The S3 provides a great ride out on your own or with friends. It has a strong four cylinder engine. I also love the all four wheel drive and the six speed automatic transmission. Although I shouldn't, I've hit about 150MPH while on the freeway by myself and it's quite a thrilling feeling.

Externally, the S3’s face inherits a smidge more meanness, thanks to additional creases, chamfers, and corners around the headlights, grille, and lower intakes. The look is slightly fussier than before—in particular, there is a new U-shaped opening framing the bottom half of the more angular grille, and the headlights inherit an ever-so-faint boomerang shape. All in all, the changes maintain the S3’s visual proximity to its larger A4 and S4 siblings, but a little differentiation would be nice. Peer at the dashboard, center console, or pretty much anywhere inside the updated S3, and the word “updated” surely won’t come to mind. The S3’s minimalist dashboard, with its four round air vents, hideaway 7.0-inch central display, thin row of climate controls, and MMI infotainment controller knob on the center console remain the same as before. This delightful sound invasion took my attention to the car itself, which, up to this point, I had sort of ignored. Getting off the freeway and onto a backcountry highway, I had a moment to revel in the car’s charms.