2013 Audi S3

Audi S3 vs BMW M135i vs Mercedes A45 - YouTube

S3 vs A45 AMG vs M135i

Just thought I'd point out that the S3 leads the way almost all the way to 230kph (142mph).

Now that's what I'm talking about!

Great find Paul!!

I have been watching loads of S3 vids on youtube in the past few days to keep me going, great to see that kind if performance from the 8V given the higher figures of the other two.
 
Nice video Paul,

Also a bit surprising, I thought the AMG would have just had the edge on the S3
 
Hi Guys! :)

First post here, and I would like to share these pics I found of two lovely Sportbacks in what seems to be Panther Black:











Enjoy! :)
 
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Can't say the panther black does it for me on the S3.
As some have commented, the S3 is a VERY discreet looking sport hatch as it is, but in black it is almost stealth-like !
In the above pics, the red inserts on the seats also look wrong and stick out like a sore thumb.
IMO its not a shape which suits black - it does hide the cars lines a lot in the pictures above.

It also need LED lights to 'jazz up' the front lights too.

or, maybe I am just anti-black now as it has been a total pain to look after on my TTS.
Very demoralising to spend hours cleaning the car just to have a rain shower leave loads of water marks on the car - and thats without even driving it and it just being parked.
Once you do drive, then it almost immediately gets mucky whatever the weather.
Great clean - but that lasts little or no time.

Best S3 colours for me are estoril blue, misano red and ibis white - these colours all look fantastic when combined with black styling pack, privacy glass and pano roof - possibly even black roof bars on the Sportback.
 
Hi Guys! :)

First post here, and I would like to share these pics I found of two lovely Sportbacks in what seems to be Panther Black:











Enjoy! :)

The second car is definitely phantom. I remember locating the original post a while ago.

The first picture is pretty poor lighting so you can really see much of the fleck. Not sure that's even panther to be fair.
 
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View more images on Audi S3 - a set on Flickr





Superb pictures of 3 of the best features of the S3 imo ....

LED lights - a must !
Super sports seats - stunning !
Pano roof - just looks so good in & out
 
Can't say the panther black does it for me on the S3.
As some have commented, the S3 is a VERY discreet looking sport hatch as it is, but in black it is almost stealth-like !
In the above pics, the red inserts on the seats also look wrong and stick out like a sore thumb.
IMO its not a shape which suits black - it does hide the cars lines a lot in the pictures above.

It also need LED lights to 'jazz up' the front lights too.

or, maybe I am just anti-black now as it has been a total pain to look after on my TTS.
Very demoralising to spend hours cleaning the car just to have a rain shower leave loads of water marks on the car - and thats without even driving it and it just being parked.
Once you do drive, then it almost immediately gets mucky whatever the weather.
Great clean - but that lasts little or no time.

Best S3 colours for me are estoril blue, misano red and ibis white - these colours all look fantastic when combined with black styling pack, privacy glass and pano roof - possibly even black roof bars on the Sportback.

Completely agree.

Of course it's all personal preference, and some people are going to want to go for the stealth look, but as you say - the S3 is pretty understated in it's styling (I think the front of the 8P S3 is more aggressive) so I think colour choice for enhancing the new lines is very important.

I have gone for contrast in my SB - Glacier white, Pano roof, Black roof rails (thought silver against white would not show up well) privacy glass, super sport seats, didn't go for the black styling pack though as I think the chrome grille looks rather nice.

Having said all that - I enjoy looking at the new S3 in any colour.....(I'm yet to see Beluga Brown, I will probably never see it)
 
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Can't say the panther black does it for me on the S3.
As some have commented, the S3 is a VERY discreet looking sport hatch as it is, but in black it is almost stealth-like !
In the above pics, the red inserts on the seats also look wrong and stick out like a sore thumb.
IMO its not a shape which suits black - it does hide the cars lines a lot in the pictures above.

It also need LED lights to 'jazz up' the front lights too.

or, maybe I am just anti-black now as it has been a total pain to look after on my TTS.
Very demoralising to spend hours cleaning the car just to have a rain shower leave loads of water marks on the car - and thats without even driving it and it just being parked.
Once you do drive, then it almost immediately gets mucky whatever the weather.
Great clean - but that lasts little or no time.

