2013 Audi S3 Sportback heading to Australia

The yet to be revealed hothatch from Audi promises to be the best yet, with no plans to detune the S3's turbocharged engine for Australia’s hot climate, as was the case with the previous generation.

Audi will begin production of the five-door S3 two weeks after the three-door variant (pictured here), with plans to import the turbocharged, all-wheel drive hothatch to Australia in the second half of 2013.

Powered by an all-new 2.0-litre turbocharged TFSI engine, the Audi S3 Sportback will pump out an impressive 221kW of power and 380Nm of torque. That’s 22kW and 30Nm more than the previous generation, or about 33kW and 50Nm more than the Australian-delivered detuned versions.

Performance wise, the three-door Audi S3 can dash from 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds when coupled to Audi’s six-speed dual clutch S tronic transmission. It will take a further 0.3 of a second to achieve the same result with the standard six-speed manual gearbox. Figures for the five-door are still unconfirmed but given the weight difference between the two body shapes in A3 guise is around 30kg, we imagine that acceleration times will remain unchanged.

The current model Audi S3 is priced at $71,200 and the new model is expected to remain in a similar price point. The 2013 Audi S3 Sportback will go head to head with the BMW M135i and Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG.