It seems that, again, the Europeans are getting all the good toys. Audi has announced the S3 will now be available with the seven-speed, twin-clutch S Tronic gearbox in Europe, but hasn’t made any mention of it for the U.S. The S Tronic transmission will help the 2009 S3 pick up slightly better fuel economy, performance, and emissions.
S3s equipped with the S Tronic transmission are 0.2 sec quicker to 62 mph than those with the manual transmission, getting there in just 5.5 sec. The S Tronicisn’t a one-trick pony, though. It’ll also get you 28.3 mpg, up from 27.6 and reduce your CO2 emissions from 0.7 lb/mi to 0.68 lb/mi. All are impressive figures for S3’s 2.0L TSFI turbocharged four-cylinder, which puts out 261 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. The first-ever automatic S3 will also get an upgraded version of Audi’s quattro All-Wheel-Drive that reacts faster, as well as an option for magnetic ride dampening.
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