Audi A3 Sportback (Typ 8V) and S3 Sportback (Typ 8V)

2014 Audi A3 Sportback

This is an Audi A3, the new model, and what this is is an all new 5-door model of the new model, called the A3 Sportback. As far as I am thinking, the three door model of the new A3 is kinda more of a Volkswagen Golf for unnecessary selfies because of its fancy gizmos and a bigger price tag.and the same kind of stuff goes for the new five-door model. However, I'm not really sure why I call this one a VW Golf for people carrying a Louis Vuitton bag.

Starting at the pricing and with the cost of 22,500 Euros, which is almost 4,000 more than the standard 5-door Volkswagen Golf and of course, you can expect the same engine choices as the 3-door model; such as the 1.8 TFSi engine which develops 180HP of power, a 1.4 TFSi engine that develops 140HP of power, a 1.6 TDi engine, and a 2.0 TDi engine developing 150PS of power. But...there's a catch up because there's now an uprated version of the 2.0 TDi engine which now develops 184PS of power and 380Nm of torque.

2014 Audi A3 Sportback

Thing is though, the new Sportback version adds 35mm of its wheelbase, which is more than its 3-door equivalent, and also the boot's increased to 380 liters, which is somewhat similar from its VW Golf and Seat Leon cousins. Very nice though. Also, because this is a 5-door model, this isn't the Audi A3 for the selfies, it's made for the socialites who want to spend some time with his friends at the mall, the bar, the country club, or whatever for a socialite having a blowout with his friends. Sadly though, because of its pricing, this is more of a selfie car with 5-doors rather than a normal 5-door hatchback made for someone who has friends.

2014 Audi A3 Sportback interior

Another problem for this 5-door A3 Sportback made for so-called selfies is that because of its added doors, added wheelbase, and the added boot space, it now weighs 30kg more than its 3-door equivalent so when it comes to being a "sport" hatchback, it's not quite as sporty as its 3-door cousin. You can expect a fair amount of understeer as you corner and oh! I haven't got myself to the big demerit and that's about an optional sport suspension. Although the sport suspension adds more agility to the A3 Sportback, this is about as stressful as flipping tables when you're angry. Best to avoid that if you're having osteoporosis or if you had back aches because this optional sport suspension makes your back pain even worse.

Still, could be worse. You might be end up winding in one of these...

2014 Audi S3 Sportback

2014 Audi S3 Sportback

Welcome everyone to the new S3 Sportback and yes, most of you asking that this is more of a Golf GTi with a fancier name and a bigger price tag and it was...

It costs 39,800 Euros and what you expect is the same dynamics as its 3-door equivalent, the added wheelbase, the added doors, the added doors, the added weight, the same 2.0L turbo engine, the same 6-speed double clutch transmission, on and on and on and giggity giggity goo. Anyway, forget about the giggity giggity goo because this isn't a hot hatch for wired freaks who spend two days drinking too much caffeine, it's a bit more than that.

Like the three-door version, the S3 Sportback continues to be a wild one, it's still the S3 I know, far from being one of the most powerful 2-litre hot hatch you can buy but because the new A45 AMG from Mercedes-Benz develops over 360HP, the new S3 Sportback can't catch up to its standards because it develops over 300HP of power and 280lb-ft of torque. And because this is heavier than the 3-door S3, 0-60mph takes about 4.8 seconds and top speed normally limited to 155mph.

In terms of being an all-rounder, there is also a big demerit on the Sportback version and it's not quite a character building machine because of the poor feedback of the power steering. It feels like you're struggling to twist a very tight nut with your pliers and it keeps getting harder and harder until the nuts gets loose. Even when you're driving like a wired freak, it still not quite as wired as the M135i or the A45 AMG. It's not quite a thriller but the S3 Sportback tries to balance out the right things and the wrong things.

Choosing which of these two is not quite easy because even though the A3 Sportback and its sportier version, the S3 Sportback, were made to look like posh Golfs for the socialites, they're still acting like a bunch of selfies so in the meantime, I would rather go back to the Golf GTi instead because its cheaper than the S3 and has loads of enjoyment only a selfie would drive...almost.

Photo: Audi AG