FOUR point eight seconds. That was an acceleration time from standstill to 100km/h once reserved for expensive exotics, and yet it has now become the claimed digits for hot hatchbacks such as the Audi S3 Sportback.

Indeed, even as we last year farewelled our Holden Commodore SS home-grown hero, that 6.2-litre V8-engined sedan bowed out with a 4.9s claim. Sure, a Ford Focus RS is quicker (4.7s) but it is also hardcore. Meanwhile, this posh Audi is only beaten by the 4.6s-rated six-cylinder BMW M140i.

Thank a 3kW power increase for the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine to 213kW, and an additional cog inside the now-seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, still dubbed S tronic. Meanwhile the all-wheel-drive system has been retuned to provide greater rear-wheel bias.

Add minor styling and equipment tweaks, and it appears as though several small changes will attempt to make for a greater whole with this penultimate model in Audi’s small hatch line-up.