RE: Audi RS3: Driven

[Nickbrapp]

The Audi A3 saloon just looks oh so right from every angle like it's the perfect size.

[PunterCam]

"Right team, RS3 eh? What's the plan?"

"We don't know yet, marketing hasn't sent us down the spec sheet - probably about 10% more power, because it's always 10%, and some expensive seats"

[leshkin]

I love the look and spec of new RS3 and it sounds like Audi are starting to come round to the idea of making more involving cars. I doubt that this will be as nice to drive as my modified '09 S3, but can see myself buying one of these on the second-hand market in a couple of years

[stuart-b]

Wider wheels on the front than back?.
Good grief... No.

[Loyly]

stuart-b said:

Wider wheels on the front than back?.
Good grief... No.

I'd stay with the standard sizing option because of how incorrect it sounds, having wider tyres on the front!

[dvs_dave]

Loyly said:

stuart-b said:

Wider wheels on the front than back?.
Good grief... No.

I'd stay with the standard sizing option because of how incorrect it sounds, having wider tyres on the front!

From an engineering perspective it's actually the right thing to do. The front tyres have much more to do than the rears. More weight, cornering, braking and torque forces going through them than the rears.

[Onehp]

If you have any interest in the dynamic behaviour of the car, tick that wider front tyre box indeed!

Edited by Onehp on Friday 17th March 10:24

[Dave Hedgehog]

Loyly said:

stuart-b said:

Wider wheels on the front than back?.
Good grief... No.

I'd stay with the standard sizing option because of how incorrect it sounds, having wider tyres on the front!

it works thou, the wider tyres do improve turn in and general control under high power situations

of course if you drive an A45 with the front diff option you realise how compramised the audi's are for turn in etc.

[hammo19]

£50k for an A3? That's insane.

You can get 2 x 2004 Bentley Continental GTs for that money - now that's a lot of horsepower! Still most of these will be on tick or company cars.

Colours are stolen from Skoda - sorry shared in the group!

[Matt Bird]

jl4069 said:

It's like piston heads and Evo were at an entirely different event. Evo says the RS3 reaches "new heights" positively loves the car...

http://www.evo.co.uk/audi/rs3/19070/2017-audi-rs3-...

Hello!

I thought this might come up. Put really simply I didn't get to drive the car on the same route as Dan did, which sounds like it was a lot more fun! He managed to drive the car on some quite slippery second-gear hairpins (see his Twitter for the video) which revealed another side to its character. Having only felt slight suggestions of that on my test drive, I wasn't willing to commit to an opinion on it. Maybe a damp and dank UK day will reveal it too.

Put it this way: if your only experience of a person is their strait-laced and reasonable work demeanour, you will have one opinion of them. If you only experience them as a bit of a giggle on a night out you will have another. I think that's what has happened here. Certainly I would be very surprised if the RS3 felt decidedly rear-driven in the UK but we shall see! As I said, I think the RS3 is a good car but still isn't the most engaging.

Cheers!


Matt

[Furyblade_Lee]

What a shame those extended wheel arches are round not square...

[jl4069]

Matt Bird said:

jl4069 said:

It's like piston heads and Evo were at an entirely different event. Evo says the RS3 reaches "new heights" positively loves the car...

http://www.evo.co.uk/audi/rs3/19070/2017-audi-rs3-...

Hello!

I thought this might come up. Put really simply I didn't get to drive the car on the same route as Dan did, which sounds like it was a lot more fun! He managed to drive the car on some quite slippery second-gear hairpins (see his Twitter for the video) which revealed another side to its character. Having only felt slight suggestions of that on my test drive, I wasn't willing to commit to an opinion on it. Maybe a damp and dank UK day will reveal it too.

Put it this way: if your only experience of a person is their strait-laced and reasonable work demeanour, you will have one opinion of them. If you only experience them as a bit of a giggle on a night out you will have another. I think that's what has happened here. Certainly I would be very surprised if the RS3 felt decidedly rear-driven in the UK but we shall see! As I said, I think the RS3 is a good car but still isn't the most engaging.

Cheers!


