S line Quattro

Quattro makes a huge difference when cornering, gives you a new confidence when doing so but it must also be used with respect. Over confidence can be dangerous, so it might provide a false sense of security.

My answer to your question would be for you to test drive both units and decide for yourself.

S

Everything I have read says quattro is the best, handling power down etc etc. I have just bought an S-Line quattro, came from a MK4 Golf too and it;s like night and day, way better in all kinds of wahys I hadn't even thought of. You are right they can be hard to find but the search is worth it I can confirm, watch out for accident damaged ones, I came across a couple, think it;s donw to that too much confidence thing. Good luck with the search.

I got the 170 Quattro mapped to 220 - awesome piece ov kit no matter what the weather or road ya driving.....
Previously Mk4 tdi 130, Audi is miles better handling

We have 2 A3's in the household 1 with and 1 without. The Quattro feels far more balanced, but also gives you more confidence. It isn't about hooning it about town like an idiot (although you can do that if you wish), it's about pulling away on wet roads covered in leaves, having more grip in the recent snow and ice and even being the only car to get out of a churned up temporary carpark in afield under my own steam after some idiot in a Focus got stuck in the entrance (thought he was Clarkson, tried to power his way out and turned it into a mudbath). Granted I had to reverse out but everyone else, including a Nissan 4x4 was towed out.

There's all sorts of reasons to have it. For me Quattro is the only reason to have an A3. I'd much rather have a Golf than a 2 wheel drive A3 (not something people on an Audi forum would want to hear I guess).

Mind you, you say you are coming from a mk4 Golf. The standard mk4 was a barge. Any A3 will handle better than that. I went from a MK4 to a MK5 that had sports suspension and the change was unbelievable.