RE: Facelifted Audi RS3 Sportback revealed
Discussion
I've never understood why people who hate Audi always come into these threads and just spout the same nonsense as always.
Crap steering - doesn't feel too bad to me.
No manual - you wouldn't want it, the manual in the S3 is awful.
Looks boring - it's a 5 door hatch, not a pikes peak racer. Most people will use it as such.
Crap steering - doesn't feel too bad to me.
No manual - you wouldn't want it, the manual in the S3 is awful.
Looks boring - it's a 5 door hatch, not a pikes peak racer. Most people will use it as such.
I also feel this thread has been hijacked ...
Are the BMW's mentioned 4 WD ?
Are they compact estates (big enough for 5 and small enough for country lanes) ?
Are they Q cars ??
Are they really, faster and safer come the days you want to have fun ?
And the rest of the time, are they more comfortable or nicer places to be ?
Given the new discounts --- what residuals will they really have ? This will only be "good" if you were the one to get the 23% discount ---
And why do they have to discount them so much ???
If the Audi is more exclusive, who cares ?
You want seat of your pants track days and road scratching ? Buy a different car. But your family and other passengers will pay the price of this the rest of the time --- even if they may not complain !
Are the BMW's mentioned 4 WD ?
Are they compact estates (big enough for 5 and small enough for country lanes) ?
Are they Q cars ??
Are they really, faster and safer come the days you want to have fun ?
And the rest of the time, are they more comfortable or nicer places to be ?
Given the new discounts --- what residuals will they really have ? This will only be "good" if you were the one to get the 23% discount ---
And why do they have to discount them so much ???
If the Audi is more exclusive, who cares ?
You want seat of your pants track days and road scratching ? Buy a different car. But your family and other passengers will pay the price of this the rest of the time --- even if they may not complain !
Adz The Rat said:
I've never understood why people who hate Audi always come into these threads and just spout the same nonsense as always.
Crap steering - doesn't feel too bad to me.
No manual - you wouldn't want it, the manual in the S3 is awful.
Looks boring - it's a 5 door hatch, not a pikes peak racer. Most people will use it as such.
How so? Serious question.Crap steering - doesn't feel too bad to me.
No manual - you wouldn't want it, the manual in the S3 is awful.
Looks boring - it's a 5 door hatch, not a pikes peak racer. Most people will use it as such.
tumble dryer said:
How so? Serious question.
Given that it should be the same as in the Leon Cupra, here is my assessment. Very long clutch pedal stroke, long gearshift strokes. Pedal also has a delay valve. Otherwise good just very mainstream and not sporty. Solved with a Burger motorsport clutch stop for less dead stroke before the engagement point, and a short shift kit that reduces forward/aft gear selector stroke with 15% (more made it inaccurate/notchy). Feels enjoyable now, first car I have had where I deemed such changes necessary. I left the delay valve, I adjust my timing to it instead,no need to be too rushed either. Onehp said:
tumble dryer said:
How so? Serious question.
Given that it should be the same as in the Leon Cupra, here is my assessment. Very long clutch pedal stroke, long gearshift strokes. Pedal also has a delay valve. Otherwise good just very mainstream and not sporty. Solved with a Burger motorsport clutch stop for less dead stroke before the engagement point, and a short shift kit that reduces forward/aft gear selector stroke with 15% (more made it inaccurate/notchy). Feels enjoyable now, first car I have had where I deemed such changes necessary. I left the delay valve, I adjust my timing to it instead,no need to be too rushed either. 
h to get smooth but once rolling it seems ok. I had an 8p before the 8v and the similarities (apart from over being assisted) are, eh, similar. Now the steering - there I have to take issue; it’s completely devoid of feel. On the 8P you could at least feel the slide coming on and given balls (and space!) you could modulate direction and play a bit – certainly so on a track.
I have absolutely no idea at what point mine loses grip, or what happens next. I don’t know if I can play with it once grip has gone – it’s beyond my abilities on the road (we’re talking lunatic speeds with zero feedback) and I haven’t tracked it yet.
If I’m being honest it’s the one part of the car that disappoints. Most of my driving is on dual carriageways and sweeping A roads where it sits well, but on twisty B’s, the combination of lifeless steering feedback and the purgatorially slow-witted suspension set-up leaves me screaming in exasperation at times.
