S3 vs R32

Con S3

Con S3

C7 Audi RS6 PE
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I bought my S3 before christmas. Was wondering what other peoples opinions were........S3 or R32 with dsg gearing???? My bro has the latter and for some reason seems to feel quicker even though on paper it aint.
 
Tried both before settling on the S3 as I felt it offered both more perfomance and more agile handling.

I sometimes think the S3 disguises its speed very well, partly due to its linear power and torque delivery when the turbo is on boost. It is possible that the peakier nature of the R32's delivery may create the impression of it being faster, particularly if as Mitch suggested you are judging it from the passenger seat.
 
Never driven a R32 ,but it will be a high revver coz it's N/A? maybe the V6 soundtrack helps also will give the illusion of speed?

The S3 is smooth for a turbo tho!

p
 
Fair point lad, he was actually driving his and i was in the passenger seat. He has driven mine and he claims that mine is noticeably faster however i have yet to drive his. Looking forward to it though, dsg is pretty awesome however i think i would miss the involvement of driving the manual.
 
mitch78 said:
Were you driving yours and your brother driving his?

Reason I ask is that every car feels quicker from the passenger seat. You're obviously holding onto the steering wheel if you're driving, and that extra stability makes it feel like you're not going as fast as you are.
Click to expand...

Agreed, I can rag the ****** off my car and it feels very fast but when I'm in the passenger seat its something else! I'm totally stunned by the ridiculous speed and my stomach goes all weird!
 
My last but one car was a MKVR32 DSG, makes a great noise, better steering feel, awful on fuel, and definately slower than my S3. The .:R seems to run out of puff in the higher rev's, oh and £400 a year to tax from next year!!!

As someone has already said, cars always seem faster from the passenger seat
 
Oli.H said:
My last but one car was a MKVR32 DSG, makes a great noise, better steering feel, awful on fuel, and definately slower than my S3. The .:R seems to run out of puff in the higher rev's, oh and £400 a year to tax from next year!!!

As someone has already said, cars always seem faster from the passenger seat
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Ive heard they don't handle as well as the S3? not as nimble?

p
 
They are not as nimble as they are heavier at the front end, but I found better feedback through the steering with the R32, than the S3, but still not as good as the MKV GTI(my previous car to the R32) - This has to be the best handling front wheel drive car out there - I just couldnt face anothe FWD car again - too much scrabbling, mind you it was mapped to 250BHP+.

I find that the S3's steering is a bit vague, especially when the wheel is at centre, for 10-15 degrees each way - does that make sense? Anyone else feel this?
 
As much as i love the dsg gear box, apparently Audi has toyed with the idea of putting it in the S3 but they wanted to keep the weight down and so the manual was the better choice!! I def believe the S3 is the more nimble of the two - doesnt have the big heavy V6 at the front as someone already mentioned and the heavy dsg gear box too (having said that, the noise is sweet outa the V6).

Im starting to think the R32 and the VW Golf in general is looking a bit dated (knowing that the design is generally older than the 2007 A3 anyway). Maybe im just being biased though hahaa.

..........Christ i love the S3 hahaa
 
R32 and S3 very similar pace...

S3 better in terms of handling without being brilliant but weight distribution is better than R32. Fast gearchanges on DSG but still not enough to beat an S3 on track...

Both very nice cars to drive, in real world driving pretty much the same... in the R32 engine noise more pleasing. Fuel comsumption is a direct proportion of right foot pressure... this applies for both. The S3 on boost "evaporates" a tank really quickly. Mine is averaging 22mpg over 10k miles...

Pedro
 
Just talking about the noise of the R32's V6, i understand the S3 is a different beast altogether but im fairly disappointed by the noise it makes and would consider modifying the exhaust to try and get a bit more of a growl out've it - although my knowledge of exhaust mods if fairly limited.

Having said this i dont want to stick on an exhaust you'll find hanging outa the **** of an Impreza or something equally as grotesque!!

Anyone got any ideas@?
 
I'd say the S3 is a fair bit faster than the R32, the R has a lot more low down grunt but the S3 will zoom off once the boost comes in.

And the passenger seat comment is also true, cars will always feel faster when you're in the passenger seat.
 
audi upgrades
It's a bit beyond me why people even compare these two cars, yes they're the flagship models of their respective ranges but thats it. The Audi S3 is a class above in every department. Surely if you're comparing apples for apples it's the R32 vs. the A3 3.2 V6 quattro?
 
mitch78 said:
But isn't that like comparing these?
1) a nicely waxed and polished Golden Delicious in a Tesco's bag
2) a nicely waxed and polished Golden Delicious in a Sainsbury's bag

Pretty much identical products in slightly different packaging.

You said it yourself, they are the flagship sports oriented cars in each case. OK they are different in terms of V6 vs Blown 4 pot, but I know I considered the R32 before getting the S3. Engine capacity and layout weren't really important to me, it was what they were like to drive.
Click to expand...

