2009 MTM Audi S3 Sportback First Test and Review

Those of us who peruse the Brit and Aussie car rags at our upscale bookstores are constantly tantalized by the nimble, high-powered hardware that's widely available elsewhere around the globe but denied us citizens of the United States of Cheap Gas and Big Cars. If your obsession motivates you to discover just how exorbitantly expensive and challenging it would be to obtain one and get it licensed for use here, your frustration will only be compounded. Well, if the object of your Euro-lust happens to be Audi's hottest hatch, the S3, the folks at Motoren Technik Mayer, aka MTM, have figured out a way to plug you into a virtual clone of that car for about what it costs in Germany before the dreaded 19-percent Value Added Tax.

As we noted in our recent MTM Audi Q7 review, the Mayer gang aims to become what Brabus is to Mercedes-Benz/Smart or Alpina is to BMW-the aftermarket tuner of choice for Audis. That MTM Q7's performance was impressive, but its price was well and truly over the top (the upgrades added about $50,000). By comparison, this one's comparative restraint and its careful emulation of a factory model make it much more attractive.

In fact, all the new body parts that have been bolted on to this U.S.-spec A3 2.0T Quattro-front and rear fascias, grille, foglamps, badges, brushed-aluminum mirror caps, and side skirts-are original-equipment Audi S3 pieces. MTM's S3 looks aggressive and special without resorting to the clichéd wings, skirts, and other exaggerated protuberances that so many tuners employ to "distinguish" their cars, though we'd be tempted to forego the Sportback graphics. The interior is pure A3, but several skilled artisans near the company's U.S. headquarters in suburban Detroit can perform affordable upholstery upgrades as desired, and MTM could probably procure a flat-bottom Audi three-spoke steering wheel if that's what it took to clinch the deal.

Audi S3s run a version of the A3's venerable 2.0-liter turbocharged direct-injection engine amplified to 261 horses and 258 pound-feet. MTM enhances the U.S.-spec A3's mill by installing its own performance chip (available in three states of tune) and fitting a slightly less-restrictive turbo-back 70mm stainless steel exhaust system that intensifies the engine's snarl very slightly and seems to amplify the lightning-quick braappp that accompanies each upshift of the S-tronic dual-clutch transmission. Our entry-level package delivers a dyno-verified 272 horsepower and 274 pound-feet of torque, an increase of 72 horses and 67 pound-feet. Not hot enough for you? For $7000 extra, you can have 310 horses courtesy of a better down-pipe, new pop-off valves, and extensive tuning, or spend $15,000 for a whole new turbo and lots more tuning good for 380 horses.