Audi presents its sporty version of the already established A3: the Audi S3. This German car was designed for maximum performance, has a turbo engine of 265 hp power and reaches a top speed of 250 km/h.
The sporty line is perceived from the outside, design details such as larger air intakes and a diffuser at the bottom of the rear bumper make the difference between the A3 and the new S3. Another detail that enhances the character of the vehicle is the size of the wheels, 18 inches and 7 double beams. These rims fit 225/40 tyres, which, because of their width, generate a racing car look.
Of course, the sporting spirit also came inside the S3. With more enveloping and more supportive seats for the individual's body, the sense of elegance persists, although between more sporty design elements. The S3 features similar aluminum sconces on steering wheel, selector and pedals. Another “sympathetic” detail is a stopwatch intended to take records of lap times.
The 2,000-cm3-cylinder TFSI engine achieves a maximum torque of 35.7 kgm over a wide revving range, between 2,500 and 5,000 rpm. With such an impeller, the Audi S3 accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds and reaches a maximum speed (electronically self-limited) of 250 km/h. The average consumption of the S3 is 10.9 litres of fuel every 100 kilometres.
In order to accompany this evolution of the engine, it was imperative to adapt the transmission as well. Among these changes, it was possible to reduce the change times from one march to the other. This six-speed manual gearbox is coupled with single or all-wheel drive, at the discretion of the car itself.
The commercialization of the Audi S3 began in September 2006, but Audi has already made it clear that it will soon be developing an even more extreme version called RS3, will it be so consistent in such a small vehicle? Will it be really safe for users with a lot of money but little skills behind the wheel?
© Adrián Blanco 2006 — Prohibited the total or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —
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