Convertible advice please: BMW 430i or Audi S3?

[Nickdenning]

Hi guys.

I'm looking to change my 67 plate Golf Gti dsg for a 4 seat drop top. Can't decide whether to get Audi S3 or BMW 430i M Sport. (The car must have auto and adaptive cruise control. Which I can't find on a BMW 2 series. Hence not choosing this more comparable model)

Which is better to drive in your opinion? Which has the better handling. How bad is the ride on standard sport suspension? Thanks in advance. Nick

[SiT]

An interesting thread, I have always been a fan of the S3 cab. I think it suits its proportions and by keeping the weight down with a canvas roof you still get to benefit from great performance.

The S3 sounds quite nice with pops/farts on shifts and overrun and that’s only amplified by having no roof. Audi Super Sports Seats are lovely too although you to choose between having them and missing out on Airscarf neck warmers or stock seats with Airscarf! You have the benefit of Quattro too so your able to deploy the power all year round.

Trader friend of mine bought one in and used it for a week or so and was very complementary of it, said as an all rounder it ticked all the boxes. Roof up it was white and refined, roof down and in sport it was good fun.

The BMW is nice but haven’t quite got my head around the looks and in non M4 guise think it’s quite a lardy proposition. Also currently owning an F31 I have been disappointed with the low rent plastics used inside, I am not sure the Audi would feel as cheap.

Keep us posted on what you decide.

Si

[stevemcs]

430i everytime, its slightly bigger, has a steel roof and the gearbox is far better. BMW's also have a much better driving position and are more comfortable.

[DiscoSINGH]

If you considering a 430i might as well as go the whole hog and get the 440i - running costs won't be much more than the 430i

Best off getting a 440i with the mppsk fitted - increases bhp from 326 to 360.

[Nickdenning]

Hi guys. Thanks for the replies. Good to hear your thoughts. I've heard good things about the bmw gearbox too. Although I do like the idea of quattro.

[Roboticarm]

Mate had the S3, back seats essentially useless, gearbox always felt a bit slower than it should.
Made some good noises though
I'd go BMW

[stevemcs]

Nickdenning said:

Hi guys. Thanks for the replies. Good to hear your thoughts. I've heard good things about the bmw gearbox too. Although I do like the idea of quattro.

Its not a true Quattro though, its fwd until it decides it needs all 4 wheels being driven.

[ZX10R NIN]

Rear seat space in the Audi is very tight I'd be going for the 430i if you like your kids.

[Nickdenning]

Thanks for all the comment. So I bought the S3 today. No kids for me so only occasional need for rear seats. I think the BMW would have also been a good choice but in the end I decided the S3 was a bit different and also it was 1 mile away from where I live!

[Nickdenning]

Thanks for all the comment. So I bought the S3 today. No kids for me so only occasional need for rear seats. I think the BMW would have also been a good choice but in the end I decided the S3 was a bit different and also it was 1 mile away from where I live!

[SiT]

Good work! Please post up some pics and also what your first impressions are of the car - I really like then especially in Sepang Blue, there are a few around with nice spec at good money at the moment and with this weather it’s very tempting!

Si

[Nickdenning]

Hi Si. Thanks for the message. Yes my S3 is in Sepang Blue. I love that colour too. Grey nappa and grey/metal alloys. A good combination I think.

So my first impressions are that the car is not as sharp as my Golf Gti (which I'm selling soon bye for anyone interested). To be fair I didn't expect it to be. All that extra weight and quattro hardware.

I've been quite pleased with the ride. It's not as bad as I was expecting. I think I must have adaptive dampers (magnetic ride?). Can def tell the difference between modes, plus I have an auto setting on the drive profiles.

Something curious is that it's quite slow off the line. Initially. I'm sure it has the same 6 speed wet clutch DSG as my Gti. But 1st gear is much slower to engage. More like a conventional torque converter with that elastic band feeling. The Golf moves forward immediately.

The head level heating is nice to have. I'm not sure how the system is in BMW and Merc but to really feel it you need your head near the headrest.

