Audi S3 Sedan Facelift first drive review: The refreshed S3 is a sharper, clearer-cut little machine

Thus far, the quietly formidable Audi S3's greatest strength has perhaps worked against propelling it further into mainstream consciousness.

Standing under the umbrella of a large family — both direct and extended — the car has occasionally felt doubly overlooked. The marriage of its turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-four with all-wheel drive, and on this particular platform, for instance, is a setup applied rather generously across the larger Volkswagen Group.

Then, within the House of Audi itself, another close sibling has started to take the spotlight more prominently over the past decade with the aid of an extra cylinder and more ambitious performance upgrades: The RS3.

In other words, some extra sparkle would not be unwelcome to reverse the dulling of its shine. And Audi has taken note, for what has resulted is this: The thoroughly enhanced Audi S3, carrying a more-generous-than-average serving of updates with its facelift. 

Eyes opened wider 

We've always understood the S3 to be a car for those who get it; the average motorist may not know, at first, that something far more special than a standard A3 has zipped past, but a more learned fan will recognise (and appreciate) the machine.

Audi, however, has decided to prod the S3 slightly awake from its sleeper-car status.

It's not in your typical cosmetic fashion, though (read: larger fenders, side skirts and a taller spoiler). Instead, the touches are more intriguing: Chrome treatment on the new grille's L-shaped accents, which are replicated at the rear. Elsewhere, the new S3 gets the same visual tweaks as the facelifted A3.

Whether or not this is the visual upgrade of choice for a driver remains a question mark — and Audi seems to know, since a chrome-less option is also available — but left as such, the accents are so hard to miss that you may not even notice the new front bumper with its motorsports-inspired vertical struts. 

Either way, it's exactly the sort of tweak that should more forcibly turn heads on the road. Also new — and sure to draw attention — is an optional Akrapovic titanium system for the car's quad exhausts. 

On the inside, the S3 receives the same upgrades that the facelifted A3 has gotten too, but is set apart with its Audi Sport seats, and a flat-bottomed sports steering wheel. 

In line with the exterior flourishes, its paddle shifters have also gotten the chrome treatment for extra bling. But the baseline quality of intuitiveness, as expected from the larger A3 family, remains, and is enhanced lightly yet tastefully per the car's racier nature. 

Thoroughly enhanced and heated up

Restraint is the tack one expects from Audi — and this concerns even the leaps taken between not just pre- and post-refreshed iterations, but between entire model generations.

What is surprising, then, is just how much the firm hasn't held back with this refreshed S3. 

The first headlining act of extra power is just the beginning — although this is a potent enough upgrade to go into more detail about in itself.

The S3's 2.0-litre engine now produces 329bhp and 420Nm of torque — 23bhp and 20Nm more than before — a healthy boost that shaves its century sprint timing by one-tenth of a second down to 4.7 seconds now. But that's not all; this engine can idle at a higher rpm than before, while its transmission has been tuned to hang onto the revs longer, and downshift faster. 

The result, correspondingly, is palpable eagerness not just off the line, but when you're already at speed.

Those chrome-tinged paddle shifters work well for the fussiest of drivers that want the reins entirely; the gearing of that seven-speed transmission, otherwise, already induces enough joy with the speediness of each shift.

Its four-pot humming impatiently in the background, the S3 is ready to charge forth when the road ahead clears; kicking down and pulling forward playfully as the accelerator is prodded.

There is, however, a second headlining act that you'll find on the car this time round: The famed torque splitter first seen on the current RS3, which allows for fully variable distribution of torque between both rear wheels. (The quattro all-wheel drive system on the pre-facelifted car only allowed for distribution between the front and rear axle.)

Furthermore, this is coupled with a new Dynamic Plus mode, which increases the tendency to oversteer by sending more torque to the outer wheel when the car is going round a bend.

Consequently, the S3 feels alive down the emptier B-roads encircling Munich airport; happy to lap up a stretch of winding tarmac once, and then again, and again.

While evincing the sort of hyper-alertness that routinely evokes bouts of giggling from the driver, the car remains absolutely predictable, too, its stiff, lowered suspension, and well-weighted and responsive steering rack nudging you to push its limit further.

Audi has given the car larger brake discs up front, too, providing a slight enhancement in stopping power (and thus confidence), as you're gunning the S3 and flinging it around. 

Inevitably, however, the B-roads lead back out onto the highway. Then, as you put the car back into Comfort... it is at once subdued again on the move. 

Sharper chameleon

That, after all, has always been the S3's charm, hasn't it?

Without reaching the heights in firepower reserved solely for Audi's full-fat RS cars, the car has always revelled in its jack-of-all-trades, daily-driver identity. It's quick and entertaining enough for days when the work commute needs a small jolt of energy, yet also reserved and easy when the task is just a simple Point A to B.

The newly-unlocked power and extra engineering wizardry thrown in for this update are welcome additions that give the S3 exactly what it needed: Extra shine to stand apart better. 

Yet what is equally impressive is that Audi hasn't taken away the versatility that has become so key to the car's allure. By these dual-tokens, the facelifted S3 is a sharper little machine that feels more confident on where it stands in its family. 

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This article was first published in sgCarMart.