Matt

Matt thanks for the smart reply. Glad to hear the context! I am under the impression that Audi have modified the Haldex a bit more than on other VW variants. If this is true maybe this is what Dan experienced and bodes welll for this car. Maybe it's half way to Focus RS levels of adjustability and beyond the simple skills of a Golf R? Maybe also it's weight distribution is more favorable than the TTRS. That would be the hope. If this is a fun and adjustable four wheel drive Audi it may mark a new day for the genre. Of course there is also the Focus RS which seems to be somewhere around this remit as well; though the more I read about he Focus the more I am convinced it is somehow a uneven and not fully realized piece of engineering. J

Edited by jl4069 on Friday 17th March 09:57

[culpz]

That colour is gorgeous. Unfortunately, it will be on the individual pallet and probably cost about 3 grand.

I do like these in the saloon guise and that 5-pot noise makes a nice change from the usual 4-bangers.

They're just an awful lot of money but, saying that, i don't expect any less from a premium German brand.

[AMGJocky]

hammo19 said:

£50k for an A3? That's insane.

You can get 2 x 2004 Bentley Continental GTs for that money - now that's a lot of horsepower! Still most of these will be on tick or company cars.

Colours are stolen from Skoda - sorry shared in the group!

Am I really reading this? Someone comparing an RS3 to two Conti GT's that have the capacity to financially cripple at levels an RS3 couldn't even dream of.

Oh. Deary. Me.

[Nors]

AMGJocky said:

Am I really reading this? Someone comparing an RS3 to two Conti GT's that have the capacity to financially cripple at levels an RS3 couldn't even dream of.

Oh. Deary. Me.

Yup, despite there being thousands of comments on people doing this, they continue!!

Of course, your sum up is correct and why would anyone want 2 Bentley's when one alone that's 13 years old would probably mug your bank account if it went wrong. One of the most bizarre comparisons I've seen yet!

At least you get 3 years warranty with the new car.

[Dave Hedgehog]

Nors said:

Yup, despite there being thousands of comments on people doing this, they continue!!

Of course, your sum up is correct and why would anyone want 2 Bentley's when one alone that's 13 years old would probably mug your bank account if it went wrong. One of the most bizarre comparisons I've seen yet!

At least you get 3 years warranty with the new car.

its worth ticking the 5 year warranty option if you plan to keep it, but it is also handy when you sell them

[Nors]

Dave Hedgehog said:

Nors said:

Yup, despite there being thousands of comments on people doing this, they continue!!

Of course, your sum up is correct and why would anyone want 2 Bentley's when one alone that's 13 years old would probably mug your bank account if it went wrong. One of the most bizarre comparisons I've seen yet!

At least you get 3 years warranty with the new car.

its worth ticking the 5 year warranty option if you plan to keep it, but it is also handy when you sell them

Are the extended warranty's transferable Dave?

[TomScrut]

Nors said:

AMGJocky said:

Am I really reading this? Someone comparing an RS3 to two Conti GT's that have the capacity to financially cripple at levels an RS3 couldn't even dream of.

Oh. Deary. Me.

Yup, despite there being thousands of comments on people doing this, they continue!!

Of course, your sum up is correct and why would anyone want 2 Bentley's when one alone that's 13 years old would probably mug your bank account if it went wrong. One of the most bizarre comparisons I've seen yet!

At least you get 3 years warranty with the new car.

Exactly! The reason why a lot of these cars that were very expensive when new are so "cheap" now is because people can't (or don't want to) afford to run them or mend them. I'm not sure many people think "I'm torn between a new Golf/Focus/Astra etc. and a 13 year old Bentley". If you live in a city and use a car as a weekend car and your livelihood doesn't depend on having to use your car to get to work then it may make sense, but not being able to get to work because of a broken car that is costing thousands to fix isn't a situation people like to be in.

A fairer comparison would be "for £x more you could get a pre registered M3", "for £x less you could get a CLA45" or "spend loads less, get a Focus RS/Golf R and if you need the extra hp get it chipped"

[MrBarry123]

TomScrut said:

I'm not sure many people think "I'm torn between a new Golf/Focus/Astra etc. and a 13 year old Bentley".

Quite. It does however nicely summarise the mindsets of the some of the stranger members on here.

[Kenny Powers]

Saloon. Green.

That'll do for getting me to work and back.