The noise it makes is great! Def louder than my Gti.

My last 4 cars have had Android auto. This one doesn't have it which is a shame. I'm looking at getting it fitted. There are a few solutions out there which keep the mmi set up and just add CP/AA. Will post in the audio forum about it.

The B&O speakers are good. But if course an open top car is never going to be as good in the audio dept when the roof is down.

The wind deflector in the back seats is really effective. Much less buffeting at speed. A bit worried someone might steal it and cut the roof to get it out. But that's the standard worry with a cloth top.

So that's it so far. Feel free to ask any questions guys. I'm really happy with it, even if these impressions seem to be negative! Nothing beats the fun of top down motoring. Will upload some pics now.

[Nickdenning]

[SiT]

The BEST colour; looks a lovely rear end!!! Your initial impressions sounds good although surprised to hear it doesn’t feel as eager as your GTi?

Thanks for Your thoughts on the AirScarf neck warmers, I was really on the fence about choosing them over the Super Sport seats but I think if it relies on you having your head firmly pushed back against the headrest then maybe Super Sports might be the way to go.

Think you should setup a Readers Cars thread, never seen one on an S3 cab and think it would make for a good read to document your ownership along with some more pics.

Do you have any plans with it??

Si

[Baldchap]

Had a new 430i cabriolet as a hire car in Spain and it was OK. The biggest issue is that I was expecting some degree of performance, which simply wasn't there.

[ZX10R NIN]

Glad you got sorted OP the car looks nice.

[PSRG]

Bit late obviously, but isn’t the M240 the S3 competitor, not a 4 series? Having said that, I do like the S3 and that’s a great colour

[Nickdenning]

SiT said:

The BEST colour; looks a lovely rear end!!! Your initial impressions sounds good although surprised to hear it doesn’t feel as eager as your GTi?

Thanks for Your thoughts on the AirScarf neck warmers, I was really on the fence about choosing them over the Super Sport seats but I think if it relies on you having your head firmly pushed back against the headrest then maybe Super Sports might be the way to go.

Think you should setup a Readers Cars thread, never seen one on an S3 cab and think it would make for a good read to document your ownership along with some more pics.

Do you have any plans with it??
Si

Hi Si. I really like the super sports seats especially in black with red stitching.

I'd say test a car with the air scarf before you go for the sports seats. The S3 def has more wind buffeting than the mk3 mx5 I owned. I think that's normal for a 4 seat convertible. So you might be happy for all the additional warmth you can get!

Good idea setting up an S3 Cab owners group. I'm newish to these forums so I'll look into it.

Plans for the S3 are modest. I want to install Android Auto. And a rear view camera. Although I am also curious to delve into the settings with VCDS - just to fine tune some stuff.

Nick

[Nickdenning]

SiT said:

The BEST colour; looks a lovely rear end!!! Your initial impressions sounds good although surprised to hear it doesn’t feel as eager as your GTi?

Thanks for Your thoughts on the AirScarf neck warmers, I was really on the fence about choosing them over the Super Sport seats but I think if it relies on you having your head firmly pushed back against the headrest then maybe Super Sports might be the way to go.

Think you should setup a Readers Cars thread, never seen one on an S3 cab and think it would make for a good read to document your ownership along with some more pics.

Do you have any plans with it??

Si

Forgot to respond to your other question. Yes it does feel slower off the line than the Gti. It's that first gear. It seems tuned for smoothness rather than being fast away from the lights. But once your moving it really accelerates hard. And makes a great exhaust noise!

[Nickdenning]

Baldchap said:

Had a new 430i cabriolet as a hire car in Spain and it was OK. The biggest issue is that I was expecting some degree of performance, which simply wasn't there.

That's interesting, thanks for the response. I dont know the weights of the cars but I'd assume the S3 is quite a bit lighter being a compact cab and having cloth roof. Plus it has about 50 bhp extra. Doesn't mean it's any better in the bends of course, but certainly it's quicker through the gears.