RE: Facelifted Audi RS3 Sportback revealed

[PixelpeepS3]

nickfrog said:

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 ?

What's a driving god btw ? I have asked about 12 times this year so far and still no reply.

i don't really understand the first question but a driving god, imo, is someones perception of themselves being able to handle any situation with ease hence not needing any automated features (TC/ABS/airbags/4wd) etc.

Not sure how many driving gods have bought high powered RWD cars such as TVR's etc and ended up with a harsh lesson.

[j8bbk]

Drove a TTS when ordering my M240i, Mrs also drives a 2.0tfsi TT.

If your hoping for an engaging drive, especially on the limit I personally wasn't at all impressed by the TT-S. I know its always said, but it is essentially a VAG hatchback platform, great for quick progress but no real 'fun'.

I would go M2/4 as they much better set-up. TT-S also don't seem to holding money that well, was offered a decent spec with 1200 miles for £32k.. list late 40's!

TerryCTR said:

I owned an M135i and then moved to an M235i (TRL deal) and I can assure you even with the cracking deal that when the time comes to sell it's far from LIMITED DEPRECIATION.

The M235i was much better handling wise and adaptive helps for sure but when pushing on at 8/10ths the car still becomes unsettled and you can't take full advantage of the power. RWD is manageable for sure but with the U.K. Climate quite often you are having to watch how much welly you give it.

I do miss the car and the noise from the 6cyl but I'm waiting to take delivery of a Mk TTS which reviews as having better on the limit handling....we shall see. If this doesn't work out I could be tempted by an M4

Edited by j8bbk on Monday 13th February 14:36

[nickfrog]

PixelpeepS3 said:

nickfrog said:

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 ?

What's a driving god btw ? I have asked about 12 times this year so far and still no reply.

i don't really understand the first question but a driving god, imo, is someones perception of themselves being able to handle any situation with ease hence not needing any automated features (TC/ABS/airbags/4wd) etc.

Not sure how many driving gods have bought high powered RWD cars such as TVR's etc and ended up with a harsh lesson.

I think you've answered the first question, even if that was by "accident" ! ;-)

[j8bbk]

Dave Hedgehog said:

just goes to show how people look for different things, i found the 135i and 235i whilst well setup utterly dull and devoid of any enjoyment to drive, they are playstation cars, the mk1 RS3 was savage and visceral, let down by the poorly setup front end

Playstation cars?! If anything their set-up is fairly simple (Note Audi's virtual cockpit gimmick) and much less bling. I don't know about you but I find oversteer a lot more fun than understeer. Granted the poor-weather grip simply isn't up to the power they are trying to put down.

[j8bbk]

Adz The Rat said:

It just felt a massive letdown, I enjoy a good manual box but it just felt vague and not very direct. The S-Tronic just blows it out of the water for me.

I have an S1 and the manual box in that feels so much different.

I had an S1 and gotta say the manual was far from great, especially from 1st to 2nd... weak point of an otherwise great car. Pretty sure they are made of chocolate.. most people go through multiple clutches once remapped. Should have offered the S-Tronic.

[PixelpeepS3]

j8bbk said:

Adz The Rat said:

It just felt a massive letdown, I enjoy a good manual box but it just felt vague and not very direct. The S-Tronic just blows it out of the water for me.

I have an S1 and the manual box in that feels so much different.

I had an S1 and gotta say the manual was far from great, especially from 1st to 2nd... weak point of an otherwise great car. Pretty sure they are made of chocolate.. most people go through multiple clutches once remapped. Should have offered the S-Tronic.

JBS have apparently got their little S1 to 500 odd BHP without too much work. would imagine that's a hoot!

[nunpuncher]

j8bbk said:

Playstation cars?! If anything their set-up is fairly simple (Note Audi's virtual cockpit gimmick) and much less bling. I don't know about you but I find oversteer a lot more fun than understeer. Granted the poor-weather grip simply isn't up to the power they are trying to put down.

I'm pretty sure he means the engine mapping, steering and chassis rather than in car tech.

The f20s are fairly understeery as standard as I figure BMW prefer to err on the side of caution. The average driver doesn't know what the term means let alone how to react to it so I guess they set the cars up so that it has to be actively provoked into oversteer. This is also why it's so laughable that some people seem to think any RWD car will spit you off the road at the slightest forecast of rain.

Although a brilliant engine, the n55 delivers peak torque very low and power tops out before 6k so it can feel a bit like there's no surge, especially when coupled up to the (again very good) ZF8 gearbox. Add a dollop of dead steering and a big squishy steering wheel and i totally get what is meant by "playstation cars"

No idea what an RS3 is like but i'd be amazed if it's much different. Most things seem to be like the above these days.