For me, it’s a car that has been ruined by the lack of a hydraulic steering system and an extra few hundred quid spent on sorting the suspension out. But that’s Audi for you; unless (unlikely) they take notice, I won’t buy another.
fur53y said:
I currently have an 8V RS3 and previously owned both an e90 M3 and a 1M. All of the cars are amazing and very different. I loved the 1M but it was very uncompromising for a daily. The M3 was thin on torque but fun on revs and noise! The RS3 sounds better than both, is a nice quality "object" and place to be day to day. It's also faster than both in the real world if less visceral (and therefore tiring). Variety is the spice of life!
Begone current owners what can you possibly tell us that we don't already know from reading!TX.
tumble dryer said:
Now the steering - there I have to take issue; it’s completely devoid of feel.
I can't compare because I never considered the Audi. There wasn't a straight comparison, but with similar equipment levels and the added 4wd, a S3 saloon was almost 20k (!) more here than my Cupra ST which is a roomier estate (I need space, too). And while the Cupra isn't the lastest in visceral feedback, I feel I can push it comfortably beyond its grip limit* in the dry, wet or snow/ice, enough feedback for that. If your assessment of the S3 would hold for me, I'm very very pleased I never considered it. And if the RS3 is similar... Since it seems ok to slag the car on topic and recommend another
, well if you must have 4wd, the Cupra ST can now have it - but no manual though. - at the same time, far removed from the limits in road space and visibility, *never* touch two or more limits simultaneously in public space.
Edited by Onehp on Monday 13th February 01:49
ChrisW. said:
I also feel this thread has been hijacked ...
Are they compact estates (big enough for 5 and small enough for country lanes) ?
1-series rear seat is indeed much more cramped. That combined with, subjective opinion, the facelift being so ugly that at least I couldn't get myself to consider owning one without massive discounts where I live... Are they compact estates (big enough for 5 and small enough for country lanes) ?
But the 1-series is a hatch with a boot that is larger than the RS3, 360l vs 280l according to carbuyer. That feels wrong, should be the other way round...
Another fast but potentially boring German super hatch, but, I'll stick with the real thing, a 911.Being fast and grippy is only a small part of what makes a car great (IMO of course), and once you've blown off a few sports cars on the roads, due to your massive turbos, you are quickly looking for something else to make your car truly engaging. Turning every performance envelope up to 11, doesn't make a great car.If raw speed, or bragging numbers are your thing, then this new RS3 will hit your spot. If, however, steering feel, great turn in, pinpoint handling, and a feeling of overall greatness are your thing, then you may need to look outside the raft of German fast hatch. I DO like the fact that it still has the 5 cylinder engine, that may be its redeeming feature. If you do come belting past me in my 911, then I'll be happy for you, as I'll be having a much nicer time.
grumpynuts said:
great turn in
grumpynuts said:
911
Quite subjective this, but not many will say that a non-GT 911 has great turn-in.That is the one thing that makes me love the mid-engine Porsche and dislike the 911, for I find the turn-in very vague.
I love everything else about a 996C4S though! A future classic.
I love German cars and hot-hatches but this all just a bit meh now for me. It's just a numbers game and it gets to a point where it's just a bit daft IMO.
I really don't like these in hatch form funnily enough and the saloon version just looks so much better in my eyes. I'd personally just be happy with a Golf R.
I really don't like these in hatch form funnily enough and the saloon version just looks so much better in my eyes. I'd personally just be happy with a Golf R.
culpz said:
I'd personally just be happy with a Golf R.
Nah, you wouldn'tIf you are one of these 'i want my ass on the floor, individual vertebra shaken lose and have to fight the car into a straight line everytime i go get milk' you will hate it.
if however you want an easy life you still wouldn't want the R (i am an easy life kinda guy, and had an R..) - you'd want the R with more torque and a bit more HP.
oooh, like the RS3
PixelpeepS3 said:
life is compromises - RS3 means you can have your cake and eat it rather than having your cake and then dying because you're not quite the driving god you thought you was and failed to spot that wet bit of tarmac as you hit the throttle and ended up being a stain on a 300 year old oak tree.
PixelpeepS3 said:
If you are one of these 'i want my ass on the floor, individual vertebra shaken lose and have to fight the car into a straight line everytime i go get milk' you will hate it.
if however you want an easy life you still wouldn't want the R (i am an easy life kinda guy, and had an R..) - you'd want the R with more torque and a bit more HP.
oooh, like the RS3
A bit of a theme emerging here - do you reckon there is nothing between a 4wd hatch and a widow maker ?if however you want an easy life you still wouldn't want the R (i am an easy life kinda guy, and had an R..) - you'd want the R with more torque and a bit more HP.
oooh, like the RS3
What's a driving god btw ? I have asked about 12 times this year so far and still no reply.
