RE: Audi S3: Driven
Discussion
okie592 said:
Strange how people criticise the s3 for being bland and then rave about how amazing the s4 and s6 are because they can trouble 911s whilst looking like a tdi
We all want a hot hatch to be abit mad and crazy though don't we ? Isnt the whole point of a hot hatch to be a bit of a yoof and outlandish ? The sleeper tendencies of an s4 and s6 are awesome , but the baby models of the range s3 etc should be abit of an upstart IMO.
JDMDrifter said:
okie592 said:
Strange how people criticise the s3 for being bland and then rave about how amazing the s4 and s6 are because they can trouble 911s whilst looking like a tdi
We all want a hot hatch to be abit mad and crazy though don't we ? Isnt the whole point of a hot hatch to be a bit of a yoof and outlandish ? The sleeper tendencies of an s4 and s6 are awesome , but the baby models of the range s3 etc should be abit of an upstart IMO.
SuperchargedVR6 said:
y2blade said:
In before the usual PH anti-Audi bile 
I like the look of these.
Edit to add: shame it's Haldex AWD, not Torsen.
What's your objection to Haldex?I like the look of these.
Edit to add: shame it's Haldex AWD, not Torsen.
Edited by y2blade on Monday 15th April 12:09
VAG won't go to the trouble of torsen on their smaller cars.
They may well have improved the way the Haldex works (as they are supposed to have done generation after generation with little success) but I think it's inherently flawed as it always seems too slow to react. Practical when you just need traction but frustrating if you want some flow in the way the car drives. Just based on my experience so far of course, not having driven this one.
Here in the States, Audi's "problem" is that their cars are problems. I have spoken with a number of owners, from A4 to A8L over the past decade, and every one stated that his or her car has been in the dealer's shops for non-scheduled repairs, often taking weeks. I wish this weren't the case, as this S3, unavailable here, sounds like the perfect German "Q-ship;" quick and competent, and calls no attention to it at all. One can make pretty rapid progress in such a thing long as one isn't trying to do it in heavy enforcement areas. It seems as if Audi is doing their damndest to emulate BMW and Benz in adding styling filigree to justify higher prices, with no attendant functional benefit on the road. Does anyone really need another LED-laden face, giant ugly grille, and aero aids that do nothing at normal or even elevated road speeds?
David1976 said:
Another boring fast Audi.
Gone are the days that customers seem to favour handling and driver involvement over power/grip and pace.
Still, I am sure many will buy them and boast of their incredible straight line performance benchmarks...
The article said it didn't feel as fast as it actually is. That's quite a common thing with 'fast' VAGs, such as S3s, R32s, S4s etc.Gone are the days that customers seem to favour handling and driver involvement over power/grip and pace.
Still, I am sure many will buy them and boast of their incredible straight line performance benchmarks...
Could it be they've just managed to harness power and make it usable? Boring is subjective. I agree that the exterior is samey but being able to deploy 300hp with no drama isn't what I'd call boring personally. I don't know where the fascination for power sliding around every bend has come from. Too many Tokyo drift movies? Too many Harris youtube clips? Or something....?
nickfrog said:
SuperchargedVR6 said:
y2blade said:
In before the usual PH anti-Audi bile
I like the look of these.
Edit to add: shame it's Haldex AWD, not Torsen.
What's your objection to Haldex?I like the look of these.
Edit to add: shame it's Haldex AWD, not Torsen.
Edited by y2blade on Monday 15th April 12:09
VAG won't go to the trouble of torsen on their smaller cars.
They may well have improved the way the Haldex works (as they are supposed to have done generation after generation with little success) but I think it's inherently flawed as it always seems too slow to react. Practical when you just need traction but frustrating if you want some flow in the way the car drives. Just based on my experience so far of course, not having driven this one.
I think this car is now on Haldex generation 4 or 5.
Haldex generation 1 was slow to react, I agree. The Haldex ECU needed to see 1/4 front wheel revolution of slip before it engaged the rear diff.
You can get all manner of legitimate Haldex controllers in the aftermarket though. The most basic 'blue' controller pre-empts slip and engages the rear diff quicker. This makes a massive difference.
For people wanting more, there is the Haldex competition controller, which leaves the rear diff engaged under braking as well.
And for the hardcore people, you can get a controller that leaves the rear diff on permanently. Full time 50/50.
So Haldex itself isn't really an issue, but rather the software VAG chose to use. Fit a torsen ATB diff at each end with one of the more aggressive controllers and you'll have quite an A to B weapon there.
Edited by SuperchargedVR6 on Monday 15th April 15:36
aaaaawaaaaawh! *yawn* oh wow what a boring car, in fact if you actually Google "world's most boring car" this car actually comes up in the images, no word of a lie!
I understand that they've gone for a subtle sleeper look but by god this is just a boring car to look at. It looks no sportier than the bottom of the range A3 except for the baffling 4 exhaust pipes?! two conflicting ideologies. I can only assume they've done this so they can add 2 huge pipes on the RS3, like the rest of the RS range.
I'm sure it’s fast and I’m sure it'll probably sell loads to the badge snobs of the world. But not for myself, it strikes me as a soulless car.
