On the road the S3 is blindingly good; as quick in a straight line as it is agile across a winding B-road. It is hard to think of many vehicles at any price that would be faster – or more secure – over a wet English B-road.
Yet the S3 is far from uncivilised. Yes, the ride is firm compared with that of a regular family hatchback, but never does the S3 go too far. In fact, it’s probably the best-riding, most comfortable quick car Audi has ever made. In quick corners it’s also beautifully balanced, not to mention astonishingly grippy, be the road surface wet or dry.
There’s even a small amount of adjustability engineered into the chassis, which allows a good driver the ability to tailor the cornering line by playing with the throttle.
In extremis the S3 understeers mildly, as you’d expect, but the point is you can do something to quell the understeer when it arrives, which you can't in an R32. The steering, too, is light at low speed, very light, but weights up nicely at higher speeds and contains a decent level of feel.
Only on the motorway did some testers reckon the S3 was less than perfect, complaining of a tendency of the suspension to fidget over gentle high-speed intrusions.
What isn’t in doubt is the S3’s performance. Quite apart from the fact that it gets to 60mph in under six seconds, 100mph in 13.6sec and doesn’t stop accelerating until 155mph, what really distinguishes the S3 is the way it responds, and the noises it makes.
Although the engine is turbocharged there’s very little lag, even at low revs in a high gear. Yet at the same time Audi has managed to sustain the engine’s response right up until the limiter at 7000rpm. And in between these two points the S3 really does deliver, be that at 2500rpm in sixth gear or 5000rpm in third.
We also approve of the chatter from the wastegate whenever you back away from the throttle, and the decidedly sporting edge to the exhaust note beyond 4000rpm.