Audi in April unveiled a brand new era of the A3, the nameplate’s fourth, and included within the vary as soon as once more will likely be a sporty S3.
Our newest spy shots present a prototype for the brand new S3 in sedan guise. There will even be a hatchback physique fashion, which Audi refers to as a Sportback.
We know this prototype is for the S3 due to the extra aggressive aero equipment and quad-exhaust suggestions. And given the very fact there’s zero camouflage gear, the reveal have to be arising quickly. The new A3 will attain the United States in late 2021 as a 2022 mannequin, and this S3 variant ought to arrive about the identical time. Unfortunately, solely the A3’s sedan physique fashion is predicted to succeed in the U.S., and the identical is probably going the case for the S3.
The present S3 includes a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-Four delivering 292 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, with the engine driving all 4 wheels by way of a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission. An identical configuration is predicted for the brand new S3, for the reason that new A3 era represents extra of a heavy replace of the earlier era reasonably than a real redesign.
2022 Audi A3
We may nonetheless see energy dialed up barely for the brand new S3 and an additional gear added to the transmission. Don’t be shocked if the engine finally ends up being the two.0-liter turbo-Four that simply debuted within the 2021 Volkswagen Arteon R. It’s good for 316 hp and 310 lb-ft.
Whatever the case, we will count on the 0-60 mph time of the brand new S3 to enhance on the present mannequin’s 4.7 seconds.
Rivals for the S3 embody the BMW M235i Gran Coupe, Cadillac CT4-V, and Mercedes-AMG A35 and CLA35.
Also within the works are extra highly effective RS Three and RS 3 Sportback fashions from Audi. A brand new A3 plug-in hybrid must also be within the works, probably in each sedan and hatch physique kinds this time round (beforehand the A3 plug-in hybrid was solely accessible as a hatch).
