The Epic Showdown: Old vs New - Audi S3 and A8 50 TDI Take on the Modern Era

As we stand here next to an old Audi D-Si, two modern marvels line up across from us. On one side is an Audi S3, a hot hatch with a 2-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine churning out 310 horsepower, accompanied by its stablemate, the Audi A8 50 TDI, sporting a 3-liter V6 diesel engine producing 286 horsepower. The only notable difference between these two vehicles is their automatic gearboxes, with the S3 being the sole beneficiary of launch control. The question on everyone's mind: can this old performance car still hold its own against modern competition?

Before we get started, I'd like to take a moment to remind you all to subscribe to our channel and hit that bell icon to turn on notifications. You'll be the first to know when we go live with new content, including this epic showdown between old and new. Don't forget to check us out on Instagram at CarWired, and if you're feeling extra adventurous, take a look at my personal Instagram channel @MattWatsonCar. With that said, let's get ready to put these two cars through their paces.

The question is simple: can the old Audi S3 beat a diesel-powered A8 50 TDI? The answer was an unequivocal "no" as we witnessed the quarter-mile results. In a stunning display of speed, the Audi S3 completed the distance in 13.2 seconds, while its diesel counterpart took a mere 6.0 seconds longer to cross the finish line at 13.6 seconds. To put this into perspective, the original Audi S8 from the early 2000s, another performance icon of its time, came in at an impressive 9.1 seconds.

But it wasn't just about raw speed - we wanted to see how these cars would stack up against each other in a more traditional drag racing setting. With all three vehicles locked into manual mode and ready to go, I called out "three two one" and our rolling race began. As the S3 and A8 50 TDI took off from 50 miles an hour in third gear, it became clear that this was going to be a battle for the ages.

As we reached higher speeds, the Audi S3 struggled to keep up with the sheer force of the diesel engine. Its turbocharged powerplant may have produced 380 Newton meters of torque, but it was no match for the 600 Newton meters of grunt offered by the A8's V6 diesel. Despite this disadvantage, the S3 still managed to hold its own, albeit narrowly, as the two cars hurtled towards their final challenge.

In a surprising twist, our test driver pushed both cars to their limits, testing each car's brakes and performance capabilities from 70 miles an hour on the track. The results were nothing short of astonishing - in this critical test, both cars demonstrated remarkably similar performance, with the Audi S3 narrowly edging out its competitors by just a hair.

And so, it seems that despite being significantly older than their modern counterparts, the Audi S3 still holds up quite well in terms of sheer driving experience and enjoyment. Whether or not you'll agree depends on your own preferences - if you're looking for speed and power above all else, then the A8 50 TDI may be the better choice for you. On the other hand, if you value driving pleasure and character over raw performance, then the Audi S3 is a great option to consider.

Finally, we'd like to take a moment to thank you all for joining us on this epic showdown between old and new. If you're looking to get behind the wheel of one of these incredible vehicles or learn more about them, be sure to check out our video windows below for additional content - including car reviews, driving tutorials, and more!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI'm in an old ad D - si next to me is an Audi s3 and next to that is an Audi a8 50 TDI now we can have a drag race so I've got a 4.2 liter v8 with 340 horsepower that s3 has a 2-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine with 310 horsepower and the a8 has a 3 liter v6 diesel with 286 horsepower it's gonna be interesting we've all got automatic gearboxes though only the s3 has launch control you're the - we're gonna hold them on the brain see what happens now before we do make sure you subscribe to this channel and hit the bell icon to turn your notifications on so you're alerted with me making the upload also check us out on instagram at car wired cars and my personal Instagram channel is at Matt Watson car so log on to that as well right let's do this old versus new can this old performance car beat a diesel and a hot hatch yes Oh No come on beat me bloomin dings on come on VA come on oh that Diesel's pulling the s3 is just smashed everyone that's the end of that all the breaks yes they are they're sort of this was such a fast car back in the day I remember seeing it in the film running it was just epic super quick and I suppose in 2001 this was fast but not no more not no more what so then what exactly happened well the Audi s3 did the stunning quarter-mile in thirteen point two seconds the a8 diesel took thirteen point six seconds and the old s8 took thirteen point nine seconds now we're gonna have a rolling race from 50 miles an hour in third gear all cars are locked in manual mode I'm gonna call it in three two one go well this picks up cooks it's not aspirated but the turbocharged car is now going come on beat the diesel I've got more revs in the diesel revving right out to 7,000 that's enough for that oh it's so close between me and you hate but that ace three just powers on through it is absolutely insane this I was 420 Newton meters at or that diesel oh yeah it has six hundred Newton meters and that little s3 may only have 380 Newton meters at all but it's lighter and it just went final challenge we have a bright test from 70 miles an hour when we hit the code for emergency stop this weighs 1.7 tons ls3 that weighs 1.5 tons and the a8 is almost two tons so I think he might lose well maybe this will because if it's older brakes let's find out here comes the cone come on s8 your old girl yeah I think that was just pure physics that was and age so hated all right actually very closely s3 this this poor old dear all the brakes all the driver as well so worst reactions probably I'd have to say that this car is probably lost all three challenges so this hero has been somewhat humbled want to see how much you can save on a new car well click on the deals box to the right to get a car wipe or click on the video windows below to watch another of my videosI'm in an old ad D - si next to me is an Audi s3 and next to that is an Audi a8 50 TDI now we can have a drag race so I've got a 4.2 liter v8 with 340 horsepower that s3 has a 2-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine with 310 horsepower and the a8 has a 3 liter v6 diesel with 286 horsepower it's gonna be interesting we've all got automatic gearboxes though only the s3 has launch control you're the - we're gonna hold them on the brain see what happens now before we do make sure you subscribe to this channel and hit the bell icon to turn your notifications on so you're alerted with me making the upload also check us out on instagram at car wired cars and my personal Instagram channel is at Matt Watson car so log on to that as well right let's do this old versus new can this old performance car beat a diesel and a hot hatch yes Oh No come on beat me bloomin dings on come on VA come on oh that Diesel's pulling the s3 is just smashed everyone that's the end of that all the breaks yes they are they're sort of this was such a fast car back in the day I remember seeing it in the film running it was just epic super quick and I suppose in 2001 this was fast but not no more not no more what so then what exactly happened well the Audi s3 did the stunning quarter-mile in thirteen point two seconds the a8 diesel took thirteen point six seconds and the old s8 took thirteen point nine seconds now we're gonna have a rolling race from 50 miles an hour in third gear all cars are locked in manual mode I'm gonna call it in three two one go well this picks up cooks it's not aspirated but the turbocharged car is now going come on beat the diesel I've got more revs in the diesel revving right out to 7,000 that's enough for that oh it's so close between me and you hate but that ace three just powers on through it is absolutely insane this I was 420 Newton meters at or that diesel oh yeah it has six hundred Newton meters and that little s3 may only have 380 Newton meters at all but it's lighter and it just went final challenge we have a bright test from 70 miles an hour when we hit the code for emergency stop this weighs 1.7 tons ls3 that weighs 1.5 tons and the a8 is almost two tons so I think he might lose well maybe this will because if it's older brakes let's find out here comes the cone come on s8 your old girl yeah I think that was just pure physics that was and age so hated all right actually very closely s3 this this poor old dear all the brakes all the driver as well so worst reactions probably I'd have to say that this car is probably lost all three challenges so this hero has been somewhat humbled want to see how much you can save on a new car well click on the deals box to the right to get a car wipe or click on the video windows below to watch another of my videos\n"