This months evo magazine has a review of the new S3 . They give the car 3and a half stars and claim that the car handles and goes reasonably well but its a little dull and unengaging to drive with little involvement . The price of 27k is also criticized.
Evo mag Review of the new S3
- Thread starter co55ie
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No shock there then from what we have all heard! I take it my copy of Evo uis giong to be sat on my doorstep when I get home then?
J.
J.
Mine's here now! Just read the article; it's actually fared better than I thought it would. John Barker reports "... wet or dry, straight-line traction is total", and "... it turns in keenly and corners hard and fast with hardly any roll".
There's just a drop of criticism at the end about the price as co55ie mentioned, and in particular how the same money buys you a 130i or for less an R32.
The article ends with "the S3 only feels special when pushed to its limits". EVO magazine is gospel in terms of performance car reviews, so in isolation it's done quite well. I reckon a group test with the 130i and R32 is imminent though.
Only real downside I can see is that in the same issue, the new TT 2.0T is tested and gets 4.5 stars - and that's with the 197bhp engine - but it costs just £24,265. Whoops ...
There's just a drop of criticism at the end about the price as co55ie mentioned, and in particular how the same money buys you a 130i or for less an R32.
The article ends with "the S3 only feels special when pushed to its limits". EVO magazine is gospel in terms of performance car reviews, so in isolation it's done quite well. I reckon a group test with the 130i and R32 is imminent though.
Only real downside I can see is that in the same issue, the new TT 2.0T is tested and gets 4.5 stars - and that's with the 197bhp engine - but it costs just £24,265. Whoops ...
27k is way OTT for the base spec car. you need to spend 30k plus to get a decent spec.
I think this car will end up getting heavily discounted in a year or so and Audi will introduce special edition models with a host of extras at no cost.
I think this car will end up getting heavily discounted in a year or so and Audi will introduce special edition models with a host of extras at no cost.
the car they have used is the dark grey colour and has the standard 5 spoke S line alloys.
There are interior shots of two cars one with bucket seats and flat bottom steering wheel and one car with normal Sline Steering wheels and seats (which are two tone leather)
It really does look very drab in the pics in my opinion just like any other A3
There are interior shots of two cars one with bucket seats and flat bottom steering wheel and one car with normal Sline Steering wheels and seats (which are two tone leather)
It really does look very drab in the pics in my opinion just like any other A3
dmaudi
Registered User
dammed snail mail, after seeing this I raced home to get stuck into the detail only to find just the normal junkmail no EVO 
I've been itching to read Evo's review of the S3, I do like to hold out for their thoughts in place of the rather too glowing first drives / reviews other mags tend to write and usually hold out for their "final" word,
I ended up with my current car after cancelling an order for a 130 to try to buy the R32 only to find a 15month waiting list for my spec,
I've been itching to read Evo's review of the S3, I do like to hold out for their thoughts in place of the rather too glowing first drives / reviews other mags tend to write and usually hold out for their "final" word,
I ended up with my current car after cancelling an order for a 130 to try to buy the R32 only to find a 15month waiting list for my spec,
stevec
Registered User
mark88 said:
Mark, You might like to know there are at least 3 press cars shown so far, TopGear had IN S 3014, and Autocar had IN S 3006, I have seen IN S 3005 as the black one available in some publicity photo's.
The two white S3's seem to have the steering wheel, bucket seats and sat nav as fitted options and reading both reviews is much more inspiring in confidence levels then the early web reviews.
I was in the dealer again on Saturday and they have had no news from Audi on the delivery of their demonstrator, they said they can let me have it for an extended drive as soon as it arrives but they have no date yet and it looks like it will be the middle of Movember now :-( boo...
I did get to sit in a new TT though, wow, its huge inside compared to the first one, I can easily site in it and with my 6'1" frame I still had over an inch of head room, its got no practicality though as the rear of the drivers seat had just 2 inches of gap between that and the rear bench - why do they bother with the rear seat anyway?
