It's only when you push Audi's S3 with dual-clutch DSG transmission you realise just how quick it is. Lighting fast.

 

Faster than humanly possible. We're not talking about the car. We're talking transmission. This S tronic transmission was first made available in Audi's TT 3.2 quattro back in 2003. Since then it has filtered its way into the VW Group cars as a welcome option. It's now available in the pinnacle of the popular A3 range, the S3 Sportback quattro. What adds excitement to the transmission is that other piece of VW Group gear, the 2.0 litre TFSI engine, already well ensconced in the S3 in sedan and Sportback manual variants.

Add the DSG and the combination is about as good as it gets in the small, luxury sports segment. So good, that the DSG variant takes two tenths of second off the time it takes the manual variant to reach 100 km/h from a standing start, or 5.6 seconds. Push the S3 sportback DSG to the limit from scratch as we did on our first drive and you will soon find your ears popping ... or at least hearing the exhaust `pop' as the DSG changes in a flash.

The S3 was launched alongside the S4 and it's hard not to make comparisons in certain areas, even though they are in different segments. Firstly, cost. The S3 Sportback with six speed DSG is $71,010. The S4 with seven speed DSG transmission and supercharged 3.0 V6 is $118,900. Yet, he S3 DSG takes just .3 of a second longer than the S4 to reach 100 km/h, in just 5.6 seconds. About the blink of an eye. Tick one for the S3's performance.

Okay, enough of unfair comparos. The S3 is a nimble four door hatch that clings to the road like there's no tomorrow. This is in the car's DNA with the first generation S3 arriving here in 1999 and the second generation in 2007. The Sportback landed here in October last year, but only with the six speed manual transmission.

Unlike cars with similar performance, the Impreza STi and Mitsubishi Evo, the S3 is understated. Small S3 badges give some hint as to it's pedigree. In European terms its primary competitor is the BMW I30i Sport. The DSG transmission suits the S3 and it's market fit. We suspect not everyone buying a small premium hatch wants to change gears manually. Yet, they will require high-performance. The DSG fills the bill as a manual style gearbox, that is driven like an auto.

Driven quietly around town the changes are smooth and seamless. Get a little excited and the changes are what you'd expect from a race driver in a manual car: smooth and seamless. Just a lot more fun. It's a compact transmission that Audi call S-Tronic. It features twin multi-plate clutches that simultaneously pre-select two gears. So it's always in one gear, with the next gear primed and ready. Using electro-hydraulics it shifts from one gear to the next in a split second, and the clutch it has just vacated, selects the next gear and it too is ready to go.

The mating of the 2.0 litre award-winning TFSI engine and DSG is ideal for a car the size of the S3. The engine supplies 188 kW of power – it was not that long ago a Holden V8 had slightly less power than this – and 330 Nm of torque that remains constant between 2500 rpm and 5000 rpm. So it's easy to keep the S3 within the maximum torque band which equates to high-performance on tap at any time.

The engine weighs just 152 kg, so the car is well-balanced, and that balance can be felt in the cockpit as the car is pushed around bends and up mountain roads. Fuel consumption is 8.4 litres/100 kms, but we would suggest that is in `normal' driving conditions. CO2 emissions are 195 g/km.

Standard fare in the S3 includes silk Nappa leather sports seats, S design multi-function leather sports steering wheel, BOSE speaker system, and Bluetooth mobile telephone preparation. Safety is also at the high end with ESP incorporating ABS, traction control. There are Sideguard head and curtain airbags for front an rear passengers, together with side and front airbags.

S3 RANGE AND PRICING

Audi S3 2.0 litre TFSI quattro manual $66,403

Audi S3 Sportback TFSI quattro manual $68,310

Audi S3 Sportback TFSI quattro S tronic $71,010