Some safety features may be fitted standard while others are offered as optional. Features may also differ among trims so speak to the salesmen about was is fitted when checking out any S3 to purchase. Some features may also not be available altogether for the local market.
1. Forward Collision Warning / Audi pre sense front
Using forward-looking sensors, this technology warns the driver of an impending collision so the driver can brake or steer to avoid the collision.
Vehicles with adaptive cruise control: A distance warning is given if you are too close to the vehicle in front of you for more than just a moment. If the vehicle in front were to brake hard, a collision would no longer be avoidable. This is indicated by a warning lamp.
A collision warning is given if the vehicle in front is much slower than you or if it brakes hard. If this warning is given, you may need to take evasive action or brake hard to avoid a collision. The driver message Audi pre sense “Distance!” light and a warning tone draw your attention to the danger. On vehicles equipped with adaptive cruise control, the distance warning lamp will also light up.
If you do not take appropriate action in time, the pre sense front will assist by applying the brakes.
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2. Airbags
The Audi S3 is fitted with airbags on the driver and front passenger side. There’s also a knee airbag for the driver and front passenger along with a front passenger airbag deactivation.
3. Lane Departure Warning / Audi Active Lane Assist
Audi’s Active Lane Assist is a system intended to help the driver stay within the intended lane of travel. At speeds above 65 km/h, a camera mounted by the rearview mirror at the top of the windscreen detects lane markings ahead of the vehicle. Information from the camera is combined with data about the car’s speed and trajectory to calculate the time and distance before a lane marking would be crossed. When one or other of those parameters is less than a critical value, Active Lane Assist intervenes by applying a gentle steering correction by means of the electric power steering fitted to the car. The amount of torque applied to the steering is small and can be easily overcome so that the driver remains in ultimate control of the vehicle at all times.
The system is designed to assist the driver in cases where lane departure is unintentional. If the system is unable to correct the lane departure (because the curve is too sharp, for example), the system will additionally warn the driver through a steering wheel vibration. Active Lane Assist senses when the lane marking is being crossed deliberately: corrective steering is suppressed if the driver uses the direction indicators or if a decisive steering action is detected by the power steering unit. The system also deactivates if no steering input has been detected from the driver for some time (indicating that the driver is relying on Active Lane Assist to steer the car).
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4. Audi pre sense basic
The pre sense basic system provides preventative protection by closing windows and pre tensing the seatbelts in emergency conditions. This highly advanced system is set off when the vehicle detects a high probability of an emergency situation based on camera detection. Audi pre sense basic engages the automatic belt tensioner and triggers anticipatory protection measures for the occupants. Depending on the driving situation, the driver and front passenger seat belts are automatically fully or partially tensioned. The side windows are also automatically closed, along with the panoramic glass sunroof (if fitted).
5. Park assist
Audi offers a variety of different parking systems for its complete model line-up. They use ultrasound, acoustic and optical signals, or a rearview camera whose images are displayed on the on-board monitor to inform the driver about obstacles in front of and behind the vehicle. The most convenient solution is the park assist.
6. Congestion Assistant
Available optionally and new in the segment, is the traffic jam assist (Congestion Assistant), which works together with Audi adaptive cruise control (ACC) and its Stop&Go feature. The optional system keeps the car at a safe distance from the vehicle in front, and in combination with the S tronic, automatically sets the vehicle in motion again after a short stop.
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