Best S3 colours for me are estoril blue, misano red and ibis white - these colours all look fantastic when combined with black styling pack, privacy glass and pano roof - possibly even black roof bars on the Sportback.

Would agree with most of what you say, except that I would add Ice Silver and Glacier White to that list of best colours, they both look great on the S3. Black looks superb too but is high maintenance as you say, each to their own though. It will be fun doing some S3 spotting over the coming months!
 
it does look subdued in the pictures, but I saw an RS4 in Panther last night with the chrome accentsand it looked great including the privacy IMO.

However, the S3 SB is a subtle looking machine anyway and I think any colour is never going to transform it's appearance. it just depends on whether the colour appeals.
 
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I've had some great news today - After being told its going to be a January/February build, ive got a build date of w/c 4th November, I should have it by the end of November!!

I seem to remember someone posting that once you have a confirmed build date time this is the longest wait!

Now i just need to decide whether to have them prepare the pain or not. I have a couple of hour drive to get it home and don't really want the motorway drive without some form of protection. Any suggestions

Final build:

S3 Sportback, S-tronic
Estoril Blue
Comfort pack
Roof rails
Advanced Key
B&O sound system
Privacy Glass
Tech pack with connect
Tyre Pressure monitor
Through Load
 
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Completely agree.

Of course it's all personal preference, and some people are going to want to go for the stealth look, but as you say - the S3 is pretty understated in it's styling (I think the front of the 8P S3 is more aggressive) so I think colour choice for enhancing the new lines is very important.

I have gone for contrast in my SB - Glacier white, Pano roof, Black roof rails (thought silver against white would not show up well) privacy glass, super sport seats, didn't go for the black styling pack though as I think the chrome grille looks rather nice.

Having said all that - I enjoy looking at the new S3 in any colour.....(I'm yet to see Beluga Brown, I will probably never see it)
Black roof rails and a chrome grill will look a little strange IMHO. Better have both the same?
 
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Black roof rails and a chrome grill will look a little strange IMHO. Better have both the same?

I think given that the roof rails and pano roof are at the same part of the car they will match each other nicely being black (the pano only covers half the roof) and the silver trim around the windows on the Glacier White is barely visible (seen one in a showroom) so the chrome grille is kind of far away enough from all the black on the roof to be separate - if that makes sense...

My current Ibis white S3 has the pano roof and chrome grille and looks great, I think the front end of the new 8V looks even more conservative with the black styling pack given there are no fog lights, so I guess the chrome makes it look like there is more going on..

On the other hand - it could look completely ridiculous :unsure:

I will be posting pics next week anyway so we shall see...
 
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My car will enter a test mode with the dials and various sensor readouts when you press a combination of buttons on the steering wheel. Can a Audi A3 do this
 
The second car is definitely phantom. I remember locating the original post a while ago.

The first picture is pretty poor lighting so you can really see much of the fleck. Not sure that's even panther to be fair.

I agree... a proper Black Black!!
 
Footrest again! Which I'd never mentioned the absence of it! Though as customers paying vast amounts of money for what is and I think we will all agree phenomenal cars I believe we have a write to know if and why it is not present on UK spec S3's when the brochure states the opposite. An email to UK Audi I fear is in order to hear it from the horses mouth rather than a dealer who could try and tell us anything to keep us away after collecting our cars.
 
Footrest again! Which I'd never mentioned the absence of it! Though as customers paying vast amounts of money for what is and I think we will all agree phenomenal cars I believe we have a write to know if and why it is not present on UK spec S3's when the brochure states the opposite. An email to UK Audi I fear is in order to hear it from the horses mouth rather than a dealer who could try and tell us anything to keep us away after collecting our cars.

I'm sorry. But I look for it now. I may not have even noticed it was missing had it not been pointed out. It's all your fault!! Ha.
 
Thanks Dan! (clears throat - never know how to spell out the sound you make when one clears their throat...so again, clears throat) you forgot to order full led lights?
 
I had to draw the line somewhere. Really wanted LEDs but luckily it's too late to order anything else. I'm too easily swayed.
 
I'm not sure what they really offer. Okay the light maybe slightly better and they obviously make the car more desirable looking but £800 seems excessive IMHO.
 
Completely agree.

