2023 Audi S3 Sedan Interior and Cargo

The first impression is instantly one of quality although some harder plastics have been used on areas like the rear door panels. This is a reminder that you aren't in an A6 sedan. Still, the overall quality is top notch for the segment. A leather-wrapped steering wheel is standard, as are leather seats in black with Rock Gray stitching or in Steel Gray-Anthracite. The armrests are finished in leatherette. The mid-range Premium Plus and top-spec Prestige can be upgraded with the $1,250 Fine Nappa leather package. This adds Nappa leather with diamond stitching and carbon atlas structure inlays. This will replace the standard silver inlays. With this package, the same colors apply along with an additional choice that blends black seats with Express Red stitching.

Other welcome touches include stainless steel pedals and aluminum door sills with an illuminated S logo.

At a mere 8.3 cubic feet, the S3's trunk isn't what you'd call spacious. It will be sufficient for weekly trips to the grocery store but luggage for four will be a squeeze. When you aren't carrying any passengers at the back, you can fold down the 40/20/40-split folding rear seats to carry larger items.

Interior storage consists of two cupholders in the center console, an average-sized glovebox, large door bins, and storage space beneath the central armrest that isn't especially large. At the back, there are seatback map pockets for holding tablets or books.

Available in three trim levels, the base Premium ships with eight-way power-adjustable sport seats with four-way power lumbar support. In addition to that, it gets three-zone automatic climate control, a panoramic sunroof, a rearview camera, a digital instrument cluster, and heated front seats. The interior rearview mirror is manually dimming, though. Safety features encompass lane departure warning, parking sensors, Audi pre sense basic, and high-beam assist.

The mid-range Premium Plus includes everything that the Premium has and adds adaptive cruise control, a driver's seat memory function, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, wireless phone charging, the Audi advanced key, and active lane assist. Finally, the Prestige gains a head-up display and the Audi virtual cockpit plus.

The S3 uses the same 10.1-inch MMI touchscreen found in other models, and it hasn't been dumbed down for this entry-level model. It still features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, plus available Audi MMI Navigation plus with beautiful Google map live satellite imagery. Native navigation comes as part of a $2,250 Technology Package, which also rolls in Audi's excellent 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit display (a 10.25-inch display is standard), traffic sign recognition, and a 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system with 680 watts. The upgraded audio system sounds great despite the S3's lower status in the Audi lineup.