Edited by nunpuncher on Monday 13th February 16:58

[HighwayStar]

j8bbk said:

Drove a TTS when ordering my M240i, Mrs also drives a 2.0tfsi TT.

If your hoping for an engaging drive, especially on the limit I personally wasn't at all impressed by the TT-S. I know its always said, but it is essentially a VAG hatchback platform, great for quick progress but no real 'fun'.

I would go M2/4 as they much better set-up. TT-S also don't seem to holding money that well, was offered a decent spec with 1200 miles for £32k.. list late 40's!

TerryCTR said:

I owned an M135i and then moved to an M235i (TRL deal) and I can assure you even with the cracking deal that when the time comes to sell it's far from LIMITED DEPRECIATION.

The M235i was much better handling wise and adaptive helps for sure but when pushing on at 8/10ths the car still becomes unsettled and you can't take full advantage of the power. RWD is manageable for sure but with the U.K. Climate quite often you are having to watch how much welly you give it.

I do miss the car and the noise from the 6cyl but I'm waiting to take delivery of a Mk TTS which reviews as having better on the limit handling....we shall see. If this doesn't work out I could be tempted by an M4

Edited by j8bbk on Monday 13th February 14:36

I'd agree with that... I had a MK2 TTS... It was fast, loads of grip but clinical. I never felt part of it... Very detached. MK3 TTS, even faster but for all the tech they'd put in it and put in front the driver I felt even more detached. I could see where the money went but I couldn't feel anything for it. I went another way, RWD, in all likelihood slower but much more of an event, involving and fun. I've even managed to keep it out of the ditches and hedges by not falling off the road in the bends in the rain. Easily

[nickfrog]

HighwayStar said:

I went another way, RWD, in all likelihood slower but much more of an event, involving and fun. I've even managed to keep it out of the ditches and hedges by not falling off the road in the bends in the rain. Easily

You sound like a right driving god.

[GTEYE]

nickfrog said:

HighwayStar said:

I went another way, RWD, in all likelihood slower but much more of an event, involving and fun. I've even managed to keep it out of the ditches and hedges by not falling off the road in the bends in the rain. Easily

You sound like a right driving god.

Maybe its just me but FWD, RWD or 4WD.....when the weather is cold and dark, the roads are damp, slippery and greasy etc etc, I drive that little bit slower than I might do on a warm summer's evening.

Just me?

Sometimes I'd not be that keen on seeing some PH members coming the other way.

[HighwayStar]

GTEYE said:

nickfrog said:

HighwayStar said:

I went another way, RWD, in all likelihood slower but much more of an event, involving and fun. I've even managed to keep it out of the ditches and hedges by not falling off the road in the bends in the rain. Easily

You sound like a right driving god.

Maybe its just me but FWD, RWD or 4WD.....when the weather is cold and dark, the roads are damp, slippery and greasy etc etc, I drive that little bit slower than I might do on a warm summer's evening.

Just me?

Sometimes I'd not be that keen on seeing some PH members coming the other way.

Nickfrog... I'm certainly not. Far from it. My rerference to easily keeping it out the ditch on a wet bend was a nod to some of the 4WDers who seem to think RWD is useless, literally falling of the road in those conditions.

I simply subscribe to the GTEYE approach, drive to the conditions of the moment.

Edited by HighwayStar on Monday 13th February 18:33

[nickfrog]

Sorry guys - I forgot the smiley - I actually think that a RWD is more predictable than a 4wd car as at least you know which axle is going to lose traction !

[Ahbefive]

nickfrog said:

Sorry guys - I forgot the smiley - I actually think that a RWD is more predictable than a 4wd car as at least you know which axle is going to lose traction !

Totally depends on the car. Just which wheels are driven does not tell the whole story. My impreza is probably about as predictable a car as you can possibly get.

[nickfrog]

Ahbefive said:

nickfrog said:

Sorry guys - I forgot the smiley - I actually think that a RWD is more predictable than a 4wd car as at least you know which axle is going to lose traction !

Totally depends on the car. Just which wheels are driven does not tell the whole story. My impreza is probably about as predictable a car as you can possibly get.

Well, IME FWD cars tend to lose traction at the front and RWD tend to lose traction at the rear - A 4WD car ? It could be either, by definition, and that could change within the same corner. Mainly because they are 4WD.

[S3_Graham]

aspirated said:

QuattroDave said:

There's a huge f'ing difference between an exhaust that's been whacked on by a back street tyre & exhaust place and one that's been specifically designed by the oem manufacturer, that's what I'm trying to explain to you but are unwilling or unable to grasp.