Of course it's all personal preference, and some people are going to want to go for the stealth look, but as you say - the S3 is pretty understated in it's styling (I think the front of the 8P S3 is more aggressive) so I think colour choice for enhancing the new lines is very important.

I have gone for contrast in my SB - Glacier white, Pano roof, Black roof rails (thought silver against white would not show up well) privacy glass, super sport seats, didn't go for the black styling pack though as I think the chrome grille looks rather nice.

Having said all that - I enjoy looking at the new S3 in any colour.....(I'm yet to see Beluga Brown, I will probably never see it)


looks nice in white - they have one in audi slough - saw it 2 weeks ago, so check if its still there if you plan on viewing it, same as this but this one is in west London - hmm maybe they've moved it

Used - Audi - A3 HATCHBACK (S3 TFSI Quattro 3dr S Tronic) - West London Audi

the pano roof really does compliment the white car really well - looks better in the flesh than in the pic - ive gone for misano red though, as one at audi slough

Used - Audi - A3 SPORTBACK (S3 TFSI Quattro 5dr) - Slough Audi
 
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I had to draw the line somewhere. Really wanted LEDs but luckily it's too late to order anything else. I'm too easily swayed.

I agree, the options go on and on, unless you have an indefinite budget you do have to draw the line somewhere. I'll be ordering xenon plus because I want the pano sunroof and budget won't stretch to both, sunroof is more important to me. As for footrest, just not an issue, will be happy to have the car period.
 
back to the LED's - lets see some evidence of their potential / performance please !

I think its just a fashion thing, they look nice - I didn't bother as the xenons are fine and you get daytime running leds and I think the led indicators as standard anyway so I couldn't see much benefit as they aren't exactly cheap - but id add them if someone could sell the benefits eg they are 10 times better than the xenons but I have seen nothing
 
I saw a video earlier that described headlights and taillights of a car as its jewellery & I couldn't agree more.

Headlights are the first thing you see on a car and are the parts that stand out most.

I don't believe the LED indicators, the ones which replace the DRL's, come on the xenons?
 
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looks nice in white - they have one in audi slough - saw it 2 weeks ago, so check if its still there if you plan on viewing it, same as this but this one is in west London - hmm maybe they've moved it

Used - Audi - A3 HATCHBACK (S3 TFSI Quattro 3dr S Tronic) - West London Audi

the pano roof really does compliment the white car really well - looks better in the flesh than in the pic - ive gone for misano red though, as one at audi slough

Used - Audi - A3 SPORTBACK (S3 TFSI Quattro 5dr) - Slough Audi

Thanks for the links, yeah i have gone with white again, i know that they are common as muck these days, but i thought to myself that you've got to go with what you want for yourself, not what's "trendy" or dismissing it if it's a common colour......that's basing your colour choice on what other people think rather than you - the person spending the money and enjoying it...

Same goes for everyone on this thread i guess, we've all got our personal reasons with our choice, which is why it's good not to let any assumptious perceptions of others dictate our spec...

re: the Misano Red, this will be my third S3, my first was Red and i loved it, i think it's one of the best colours to show off all the chrome highlights around the rest of the car !
 
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I saw a video earlier that described headlights and taillights of a car as its jewellery & I couldn't agree more.

Headlights are the first thing you see on a car and are the parts that stand out most.

I don't believe the LED indicators, the ones which replace the DRL's, come on the xenons?

Appreciate different opinions, I don't see headlights as being that important compared with other features of a car but each to their own. I'm no looking at headlights first either so I'm not sure about that point, they are just part of the package and indicators aren't something I see when I drive so not an issue. Each to their own, It's all very subjective.
 
I don't see headlights as being that important

daytime use only for you then gilesf ?

i live in NE Scotland, adjacent to Cairngorm National Park. Come this time of year, we end up with very little daylight and very low sun.

i'd suggest that headlights are one of the most important features of any motor car as well as tyre selection.

but then i like to drive and drive hard as well as drive safely............
 
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Exicitment level dropped several notches when the dealer rang me to tell me the my car had a different spec. to the order :ermm:.
The mag ride had not been fitted!!!
Do you think that will make much difference to the handling/feel of the car? Are the modes provided (Comfort/Efficiency/Dynamic/auto) sufficient; am I loosing much without it?

Any help apreciated.
 
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