Driving It This Week: 2015 Audi S3

This week I’m driving the 2015 Audi S3, which is new for the current model year.  The Audi S3 serves as the entry point to Audi’s S performance family of cars, and while it’s classified as a compact, it’s actually roughly the same size as the Audi A4 was in the year 2000.  That’s how much cars have grown in the past decade – what were once the smallest vehicles available from a given brand have balloned to the point where they can support a whole new line of automobiles underneath them.

I had the opportunity to drive the 2015 Audi S3 almost exactly a year ago in Monaco, and I was quite impressed with its combination of power and comfort – definitely one of the best of the new crop of small premium models hailing from Germany (a group that includes the lamentable Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class and the fun BMW 2 Series).  I’m excited to put the car through my weekly routine and see how it holds up when I’m not being dazzled by the mountain roads surrounding the sun-kissed city on the shores of the Mediterranean.

You can check out my previous coverage of the Audi S3 for both Autobytel and The Car Guide.  I’ve also driven the model that the S3 is based on – the Audi A3 – and reviewed it here and here, as well as the Audi A3 cabriolet here.