S-tronic

It seems that the 'on-paper' superiority of BMW's M135i xDrive is about to receive a serious challenge from Audi's all-new S3, due to be launched at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show.

Based upon the new lighter Audi A3, the 2013 S3 weighs 60kg less than its predecessor, tipping the scales at just 1,395kg. And while the S3 Sportback previously wielded 261bhp, its successor deploys a class-leading 296bhp from a completely new 2.0 TFSI engine, developed specifically for the S3.

Ever since I sold my own B7 RS4 in 2008, I've been eagerly waiting this new version, half expecting (or hoping) that it turns out to be a subtly scaled down RS6 - restoring the services of blown induction to the RS4 (absent since the Mk1).