Can you name which exhausts you have heard? Either way a bag of bolts the M'lites do not sound.

I do understand the difference between a custom exhaust and a manufacturer designed one. However what I'm referring to as 'bag of bolts' is the unnecessary crap popping and banging that the Performance and other exhausts do in an attempt to keep up with the latest trend, e.g;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntxaYIh4YvA - this video at 37 sec



Can't hold a candle to the RS3 w/Sports Exhaust or Dynamic Pack, especially with a secondary de-cat, my initial point

Whilst I completely agree and dislike the pops every bloody time I come off the throttle. Almost every car this segment has it now. I'd put money on the fact the RS3 will do it also. Bag of bolts is a little harsh I think.

For what it's worth I have an M140, for me in my situation I chose it because it's not perfect. Having to work at it to get the best out of it is the appeal. Pointing it down the road and stamping on the throttle and relying on 4x4 is no fun.

Fear not, the next 1 series will probably be a 4cyl 4wd :-(

[Terminator X]

S3_Graham said:

Whilst I completely agree and dislike the pops every bloody time I come off the throttle. Almost every car this segment has it now. I'd put money on the fact the RS3 will do it also. Bag of bolts is a little harsh I think.

For what it's worth I have an M140, for me in my situation I chose it because it's not perfect. Having to work at it to get the best out of it is the appeal. Pointing it down the road and stamping on the throttle and relying on 4x4 is no fun.

Fear not, the next 1 series will probably be a 4cyl 4wd :-(

I let a M140 / 140i out at a junction today and tbf it sounded great as it flew away!

TX.

[QuattroDave]

Terminator X said:

S3_Graham said:

Whilst I completely agree and dislike the pops every bloody time I come off the throttle. Almost every car this segment has it now. I'd put money on the fact the RS3 will do it also. Bag of bolts is a little harsh I think.

For what it's worth I have an M140, for me in my situation I chose it because it's not perfect. Having to work at it to get the best out of it is the appeal. Pointing it down the road and stamping on the throttle and relying on 4x4 is no fun.

Fear not, the next 1 series will probably be a 4cyl 4wd :-(

I let a M140 / 140i out at a junction today and tbf it sounded great as it flew away!

TX.

It's the cars way of saying thanks
Heard a new S3 give it beans today, sounded flat right up to gearchange when it popped/farted.

[RBH58]

Great engine on a compromised platform. It will never be a truly great car when it's based on the platform of a FWD family hatchback. Haldex is a compromise system. Yes, in this configuration it's a clever and cheap engineering solution to convert a FWD transaxle to AWD and be able to deal wih big power outputs, but it has serious limitations too. For the same reason, the TT will never be a Boxster/Cayman rival. Not saying the S3/RS3/TT are bad cars, but they are always going to fall short of being great cars.

[j8bbk]

PixelpeepS3 said:

JBS have apparently got their little S1 to 500 odd BHP without too much work. would imagine that's a hoot!

They are great fun on the twisties, wish the RS3 was set-up to be as playful in the twisties.

[j8bbk]

Interesting, I find my 240i with the new B58 very rev keen compared to the earlier N55 M135i we had, saying that peak torque figure is even lower. I know what you mean about understeer in comfort mode, but with the car in Sport Plus I find the very sharp throttle makes it very easy to provoke the rear when needed.

I think all road cars are set-up this way for safety, even our F430 spider was the same. Amazing how the comfort-sport-sport plus modes control the rear, if in comfort mode you can floor it out a wet roundabout and it just reels back the power, amazingly idiot proof.

I found the RS3 apart form the epic noise even more numb. It's saving grace is it's amazing engine and gearbox.

nunpuncher said:

I'm pretty sure he means the engine mapping, steering and chassis rather than in car tech.

The f20s are fairly understeery as standard as I figure BMW prefer to err on the side of caution. The average driver doesn't know what the term means let alone how to react to it so I guess they set the cars up so that it has to be actively provoked into oversteer. This is also why it's so laughable that some people seem to think any RWD car will spit you off the road at the slightest forecast of rain.

Although a brilliant engine, the n55 delivers peak torque very low and power tops out before 6k so it can feel a bit like there's no surge, especially when coupled up to the (again very good) ZF8 gearbox. Add a dollop of dead steering and a big squishy steering wheel and i totally get what is meant by "playstation cars"

No idea what an RS3 is like but i'd be amazed if it's much different. Most things seem to be like the above these days.

Edited by nunpuncher on Monday 13th February 16:58