2016 Audi S3 – The Little Feisty One
The aggressive-looking sibling
While the cars in the Audi stable tend to look great in general, they aren’t provocative and aggressive. With the 2016 Audi S3, the company intends to shed that imagery. The S3 is a car that gives you a more aggressive fascia. The swooped back headlights combined with the big grille, give the car an imposing feel. The smooth and curved roofline melds well with the rear, where the small spoiler gives the car some character.
The real star of the show on the 2016 Audi S3 is the wheels. The car has remarkably good-looking wheels and with the standard 18-inch tires suit the car. The car’s persona is fairly different from that of its other siblings. The 2016 Audi S3 exhaust, which is a twin exhaust setup also adds a lot more appeal to the rear fascia.
The car looks outstanding from all angles, you needn’t worry about turning heads. It is more than likely that you will be staring at the car more than anyone.
Punchy power
The best part about owning such a car is the performance. The 2016 Audi S3 is a beast on the road. Under the hood, you get a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that has a throughput of 292 bhp. It can produce 280 lb-ft of torque. What’s more, the engine is turbocharged, meaning better off-the-line speed and more punch for every squeeze of the engine. The car makes generous noise every time you step on the throttle, letting you know that it is ready for more.
The car is so good off the line that the 2016 Audi S3 0-60 time comes in at 4.6 seconds, which is faster than any other car in the same segment. To get this time, however, you will need to get use the integrated launch control. Despite all the power and potency inside the engine, Audi has electronically limited the top speed to 155mph, sad. For the average driver, you will not feel any nagging issues when you drive the car. Speaking of drive, let’s take a closer look at how this car feels on the road.
Engaging drive at its best
One of the most appealing things about a 2016 Audi S3 is the driving factor. The engine’s turbocharger gives you a smooth and quick acceleration of the line, every single time. While it is not as power-intensive as the RS siblings, the S3 will still have you glued to the back of your seat.
While the 2016 Audi S3 specs are not worth gushing over, the car is much more than that. The automatic transmission helps you get through the gears smoothly, you get well-timed shifts allowing you to focus on the driving. The large wheels give you plenty of grip on the roads. It is well aided by the steering, which is light and responsive.
It is also very precise on the turn; you will not feel like doing too much when you steer the car. There is an option for adaptive suspension, which can help you shift between various suspension setups. You can stiffen or soften your ride, giving you the choice to adjust as per your desires. You can also upgrade to bigger 19-inch wheels, which will give you a firmer ride. The car glides on the roads and when you need the performance, it will oblige and let off a grunt, telling you that it is ready.
Swanky interiors
The next best thing about the 2016 Audi S3 is the interiors. You get a car that is bathed in black. The sophisticated look and feel of the cabin is something you naturally expect out of Audi and for the car, they have nailed it. There are very subtle and neat touches such as the jet-engine-inspired A/C vents, the pop-out infotainment screen, and the golf-ball-like gear knob. You also get sports seats that hug you in every corner and give you ample comfort on long rides. The drawback would be the legroom, which is tighter than some of its competitors.
The 2016 Audi S3 reliability is on point here, you will not find any flash materials or ornaments. The car is simple in design, especially on the inside. No wood, no metal, just a beautiful jet-black finished suede dash. The quality is apparent immediately, the subtle details that we mentioned earlier are made up of the finest materials. You will feel at ease in the cabin like you are sitting in a very luxurious car, and that is in many ways the feeling you want from your cars.
Safety
The car has all the standard safety features such as an antilock braking system, traction, and stability controls, front, side, and knee airbags, curtain airbags, parking sensors, and rearview cameras. The car’s brakes are tremendously good, the car stops from 60-0 in 107 feet, which is the ideal figure for a sports car.
Although, the wheels were the optional 19-inch. In testing, the car earned a respectable four stars for frontal impacts and five for side impacts. IIHS also awarded the 2016 Audi S3 a “good” rating, which is the highest it gives for any car.
Premium Plus and Prestige – A choice of trims
If you want the maximum out of your 2016 Audi S3 and do not mind splurging, there are two trims. The Premium Plus is the standard and you get a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, eight-way power front sports seats, leather upholstery, and a whole lot of Audi’s electronic gadgetry.
The Prestige trim adds a whole lot more. You get a 14 speaker sound system from Bang and Olufsen, heated exterior mirrors, adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation system, lane departure warning, and a technology package. Audi offers additional options such as the Black Optic Performance package, and a Sports seat package. The sheer array of choices at your disposal means that you can customize the car to your liking. In every 2016 Audi S3 review, getting the options are always touted as a good choice.
Concluding words
There aren’t many faults in the 2016 Audi S3. It is a classy car. It delivers crisp, crunchy performance out of the gates, gives you the feeling of comfort, no matter the ride, and comes at a price that is not excessively demanding. You get a mid-sized option that has almost zero flaws and crushes the competition, not sure if there is much else left to say.
