Audi S3 Sportback TFSI quattro

The badge that introduced the motoring world to the possibilities of all-wheel-drive hot hatches has come of age

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The cover star of our March 2001 issue, the introduction of the original Audi S3 (codenamed 8L), marked a significant shift in thinking about the potential of a hot hatch. Finished in striking Imola Yellow exterior paint, with matching seat inserts, while the likes of the fourth-generation Golf GTI and Toyota Conquest RSi were exploring the limits of front-wheel-drive performance (with the Opel Kadett 200ts having already found some), the arrival of Audi's first four-cylinder S car, complete with the brand's legendary quattro all-wheel drive, paved the way for a new generation of more 'grownup' performance hatches.

Of course, having its 154 kW 1.8-litre turbopetrol engine mounted transversely, as opposed to longitudinally, meant the three-door S3 inherited its all-paw prowess from Volkswagen's Haldex-based 4Motion setup - later introduced in the first Golf R32. Yet, operated exclusively via a six-speed manual gearbox, and combined with Audi's renowned interior quality, this feisty-looking hatch proved to be an excellent companion to the brand's game-changing TT Coupé and B5 RS4 Avant of that era.

Ahead of the arrival of two highly anticipated, volume-selling models for Audi South Africa, in the shape of the new Q3 and Q5, the brand is hoping to rekindle the excitement of the early 2000s, as the updated S3 joins the combustion-powered ranks of the latest RS 3 (including the competition limited model shown on page 22) and upcoming RS 5 offerings.