Audi S3 or Renault Megane 250?

[tyranical]

Thoughts and reasons why?

Preferably from owners or people from experience not from people who think all VAG cars are boring and all French cars are rattly pieces of st that fall apart, oh and no I don't want an MX-5 or a remapped 330d.

Both similar in terms of power/performance/options/2nd hand price, S3 is 4wd (well, quattro with FWD bias) and Megane is FWD but many have an LSD fitted which apparantly makes a massive difference

I am currently leaning towards the megane however I am concerned about depreciation on one and also the ability for so much power to be put down through the front wheels in anything but dry weather.


Cheers.

[300bhp/ton]

tyranical said:

Thoughts and reasons why?

Preferably from owners or people from experience not from people who think all VAG cars are boring and all French cars are rattly pieces of st that fall apart, oh and no I don't want an MX-5 or a remapped 330d.

Both similar in terms of power/performance/options/2nd hand price, S3 is 4wd (well, quattro with FWD bias) and Megane is FWD but many have an LSD fitted which apparantly makes a massive difference

I am currently leaning towards the megane however I am concerned about depreciation on one and also the ability for so much power to be put down through the front wheels in anything but dry weather.


Cheers.

Go drive both and see what you like.

My perception however is the Renault is actually good to drive and fast while the Audi is only fast.

[kambites]

Try them both - they may look similar on paper but they are completely different to drive.

[tyranical]

I intend to this weekend but always like to get peoples views on them aswell.

I am also wondering about the build quality of the renault which I know has moved on alot from the days of everything rattling to pieces but cabin rattles are a pet hate of mine (my MINI has one which results in me smacking the dashboard alot to stop it)

[CYMR0]

I have a Megane with considerably fewer horses but it doesn't rattle whatsoever after just over 2 years and 22k. It does have an airbag light that comes on after about 40 min of driving(sometimes), but that's it. The 250s don't depreciate as much as the rest of the range, either, so it could be quite a sensible proposition if image isn't a big deal to you.

[kambites]

They're about as different to drive as two hot hatches can get - the S3 feels very stable, solid, unflappable,... and rather dull. The Meganne feels much lighter and more nimble but also much flimsier.

Haven't owned either to comment on their reliability but my experience of modern VAGs has not been particularly good.

[ant leigh]

Not driven an S3 but have an S4 and own the Megane (265 anyway)
Audi was competent and as others have said, steady and a bit dull
Megane was WOW (so I bought it)

If you are looking for something that is light, fast and you can throw around through the corners take the Megane but make sure you get a Cup or a Sport with a Cup chassis and the LSD.

No squeeks so far but the suspension is firm, so I am expecting some to develop eventually.

[Spoof]

I've not driven the Megane, but having seen them on track and speaking to owners, it's where I'd put my money.

Having just come from an RS3, they're quick, well built and safe, but pretty dull and uninspiring to live with.

[Little Dave]

Audi is better build quality but dull to drive. The Megane is a bit flimsy but great to drive. Don't worry about the Meg not handling power, mine is now over 300bhp/350ft lb and there is practically no torque steer. I have had the Megane for 16 months now and the only time it has been a bit of a pain was when I was experimenting with different maps.

[tyranical]

When you say it is a bit flimsy Dave, in what sense? Build Quality? I really really hate annoying rattles they drive me mad.

[Dave Hedgehog]

the S3 will be the nicer car to live with day to day the megane nicer to go out and balls to the floor hoon in

don't drive the S3 like a FWD car, drive it like a scooby, when you get the hang of it it will go sideways everywhere (i put 5k miles on one earlier this year)

the vag blown 4 pot is pretty souless thou, and the one i had very little grunt below 4k rpm (2011 car with 4k miles on it)

[Laplace]

What do you want from the car?

The S3 is more like a GT packaged into the hatch form than anything else. It's a nice place to be on the commute and goes well in a straight line but on a weekend run on some b roads it feels heavy in the corners, sterile and offers little feedback.

It's not a hot hatch imo. Don't get me wrong, I like mine, but it was bought as a commuter for the OH during the week and I wanted something with a bit of poke about it if I was to drive it at the weekends.

[PistonSmegs]

If it were my money, it would be the megane everytime.

[300bhp/ton]

Dave Hedgehog said:

don't drive the S3 like a FWD car, drive it like a scooby, when you get the hang of it it will go sideways everywhere (i put 5k miles on one earlier this year)

The physical limitations of the Haldex vs a viscous centre diff would make this impossible.

[Little Dave]

tyranical said:

When you say it is a bit flimsy Dave, in what sense? Build Quality? I really really hate annoying rattles they drive me mad.

You can see the bonnet begin to "flex" at speeds over 130mph not really an issue in this country but noticeable on the Autobahns. It also does have the odd squeak here and there which I haven't tried to sort but am pretty sure it is something simple. The plastics used on the dash are adequate but nothing special.

Having said that I still love this car and find it has a lot more character than my old 996 Turbo.

[kambites]

300bhp/ton said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

don't drive the S3 like a FWD car, drive it like a scooby, when you get the hang of it it will go sideways everywhere (i put 5k miles on one earlier this year)

The physical limitations of the Haldex vs a viscous centre diff would make this impossible.

I don't think it's a physical limitation; more a programming one. You certainly don't hear Lamborghini and Bugatti owners complaining about its inability to transfer power to the required axle on demand (although of those in that case the "default" driven wheels are the rears).

[roystinho]

Depends on what you want, a quick car for cruising or a quick car for going round corners. Sure the Audi is still competent on a B road, but it wouldn't be anywhere near the megane in pace, handling and fun stakes (as long as it has the cup chassis). The way the 250/265 goes round bends beggars belief sometimes

[300bhp/ton]

kambites said:

300bhp/ton said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

don't drive the S3 like a FWD car, drive it like a scooby, when you get the hang of it it will go sideways everywhere (i put 5k miles on one earlier this year)

The physical limitations of the Haldex vs a viscous centre diff would make this impossible.

I don't think it's a physical limitation; more a programming one. You certainly don't hear Lamborghini and Bugatti owners complaining about its inability to transfer power to the required axle on demand (although of those in that case the "default" driven wheels are the rears).

I was meaning more to the fact that a) it won't send power to the rear wheels until the fronts slip and b) that it can only muster up 'x' %, making the handling bias far more FWD.

The viscous units in an Impreza or Escort Cosworth transfer power quite differently.

Not saying the Haldex isn't good or capable but it's not the same as a conventional AWD system.

Edited by 300bhp/ton on Friday 16th November 17:26

[kambites]

300bhp/ton said:

I was meaning more to the fact that a) it won't send power to the rear wheels until the fronts slip and b) that it can only muster up 'x' %, making the handling bias far more FWD.

Both are software limitations though, as far as I know. I think the mechanical system is perfectly capable of sending as much power to each axle as required, Audi just don't program it that way. It's never going to manage the torque vectoring stuff that an Evo does, but I'm sure a "remap" could turn it into a capable rear-biased 4wd system.

[300bhp/ton]

kambites said:

300bhp/ton said:

I was meaning more to the fact that a) it won't send power to the rear wheels until the fronts slip and b) that it can only muster up 'x' %, making the handling bias far more FWD.

Both are software limitations though, as far as I know. I think the mechanical system is perfectly capable of sending as much power to each axle as required, Audi just don't program it that way.

I've read differently, but happy to be proven wrong. I know you can alter the settings, but I don't think they can manage 100% to the rear only and I wonder if a Haldex is robust enough to cope for long term use if you change the distribution.