2022 Audi S3 Review: Tons Of Grip, Very Little Character

From the moment Audi introduced its Quattro all-wheel-drive system in the ‘80s, ultimate all-wheel performance and handling became synonymous with the four-ringed badge. The system has of course evolved over the years. Starting life as a relatively simple mechanical torque-sensing setup, the Quattro system is now an unbelievably complicated myriad of sensors, clutches, and software constantly measuring driver inputs, engine speed, and wheel slippage. That electronic orchestra is on full display in the 2022 Audi S3, making the mid-tier sedan a genuinely fool-proof sports car even in the worst of conditions.

Much like the AWD systems that harness their power, Audi sport sedans like the S3 have also evolved into overly complex and clinical machines. When it comes to spirited driving, Audi’s of old require its drivers to know the nuances of true AWD, balancing braking on corner entry, and patience with the throttle on exit. The current crop, on the other hand, demands nothing from drivers other than exuberance coupled with trust in the Audi engineers’ ability to apex a car by proxy better than the regular human behind the wheel.

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m nowhere near the likes of a driving demigod and Audi hall-of-fame like Walter Röhrl. My skills behind the wheel are more closely related to the aforementioned “regular human,” for sure. However, I have hustled both an old Audi sedan and the new S3 over snow-covered roads, and while both are entertaining, the S3 is clearly doing most of the leg work.

A session of Forza Motorsport, with all the driver aides, switched on, still has the capacity to be a fun time. You’ll attack corners at greater speeds and dive bomb corners with reckless abandon because you know there’s a massive safety net. It’s not as rewarding, but entertaining nonetheless. In dry, warm conditions, on clear roads, that’s the S3. It tracks through corners with the ease of an astrophysicist doing basic algebra. On the snow-covered twisties of Upstate New York, (while still respecting the laws of physics and momentum) I was able to steer the S3 at a brave pace and still had more grip than I knew what to do with. What the S3 lacks in character and emotion, it more than makes up for in endless sure-footedness and poise.

The S3 was designed to handle lateral Gs without fault, almost to the point where the human behind the wheel is slowing the whole process down. But, because driverless sportscars thankfully aren’t a thing yet, Audi built a car that does its best despite the extra weight behind the wheel. It’s an appliance that does its job exceeding well and helps any regular human feel like they could conquer Pikes Peak run in the process. There is definitely fun to be had in the S3. Just keep one thing in mind when you feel like a hero expertly nailing all those turns on the way home: there’s only one Walter Röhrl out there and a group of engineers in Stuttgart are doing their best to fluff your ego.

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