I am itching for the test drive as I am fairly sure I'm ordering the new S3 now...
...the ony problem is there does not seem to be one in sprint blue as a press car to judge the colour.
The S3 is supposed to be shown at the Paris motorshow on the 28th of this month. I'm hoping for some pictures of a sprint blue there (as the only other one I have seen taken by worldcarfans was shot by someone who must have been lying on the floor and the cars perspective looks completely wrong).
There hasn't been a shot of it in sprint blue yet, that you refer to was a photoshop (red->blue).
IF I get one I'll be getting sprint blue. Saw an A4 DTM on Sunday, Sprint Blue with black round the windows. Looked good. I'm not too keen on the chrome grille on the S3 though.
Considering the car itself is visually almost the same as the A3 I feel as though you really have to get Sprint Blue, just to let people know it's an S car :-/
IF I get one I'll be getting sprint blue. Saw an A4 DTM on Sunday, Sprint Blue with black round the windows. Looked good. I'm not too keen on the chrome grille on the S3 though.
Considering the car itself is visually almost the same as the A3 I feel as though you really have to get Sprint Blue, just to let people know it's an S car :-/
I saw a left hand drive silver one in Ingolstadt on Friday and it looked really tame - effectively the same as any other A3 but with a light grey diffuser at the bottom of the rear bumper. This one had the normal steering wheel too. In a line of other new A3s coming off the production line (all black, silver, blue or red), I was hard pushed to tell it apart from the others.
da3m said:dammed snail mail, after seeing this I raced home to get stuck into the detail only to find just the normal junkmail no EVO
Me too!
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stevec said:
Hi Steve,
I've been told November for the dealer demo car. No sign of any brochures yet. Perhaps Audi are reading this and have decided to include lots of extras (which should be standard) in the £27k asking price, I can live in hope.....
Regards, John.
stevec
Registered User
Wow! I now have quite a collection of magazine reviews...
I picked up the new Evo magazine today (that makes 3 reviews in a month) it seems evo like the handling but comment it is a little too clinical in their final analysis...
I am fairly sure that the price tag goes a long way to putting most of the reviewers off the car. i seem to remember a little yellow S3 some 9 years ago going up against a 911 in a review (as there were no uber hot hatches to compare it with when it was released), they were relatively unimpressed with the money at the time too...
I actually like the price tag, i mean if i didn't, I'd be buying a Skoda vRS right? There are still a very limited number of old S3's on the road and even though the new one doesn't stand out as much (which I don't mind) is still is an S3 and thet means all the other A3's owners are going to gawp as you welly it past them...
It is interesting that with each review in the UK the "turbo lag" mentioned in the early online reviews is now translated by evo into, "when the engine comes on boost the pace rises darn fast, the shove in the back being considerably more insistent than with the 197bhp version" (of the 2.0T Golf GTi engine that is)
I like this car, with the 2K seats and wheel added, just a little ****** off I have to wait until the middle of November to test drive it at the dealer.
Oh yes and a little note in evo made my heart quicken a bit as it is probably the only mod I have wanted to do to my current S3. We all know the current S3 is 95% Front 5% rear most of the time, well the new car (according to Evo) is now 40% Front 60% Rear! Yikes, finally looks like I might be able to go round roundabouts sideways without the deft pre corner flick of the wheel I have perfected (with the ESP on that is) wicked...!!
I am thinking about contacting Audi marketing to see if they will have a UK demonstrator for the press before the middle of November. If they do would anyone else be interested in a meet somewhere to try it (with a pre-tense to buy that is)?
I picked up the new Evo magazine today (that makes 3 reviews in a month) it seems evo like the handling but comment it is a little too clinical in their final analysis...
I am fairly sure that the price tag goes a long way to putting most of the reviewers off the car. i seem to remember a little yellow S3 some 9 years ago going up against a 911 in a review (as there were no uber hot hatches to compare it with when it was released), they were relatively unimpressed with the money at the time too...
