Name: Audi S3 (2014-2017)
Brand: Audi

The Audi S3 is a performance hatchback that can be ordered as a three-door, a saloon or a five-door Sportback. It’s closest rivals are the Honda Civic Type R, the Volkswagen Golf R and the BMW M140i.

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RRP £34,365 - £38,040

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wowscore

7/10

This score is awarded by our team of expert reviewers after extensive testing of the car

What's good

Great engine
Smart styling
Practical interior

What's not so good

A little soulless
Expensive auto gearbox
Not as fun as rivals

Find out more about the Audi S3 (2014-2017)

Is the Audi S3 (2014-2017) a good car?

The regular A3 has arguably the highest quality interior in its class. The Audi S3 adds to that with subtle sporty touches like the steering wheel and the sport seats that are great at holding you tight in corners. Passenger space is also good and the choice of body styles means you can increase its practicality by going for the Sportback or saloon.

Sporty Audis are more renowned for their straight line speed rather than driver engagement and the S3 is no different – it has huge amounts of grip, it’s very agile and the engine pulls strong from any speed, but the driver feels more like part of the audience rather being in charge. A Civic Type R or the rear-wheel drive M140i are much more fun to drive.

The engine in the S3 is shared with the Golf R and is a very advanced 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol. The 306hp it develops are very usable and there is almost no turbo lag. The optional S-tronic DSG gearbox perfectly suits the character of the car and makes for some impressive traffic light launches.

Standard equipment is understandably good for a top of the range model with climate control, xenon headlights, sports suspension as well as a seven-inch infotainment with an 8 speaker DAB digital radio.

The Audi S3 is for those who think the VW Golf R has a sub-standard badge

Mat Watson

Carwow expert

It’s a shame the Audi S3 isn’t more fun to drive because Audi has got virtually every other aspect of it spot-on. It’s neatly styled, very fast and has cabin quality to shame cars many tens of thousands more expensive. It’s also comfortable and practical.

Had Audi given the Audi S3 a little more steering feel, a more compliant ride and a more communicative chassis, it could be the ultimate ultra-hot hatch. As it is, it’s a very well made car, with a great engine but lacks that special feeling.

If that special feeling is what matters most to you, we’d recommend two alternatives: if badge prestige and rear-wheel drive matter most, buy a BMW M140i. If you want the ultimate in thrills while saving a few thousand pounds, buy the Honda Civic Type-R.

For more details on the Audi S3, read the interior, practicality, driving and specifications sections of our review over the following pages.

How much is the Audi S3 (2014-2017)?

The Audi S3 (2014-2017) has a RRP range of £34,365 to £38,040. The price of a used Audi S3 (2014-2017) on Carwow starts at £19,790.

How practical is it?

There’s a surprising amount of room inside the Audi S3 – it’ll take four adults and has a reasonable boot – but this three-door model isn’t the most practical version

Yes, it's a bit tricky to get into the rear seats, but since when did that kind of practicality really matter to a hot-hatch buyer?

Mat Watson

Carwow expert

Dimensions

Boot (seats up)

325 litres

Boot (seats down)

1,060 litres

Passenger space

It’s also as practical as any other A3, with a cabin that can happily accept adults sitting in the back and a large boot. The driving position is excellent, with plenty of adjustment and good visibility. Even though the three-door Audi S3 isn’t cramped in the back, the four-door S3 Saloon is more spacious for rear seat passengers and provides better access.

Storage space

In terms of storage space, there are no problems. All the usual areas for water bottles, wallets and phones are decently big and optionally you can recharge your compatible smartphone wirelessly if you put it in the designated cubby.

Boot space

The three-door Audi S3 has a boot capacity of 325 litres with the seats up and 1,060 litres with them folded down. That is a bit less than A BMW 1 Series or a VW Golf but the useful shape and low loading lip means getting luggage in and out should be easy.

If the regular three-door S3 isn’t practical enough, then the five-door Sportback – with its two extra doors and subtly larger boot – may be of interest.

What's it like to drive?

Audi ‘S’ models have traditionally offered plenty of speed but not much in the way of involvement. Sadly, this tradition continues with the S3.

You'd never guess how fast this can go around a corner just by looking at it

Mat Watson

Carwow expert

Performance and Economy

Unlike the handling, there’s little to fault the Audi S3′s engine. That begins with the sound, which is one of the best-sounding of that size – it’s quiet and refined at low speeds but becomes deep and racy as you mash on the accelerator. It’s definitely not the loudest in class – the Mercedes-AMG A45 takes that title – but it’s a nice halfway point.

And it’s quick – the 310hp unit is less peaky than before and faster to accelerate – its sub-five second 0-62 mph time takes half a second from the old car. It’s also more frugal judging by the official figures – combined fuel economy is more than 40mpg, and its CO2 output is lower too. All this, and you get a family car that’s faster accelerating than Ferraris and other supercars of 20 years ago. Impressive.

Driving

While dynamically extremely polished, the Audi S3′s handling is more quick and secure rather than fun and involving.

There’s huge reserves of grip and good traction, but you’d be less keen on the numb steering. It steers quickly, just without transmitting much information to the driver. The ride too, though it’s better than the old car.

While the Audi S3 might not offer the same levels of driver enjoyment as the BMW M135i, its four-wheel-drive system means it is extremely effective on wet and slippery UK roads. Unlike the BMW, which sends power only to its rear wheels, the Audi sends power through all-four for superb levels of grip and a safe feel.

What's it like inside?

The S3′s cabin is as beautifully-trimmed as a standard A3, with even more goodies on offer. Those include heavily-bolstered, quilted leather sports front seats and a flat-bottomed S3 sport steering wheel.