Hmm, i don't really follow so we'll leave the apple analogy alone lol....
Put it like this, i parked my A3 s-line next to an R32 the other day and i'm sorry to any big R32 fans but it looks very boy racer with the exhaust in the middle of the bumper, chrome trim on the grill etc. All very in your face and for me attracts the opposite sort of attention to what i want. The interior also looked cheaper than my A3. But i expected that. Lets be honest it's a cheaper made car, you're comparing a car made in Germany to a car made in South America.
Don't get me wrong it's a lovely car if thats what you're looking for but i just think an S3 kills the R32 in every category unless....1. You want a naturally aspirated engine and 2. You're not a big fan of subtlety.
The original R32 had a real presence about it and just seemed more special than the new one. It's all gone a bit bling for me! I'm sure it's a great car to drive though, just the packaging i'm not keen on.

Paul.
 
Well for me it's S3 all the way. Johannesburg is 1,753 M (5,751.3 FT) above sea level so the NA engines suffer bad. I fly past the few R32's i see and i hear that the stock golf gti's are faster than the stock R32's thanks to the turbo.Altitude loves turbos
 
When i was shopping for my car , my first plan was a car for around 13k so the 8L S3, and MKiV R32 were the two contenders , but when i decided to go for it and i could afford a 8P S3 the MK V R 32 never even go t a test drive LOL

Theres only 2k saving on a MKVR32 and heated leather doesn't come as std?

For me the choice was easy....you must really love the Golf and the V6 to choose it over a 8P S3.

EDIT If you need 5 doors and want DSG well thats a no brainer.

Still a cracking car tho!

You pays your money you take your choice!

p
 
For me the V6 was never a contender either in Golf or A3 form...

The contenders were TT, BMW Z4 Coupe and Porsche Boxster...I know... nothing to do with S3 but S3 was love at first sight and drive...

Pedro
 
I wish my S3 had a DSG box, Im crap at changing gear when pushing on.
 
Not to mention the tuneability of that 20T FSI......try and get 40+bhp from a V6 with just a remap !

I had the brilliant MKV Gti 200PS (REVOd of course) and when it came to change it was either the 8P S3 ,which I have now,or a specced up ED30, and the R32 just didnt feature.
Im a big big VW/Golf fan and enjoyed previous VR6 ownership, but have never been able to get excited about the MK5 R32.
Shame.:racer:
 
I loved the Mk4 R32, but somehow the Mk5 just didn't come close. Looked a bit Jetta'ish from the front with the chromey grille, and then the back is trying to be boy racer. It's like it's had 2 different designers for the front and the rear.

Other than the steering (which is too light for me in the S3), the 8P S3 is an agile car compared to the front end heavy Golf. Yes the V6 sounds masterful against the S3, but you pay where it counts as you have to drag a heavier from end into corners.

The journo reviews were all over the place when comparing S3(8P) to Mk5 R32. Clarkson loves the R32, but doesn't rate the S3. Autocar love the S3, but not the R32. Auto Express and Car magazine would take the R32 over the S3 everytime. If you listened to half of these mags you could never make up your mind. Most of them whine about the price of the S3, but its not much more than a R32 when all said and done. You'd never price them the same as the S3 has the branding bragging rights.

If the R32 is similar in performance to an A3 3.2V6 then I can say with confidence it is slower.
 
Con S3 said:
Just talking about the noise of the R32's V6, i understand the S3 is a different beast altogether but im fairly disappointed by the noise it makes and would consider modifying the exhaust to try and get a bit more of a growl out've it - although my knowledge of exhaust mods if fairly limited.

Having said this i dont want to stick on an exhaust you'll find hanging outa the **** of an Impreza or something equally as grotesque!!

Anyone got any ideas@?
Click to expand...

Anybody any thoughts on this???
 
with twin jet pipe tails, non resonated.

Nice sound and won't make you look like a nonce
 
richardn said:
How does audi feel about it on a car still under warrenty?
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they love it. It gives them the chance to say they won't do any warranty work as you've changed the car for non standard parts!

To be fair some dealers take an intelligent approach to modding and say that if you change your exhaust and it directly affects something then you have to cover it yourself, but if your wipers stopped working they wouldn't use the exhaust as a way out.
 
Some of the buttholes I deal with would! (not car related).

Sorry, having a bad day..
 
richardn said:
How does audi feel about it on a car still under warrenty?
Click to expand...

Won't make any difference unless it can be proved to directly affect a fault on the car.

On my MKV GTI, I had a full supersprint stainless exhaust on it, and a re-map, and had a coil fail, and it was replaced no problem. On my MKV R32 the DSG box failed, and that was replaced no problem - at a cost of £6000+, even though I had a Milltek on it!!!

Good luck
 
I had a Dual mass flywheel and clutch changed on my Golf and that had REVO Phase1.

VW had no idea.
 
dont see why people bother with r32s, a3 3.2 v6 fraction of cost and much nicer imo (not that im bias haha). S3 is def quicker though than my a3 3.2 v6. I assume the mkV r32 is on a pegging to mine being same chassis and engine.
 
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