Around the time my predecessors at Motor Trend were testing the 2004 Audi S4 -- pitting it against the Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG in a head-to-head battle in which the Audi handily triumphed -- I was driving it for another car mag, in a comparison against the Benz as well as the BMW M3. While both the C32 and M3 came with high-output six-cylinder engines, the S4 boasted a rip-roaring, naturally aspirated 4.2-liter, 340-horsepower V-8 – unheard of for the day in a compact luxury sedan, certainly one paired with a six-speed manual and all-wheel drive.
As you can probably surmise, the Audi placed first, in both tests. What can I say -- back then a tidy four-door that could rocket from 0-60 in 5.0 seconds flat, eclipse the quarter mile in 13.4 at 105.1 mph, go from 60-0 in 117 feet, and hug the skidpad at 0.90 g was pretty much going to annihilate every competitor in its path. The Audi S3 is a 2015 Motor Trend Car of the Year contender - find out in November whether the A3/S3 has what it takes to win.
Fast-forward 11 years and Audi is at it again, though in this go-around the engine has shrunk by more than half. The all-new 2015 S3, the first S-badged A3 to make it stateside, comes with VW Group’s tiny but potent 2.0-liter TFSI (turbocharged, direct injection) inline-four, good for 292 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque, and paired exclusively to a six-speed S Tronic DCT. And guess what? It’s quicker and better in just about every performance measurement than that 3,825-pound V-8-powered S4. At our test venue (the balmy Hyundai Proving Grounds in the Mojave desert), the 3,467-pound S3 launched from 0-60 in 4.7, through the quarter in 13.4 at 102.4, stopped from 60 in 112 feet and, thanks in part to sweet split-spoke 19-inch alloys shod in sticky 235/35 Continentals, pulled max lateral accel of 0.92 g. Not too shabby for a little four-banger. Speaking of little four-bangers, let’s take a look at the S3’s most direct competitor, the Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG. Similar to the Audi, the Benz sports a turbocharged I-4, all-wheel drive, and a DCT. But two noteworthy differences: AMG cranks its 2.0-liter to the tune of 355 horsepower and 332 lb-ft, and adds a seventh cog to its dual-clutch transmission. So, despite being a bit heavier, at 3,599 pounds, the CLA proved noticeably quicker out at the Mojave dragstrip, where it laid down 0-60 in 4.2 and the quarter in 12.7 at 108.3. Braking from 60 (109 feet) and maximum lateral grip (0.96 g) superseded the S3’s stats as well, but by much closer margins.
Nuevo Audi S3 Cabrio 2015
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