mere 148mph but can get from 0-62mph in a smashing 6.8 seconds. If you push the car all the time, you'll notice that you can't pass by many a petrol station. It gets quite thirsty and does 31mpg. The whole exterior was slightly face-lifted recently with the change to the Audi A4. The changes are mild compared to what Mercedes Benz did. Audi added a better front headlight system as well as smaller foglights integrated into the bumper. Those lights are quite neat and do a really good job of lighting up the road. However, experience has taught us that these are due to become chipped as time passes by so I hope Audi did their homework in this department. Also, those large Avus 17" wheels give the car much needed grip on the tarmac so cornering becomes easier and almost to a point where you don't even think of giving more throttle. The interior is somewhat sombre with black everywhere and touches of yellow on those impressive body-hugging Recaro seats. Instrumentation is always perfectly constructed with silver dials and black letters. Just a note is that Audi offers full leather Recaro seats which gives the car a more executive feel inside the cockpit. Road noise is not entirely an issue in a car like this with many a bump felt thanks to the stiffer sports suspension. Rev the car hard and the engine noise pops it's head in too.

This car was a pleasure to drive however after driving an Impreza Turbo, you cannot deny who remains unconquered. The S3 lacks the sheer abandon of the Impreza and the sophisticated progression and power delivery of the five and six cylinder S-cars.