Red mist

What we like:

Excellent road holding and carefree handling coupled with an inspiring exhaust note.

What we dislike:

Nothing.

The sedan feels marginally more willing to take a fast bend than the hatch which we gather is due to the longer rear end that adds to its stablity. While it seems a good number of models in the Audi range suffer from light steering, its accuracy is spared. And the sedan is easy to point from apex to apex.

Even with enough performance to rival thoroughbred performance cars, the S3 can come back down to sanity at the push of the ‘Drive Select’ button and the whole car settles into a comfortable executive sedan. The ride is pillowy soft while the gearshifts are smooth enough to be imperceptible. However the rorty droning exhaust remains a constant reminder that it’s still a stallion beneath it all.

Unassuming looks, fast and decent handling, the Audi S3 is quite the entertainer for the enthusiast with family duties at hand. While not quite as powerful as the manic Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG, we feel it is a better all-rounder and mostly because of its ‘Drive Select’ button. Being nearly S$70,000 cheaper doesn’t hurt either.

Credits: Story and Photos by Benjamin G. Kline