PixelpeepS3 said:
Nah, you wouldn't
I would because i'm not keen on the S3, as i stated above. I like it in saloon form, but then that's not a hatch-back is it.Tbh, a GTI would do me. I had one on order in fact but it was just at the wrong time, unfortunately.
Edited by culpz on Monday 13th February 13:16
Edited by culpz on Monday 13th February 14:04
ChrisW. said:
I also feel this thread has been hijacked ...
Are the BMW's mentioned 4 WD ?
Are they compact estates (big enough for 5 and small enough for country lanes) ?
Are they Q cars ??
Are they really, faster and safer come the days you want to have fun ?
And the rest of the time, are they more comfortable or nicer places to be ?
Given the new discounts --- what residuals will they really have ? This will only be "good" if you were the one to get the 23% discount ---
And why do they have to discount them so much ???
If the Audi is more exclusive, who cares ?
You want seat of your pants track days and road scratching ? Buy a different car. But your family and other passengers will pay the price of this the rest of the time --- even if they may not complain !
I think the point being thats its becoming even harder to reconcile spending £40,000-£50,000 on a hyperhatch like an RS3 or an A45 when a M140i can be bought for little over half that.Are the BMW's mentioned 4 WD ?
Are they compact estates (big enough for 5 and small enough for country lanes) ?
Are they Q cars ??
Are they really, faster and safer come the days you want to have fun ?
And the rest of the time, are they more comfortable or nicer places to be ?
Given the new discounts --- what residuals will they really have ? This will only be "good" if you were the one to get the 23% discount ---
And why do they have to discount them so much ???
If the Audi is more exclusive, who cares ?
You want seat of your pants track days and road scratching ? Buy a different car. But your family and other passengers will pay the price of this the rest of the time --- even if they may not complain !
If you want an RS3 or an A45 and are happy to pay for one, then grand, but it IS a valid point.
And likewise the M140i seems to be bucking the residuals trend - big discounts available AND decent residuals.
Oddball RS said:
I'd like to see the 'rolling start' evidence to back up what is quite a claim there, and if you exclude the M2 I'm sure the others are no quicker on a rainy night or a greasy roundabout either...... (Not)
search Joe Achilles on Youtube and watch the M2 vs M140i video.. the new B58 lump in the 1/240i has more torque and actually pulls on the M2.My last car was a 300+ bhp 4wd audi, and can honestly say they are very quick in the wet, and a great all weather tool. For example our M4 could never keep up in the wet. But they are also lifeless and boring at all other times, and frankly I don't feel the need to race in crap conditions!
Edited by j8bbk on Monday 13th February 14:46
Onehp said:
1-series rear seat is indeed much more cramped. That combined with, subjective opinion, the facelift being so ugly that at least I couldn't get myself to consider owning one without massive discounts where I live...
But the 1-series is a hatch with a boot that is larger than the RS3, 360l vs 280l according to carbuyer. That feels wrong, should be the other way round...
I found the boot on the M135i a fair bit more accommodating than the boot of my Golf R so I have no doubt that those figures are correct. In fact, I always said that I wished they had taken an inch or 2 of boot space from the 1 series and given it to rear leg room as the rear passenger space was a particular pain in the arse (quite literally). My kids were 4 and 2 years old when i had that car and even at that age both kids could kick the backs of the front seats and my son could even kick the front armrest. The car felt horribly cramped with all 4 of us in it for any journey over 1 hour.But the 1-series is a hatch with a boot that is larger than the RS3, 360l vs 280l according to carbuyer. That feels wrong, should be the other way round...
I will also say that while the boot on the Golf R was smaller it did offer enough space for 2 large suitcases and a couple of other bags. It's a good square load space but it lacks the depth that I now have in my 5dr Cupra boot.
AMGJocky said:
Yipper said:
A goodlooking car with a decent interior and one of the best engine notes of all time. But the 40-50k price is ridic. You can get a faster GT-R or cooler Aston Vantage for that kinda money.
Both with crippling running costs above the RS3. Silly comparisonIf it had to be the RS3 it would be had on the same basis. I totally get why those who love them get them though.
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