I actually like the price tag, i mean if i didn't, I'd be buying a Skoda vRS right? There are still a very limited number of old S3's on the road and even though the new one doesn't stand out as much (which I don't mind) is still is an S3 and thet means all the other A3's owners are going to gawp as you welly it past them...
It is interesting that with each review in the UK the "turbo lag" mentioned in the early online reviews is now translated by evo into, "when the engine comes on boost the pace rises darn fast, the shove in the back being considerably more insistent than with the 197bhp version" (of the 2.0T Golf GTi engine that is)
I like this car, with the 2K seats and wheel added, just a little ****** off I have to wait until the middle of November to test drive it at the dealer.
Oh yes and a little note in evo made my heart quicken a bit as it is probably the only mod I have wanted to do to my current S3. We all know the current S3 is 95% Front 5% rear most of the time, well the new car (according to Evo) is now 40% Front 60% Rear! Yikes, finally looks like I might be able to go round roundabouts sideways without the deft pre corner flick of the wheel I have perfected (with the ESP on that is) wicked...!!
I am thinking about contacting Audi marketing to see if they will have a UK demonstrator for the press before the middle of November. If they do would anyone else be interested in a meet somewhere to try it (with a pre-tense to buy that is)?
They reviewed the TT 2.0T in the same issue and gave that 4.5 stars... Looking like a better value car to me
stevec
Registered User
I did not know about the haldex mod, but as I'm itching to sell my current S3 after 5 excellent years, i'll keep the £500 for the upgraded seats thanks!
I am not sure if the R32 is 60/40 that is why I posted the comment about the new S3...
I had a look at the R32 but it is just as expensive as the S3, nose heavy and I really don't like the look of the front of it, I do however like the look of the front of the GTi though...
The TT at the local dealers was lovely to sit in, and the review in Evo is great, but as those guys in the Top Gear review pointed out we have 180+ days with wet weather and that when AWD comes into its own...
I am fairly sure its going to be a sprint blue S3 with extras, I just want to get behind the wheel before I order it...
The feedback from you guys is encouraging as to the other choices, I had the same banter 5 years ago from this forum getting my current S3. I think I just can't do without AWD, build quality and practicality and the S3 seems to be on the mark again...
I am not sure if the R32 is 60/40 that is why I posted the comment about the new S3...
I had a look at the R32 but it is just as expensive as the S3, nose heavy and I really don't like the look of the front of it, I do however like the look of the front of the GTi though...
The TT at the local dealers was lovely to sit in, and the review in Evo is great, but as those guys in the Top Gear review pointed out we have 180+ days with wet weather and that when AWD comes into its own...
I am fairly sure its going to be a sprint blue S3 with extras, I just want to get behind the wheel before I order it...
The feedback from you guys is encouraging as to the other choices, I had the same banter 5 years ago from this forum getting my current S3. I think I just can't do without AWD, build quality and practicality and the S3 seems to be on the mark again...
The one thing i really liked about the R32 is it NA engine and that raspy exhaust note, feels like a proper race car. But if you want out and out speed at a very reasonable cost, why not go for a T-25 scooby (6month old) what they gonna cost?? 25K?? for what i remember over 330bhp 0-60 in 3.4 secs!
I would have thought tho SteveC the R32 is cheaper, i got quoted 27K with pretty much all the goodies! or 24.5k standard..
I would have thought tho SteveC the R32 is cheaper, i got quoted 27K with pretty much all the goodies! or 24.5k standard..
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stevec said:
If you chose sprint blue, it would certainly stand out. I also don't mind the stealth looks. I'm thinking of choosing silver again so the mirror covers blend in with the body colour and it doesn't stand out.
Regards, John.
dmaudi
Registered User
marriedblonde said:
totally, and it looks special (for now)
they also reviewed the 170bhp TD Golf 4 or 5 pages later, same score as the S3!!
does that mean they'd give the same EVO rating to the A3 170TDI as the S3,
Now come on, how can 3.5 stars be a good score for the S3?
