THE arrival of any performance variant from Audi is always greeted with a sense of excitement.

The latest addition is the warmed-over A3 with a boot, the S3, which gains the same Volkswagen Golf R-sourced turbo 2.0-litre engine, but unlike its S3 Sportback five-door hatch sibling, the booted version only mates the powerplant to a six-speed dual-clutch auto – no manual.

Audi’s “S” badge is like a brawny, angry half-step between mainstream commuter cars and the somewhat more bonkers “RS” badge that is all about noise and excitement, usually delivered in very large doses.

Let’s just say from the outset that the S3 doesn’t disappoint.

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