Equipped with S tronic, the three-door S3 can touch 62mph from rest in 5.5 seconds, 0.2 seconds quicker than the manual version with which it shares its governed top speed of 155mph. Equally impressively, S tronic actually boosts the S3’s combined fuel economy figure from 33.2mpg to 34mpg – a feat which the majority of conventional torque converter automatic transmissions couldn’t match. As a result, CO2 output in the S3 S tronic falls from 198g/km to 193g/km. Advanced electro-hydraulic controls and the alternate use of two clutches enable the S tronic gearbox to deliver lightning fast automatic or manual shifts with virtually no interruption of the engine’s power delivery across its seven ratios, and to offer changes via steering wheel-mounted shift paddles for the first time in the S3’s nine-year history. The first of the two clutches serves the odd-numbered gears and reverse, and the second the even-numbered gears, so when the S3 is being driven in third gear, for instance, fourth is already pre-selected in anticipation. As soon as the shift command is given, the first clutch is disengaged and the second engaged in just a few hundredths of a second, virtually seamlessly. Upgraded quattro four-wheel-drive Also faster reacting in this latest S3 model is the renowned quattro four-wheel-drive system. Its central hydraulic multi-plate clutch now responds even faster when the engine's 265PS and 350Nm need to be redistributed between the front and rear wheels to maximize stability and traction. Standard equipment for the S3 includes 18-inch parallel 5-spoke ‘S’ design alloy wheels, ‘S’ body styling and interior detailing and ‘S’ sports suspension. Heated and Silk Nappa leather-upholstered sports seats and Xenon Plus head lamps with LED strip daytime running lights are also part of the package. S tronic seven-speed twin-clutch transmission available to order at an extra cost of £1,450 from October 1st for S3 and S3 Sportback models |