Ryan
I understand that they've gone for a subtle sleeper look but by god this is just a boring car to look at. It looks no sportier than the bottom of the range A3 except for the baffling 4 exhaust pipes?! two conflicting ideologies. I can only assume they've done this so they can add 2 huge pipes on the RS3, like the rest of the RS range.
I'm sure it’s fast and I’m sure it'll probably sell loads to the badge snobs of the world. But not for myself, it strikes me as a soulless car.
Ryan
Edited by rlc18 on Monday 15th April 15:49
I had an 8P S3 for 5 years.
On the plus side, it was amazingly fast in any conditions, and very cheap to run for the performance it offered, but it really was the most boring car to drive.
I really cant describe what made it boring, because I dont think it was any single thing, but it was definately a very dull drive.
Just to try and set the record straight about the haldex 4wd though, I thought this was an exceptionally good system, it very rarely felt like a front wheel drive car. And never failed to find traction in whatever conditions I found myself in. In principle I'd have no qualms in having a haldex equipped car again.
On the plus side, it was amazingly fast in any conditions, and very cheap to run for the performance it offered, but it really was the most boring car to drive.
I really cant describe what made it boring, because I dont think it was any single thing, but it was definately a very dull drive.
Just to try and set the record straight about the haldex 4wd though, I thought this was an exceptionally good system, it very rarely felt like a front wheel drive car. And never failed to find traction in whatever conditions I found myself in. In principle I'd have no qualms in having a haldex equipped car again.
Went in one of these the other day (as a passenger unfortunately).
The best thing I can say about it is that it is very fast (relatively speaking). Seems to pull in every gear and the 0-60 quoted is accurate.
However despite this it's a touch dull. It's not particularly comfortable, the ride is firm and yet it felt 'wallowy' when pushed hard in the twisties, with more body roll than I was expecting.
It's also very, very austere. There's no humour, no touches of brilliance that make you feel in love with a car.
There's no single reason why it felt so dull-but-worthy, just a feeling that increased the more I was in it. It felt like every detail had been overseen by a Teutonic accountant who only has cold showers and eats his toast with the thinnest scraping of butter.
All in all, incredibly competent. A car that many it seems will be very happy with. However not for me. I found it depressingly earnest, and without a single drop of passion or humour.
The best thing I can say about it is that it is very fast (relatively speaking). Seems to pull in every gear and the 0-60 quoted is accurate.
However despite this it's a touch dull. It's not particularly comfortable, the ride is firm and yet it felt 'wallowy' when pushed hard in the twisties, with more body roll than I was expecting.
It's also very, very austere. There's no humour, no touches of brilliance that make you feel in love with a car.
There's no single reason why it felt so dull-but-worthy, just a feeling that increased the more I was in it. It felt like every detail had been overseen by a Teutonic accountant who only has cold showers and eats his toast with the thinnest scraping of butter.
All in all, incredibly competent. A car that many it seems will be very happy with. However not for me. I found it depressingly earnest, and without a single drop of passion or humour.
JDMDrifter said:
okie592 said:
Strange how people criticise the s3 for being bland and then rave about how amazing the s4 and s6 are because they can trouble 911s whilst looking like a tdi
We all want a hot hatch to be abit mad and crazy though don't we ? Isnt the whole point of a hot hatch to be a bit of a yoof and outlandish ? The sleeper tendencies of an s4 and s6 are awesome , but the baby models of the range s3 etc should be abit of an upstart IMO.
What are these unwritten rules that determine whether a car is a interesting or not? Help me understand.
Alfa gave us the 147 GTA, VW the Corrado VR6, Vauxhall the Astra turbos et al. All interesting, outlandish and crazy cars for sure but all were universally panned for being understeering pigs and unable to deploy their power effectively. So where do you draw the line? Car makers can't win it seems. Or are people being too demanding and cynical?
Audi give us 300hp that can be used all year round, but it's boring, apparently. Alfa gave us 250hp that could only be [partially] used (even in the dry) but that's a hero car. I remember the Audi S2 with considerably less than 300hp and that was a lairy, wallowy machine, but people love them. Is it flaws that make cars 'interesting'?
Personally I think Audis are perceived to be boring because of their corporate branding diluting all the cooking models and they are too good at isolating occupants from schitty road surfaces. That isn't such a bad thing when you've had years of communicative cars that are awful on broken surfaces.
Just my 2p
SuperchargedVR6 said:
y2blade said:
In before the usual PH anti-Audi bile
I like the look of these.
Edit to add: shame it's Haldex AWD, not Torsen.
What's your objection to Haldex?I like the look of these.
Edit to add: shame it's Haldex AWD, not Torsen.
Edited by y2blade on Monday 15th April 12:09
VAG won't go to the trouble of torsen on their smaller cars.
Hate this idea of piping better sounds into the cab, but quite like the look of the thing overall.
I'm sorry, I got to the bit about the sports seats and then fell asleep. Yes, it's a nicely built, slightly dull, strangely familiar looking pokey little hatch back. I'm sure in the article there are the following:
numb steering
harsh ride (unless you get the smaller wheels)
holy sihtballs interior quality
improved fuel economy.
But nobody mentions the fake aluminium wing mirror caps these days. Sadly.
numb steering
harsh ride (unless you get the smaller wheels)
holy sihtballs interior quality
improved fuel economy.
But nobody mentions the fake aluminium wing mirror caps these days. Sadly.
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