S3 buyers are treated to a high quality cabin and plenty of space. The driver’s seat and steering wheel offer a good range of adjustment, while the materials in the cabin look and feel refined. Audi interiors are often used as benchmarks for quality by other manufacturers and the S3 feels superbly built. The only disappointment is that it looks identical to the standard A3 and there’s little to mark it out as the high performance model.

While the S3 is reasonably roomy – and comes with many comfort features as standard – the impact of the harsh high-speed ride cannot be ignored. Passengers will find it uncomfortable and crashy on country lanes but there’s better news for the driver as the supportive front seats are great and hold you in place on twisting routes. Equipment includes climate control air conditioning, electric windows and a rear sunblind integrated into the parcel shelf (although on our test car this had a tendency to pop up when it wasn’t required).