Audi S3 (1996 - 2003)
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
Long before the superhatch concept ever really gained popularity there was the Audi S3. With over 200bhp being directed to each of its four wheels, chunky styling and a correspondingly chunky price tag, the S3 was somewhat overshadowed by the TT coupe at the time of its launch but soon established a reputation as the finest drivers car Audi had produced since the iconic quattro 20v. Sales have been steady and there are a number of quality used examples available. Tough and capable, the S3 is one of the more reliable used buys amongst the hot hatch elite.
The doors close with a thunk; everything is damped and chunky. There are no squeaks and rattles. The car feels as if it was milled from a solid billet of some hideously expensively heavy substance. Specified in dark colours, the interior has a certain Bauhaus austerity about it.
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| Comfort | |
| Depreciation |  |
| Economy |  |
| Equipment |  |
| Handling | |
| Insurance |  |
| Performance | |
| Styling | |
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Like something escaped from a stylists pad, seventeen inch Avus wheels squeeze into bulging wheel arches whilst the sinister blue xenon lamps, gaping black maw of the air intakes and blade edged roof spoiler add to the visual incongruity. Underneath all the go-faster addenda the S3 is still perhaps too pretty for its own good.
Being an originator in any given market can make pricing difficult. The S3 is no exception and when it was first introduced it carried an enormous price tag of £28,132 which was gradually eroded down to its final £24,770 asking price. Despite the idiosyncratic new pricing, used values have been very steady, the first of the 99T plated examples fetching £7,700. Opt instead for a 2001 X plated model and youll need £8,700 while an 2003 52-plated 225bhp example will still be worth a hefty £13,600.
Insurance for the S3 is distinctly reasonable given the capabilities on offer; the little Audi weighing in at Group 17.
Its a testament to the quality of modern Audis that most used guides have nothing to report. Too new to report any problems or nothing significant are the usual commentaries on the S3, and its the same across the Audi range. Reliability of the SA3 has been excellent so far, so just look for main dealers service stamps, a sheaf of receipts and check for the usual accident or misuse damage. On the models fitted with low profile tyres, check the expensive alloy wheels for kerbing damage, and insist on locking wheel nuts.
Ignition coils have been a recurring bugbear with the 1.8T engines and many owners have complained about spares being in very short supply. Thankfully Audi have rectified this issue but you may want to ask the previous keeper if the coils have been replaced.
(approx based on an 2000 S3) Potential buyers will be cheered to know that premium pricing does not stretch to Audis parts prices. A replacement headlamp unit is £110 and a starter motor a comparatively inexpensive £150. An alternator costs in the region of £130, and front brake pads should cost £60. An exhaust system is circa £170 and a clutch assembly around £130.
With permanent four-wheel drive, the S3 imperiously shrugs aside adverse conditions. With only the most insignificant chirrup of wheelspin, the little Audi will launch itself from slushy T-junctions, power being distributed to each of the wheels by an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch. No drama, no torque steer, just the pervading exhaust roar building as the speed builds. Like most four wheel drive Audis, the S3s nose will run wide out of a corner if severely provoked, but it inspires huge confidence, if not quite enjoying the same unassailable feel of a Subaru Impreza.
The engine is the familiar 1.8 litre twenty-valve engine that appears in Golfs, Toledos, A4s and Octavias across Europe. In normally aspirated form this engine wheezes and vibrates under load like a 2-stroke weed-whacker, but the turbo conversion transforms it. Theres little turbo lag and the gutsy lugging power of a much larger engine whilst the yawning gulf between the torque peaks in second and third gear has been decisively bridged.
The cable operated six-speed gearbox feels purposeful and the twin exhaust system has been especially tuned to produce a gruff roar that will appeal or appal in equal measures. Sounds assault you from all angles. Theres a sibilant intake sound, low frequency tyre rumble, omnipresent exhaust roar and the zinging turbo whistle. Refined it is not.
Despite the dramatic sound effects, the 210bhp car never feels enormously quick. Upon consultation of the specification sheet, the reason becomes clear. The S3s mother would charitably describe it as big boned. In fact, there are Volvo 850s for sale that weigh less than the 1375kg at which the bouncing baby Audi tips the scales.
The 225bhp model feels a little more vivid but both make deceptively rapid cross-country progress.
Although more recent rivals may well garner more column inches, few can match the balance, the build quality and the all round feel good factor of the Audi S3. If you like fun that feels like its been hewn from solid, heres a worthy contender for your cash.
