2023 Audi S3

Audi S3

Audi’s S3 has always been about accessible performance wrapped in a shell you’d happily use for the school run or a dash to Sandton City. You get a 2.0-litre turbo motor and that familiar S tronic dual-clutch, with manual boxes only if you’re trawling through early models. The price bracket is all over the map: from a tempting R255,000 for an old-timer to R1,260,600 for the latest-and-greatest. The sweet spot? R1,204,000, which tells you most buyers are heading straight for new or nearly-new. With just six new S3s on the market, the used pool is shallow—so don’t expect bargains to last long if you’re hunting for one. The S3 Sportback TFSI quattro S tronic is what most buyers want, and it shows: three listings between R1,049,750 and R1,260,600. Sedans cost a smidge more, circling R1,204,000 to R1,239,900. If you’re chasing the RS3 badge, expect older metal priced from R499,500 to R948,888. There’s genuine value under R500k if you don’t mind a few years and kilometres (average 34,002 km, with models dating back to 2012). The S3’s trump card against the M135i and Golf R is that quattro all-wheel drive, mixed with a cabin that feels expensive without the usual German flash. If you’re dealing with Joburg summer rain, that’s the point.