And it borrows the torque splitter from the RS3.

The 2.0 TFSI has been designed specifically for use in the new Audi S3. Pistons with stronger bolts and new rings plus reinforced connecting rods with new mounts transfer the power to the crankshaft.

Carefully manipulated to fit in the space left between the practical A3 and the all-out, full-fat Audi RS3, the S3 has often been labelled with the automotive equivalent of middle-child syndrome.

It's been nearly four years since Audi introduced the current-generation ... At the heart of the new S3 is an uprated version of the familiar turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine.

380 Nm (280.27 lb-ft) of torque. From 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 5.0 seconds. The new Audi S3 Sportback offers best-in-class performance. Its efficiency is also exemplary. The 2.0 TFSI averages ...

Activate the S3’s new Dynamic Plus mode and this system sends power to the outside rear-wheel for increased agility and a tendency to oversteer. Audi hasn’t stopped there with the mechanical ...

At the front ... gets new tail lights and a more aggressive bumper design for a pseudo-hot hatch appearance. Speaking of which, the new A3 will form the basis of an updated S3 hot hatch due ...

The NHTSA does not yet have a review of the Audi S3's safety, or the new-generation A3 for crash safety. However, the normal A3 was evaluated by the IIHS and attained only Good crash scores ...