Possibly buying an S3

S3_Jacko said:
As I said mate, with general all round driving your looking about 300 miles or there abouts to a full tank
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is this general driving with a bit off flair thrown in every now and again lol best thing to do is then when I test drive it reset the instantaneous mpg as voorhees says drive it normally then reset it and give it a little
just hope the salesman lets me go alone
 
About right, with purely town driving an a bit of hammering I got 220 miles to a tank, the week after I got 320 miles as I had done some motorway driving. I normally only have to fill up every two weeks.
 
XFi said:
About right, with purely town driving an a bit of hammering I got 220 miles to a tank, the week after I got 320 miles as I had done some motorway driving. I normally only have to fill up every two weeks.
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define a bit of hammering it like maybe a few times each time you went out? Or like going out for a good rag lol
 
A few times when on my daily travel. When going out just for a thrash you'll get about 40 miles to a quarter of a tank.
 
I get 24-25 mpg around town and 31-33 mpg on a run, mixed driving with a few blasts here and there.

Coming from a soot chucker myself to the S3, it did take a few weeks for me to accept that the performance more than makes up for the drop in economy. Now I don't care hahaha.

Just f'king do it :lmfao:
 
XFi said:
A few times when on my daily travel. When going out just for a thrash you'll get about 40 miles to a quarter of a tank.
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I'm guessin when you get 40miles per 1/4 of a tank this is you nailing the hole of the thing pretty much non stop for that 1/4 of a tank? How much does it cuts to fill the s3 tank roughly I know prices vary from garage to garage and region to region
 
davc said:
I get 24-25 mpg around town and 31-33 mpg on a run, mixed driving with a few blasts here and there.

Coming from a soot chucker myself to the S3, it did take a few weeks for me to accept that the performance more than makes up for the drop in economy. Now I don't care hahaha.

Just f'king do it :lmfao:
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is that blasting it occasionally with town driving to? To get that figure or only when on a run? Or both lol, I am so tempted but wanna wait till the right one comes along. :) but also don't wanna regret it if it turns out to be on par with the ST.
 
I do approx a 3rd of my driving in town which is mixed stop start and slow moving, a further 3rd as fast A road work and then the remaining 3rd as grab it by the scruff of the neck and thrash it on local country B roads. This returns me around 28 mpg and just over 300 miles per tank as an average on regular unleaded. I've just had stage 1 remap and running V power so be interesting to see if better fuel makes much difference.
The S3 will drink fuel if you thrash it everywhere in every gear but I get a wriggle on most of the time and for the performance on tap it's a fantastic car!
 
Briand88 said:
is that blasting it occasionally with town driving to? To get that figure or only when on a run? Or both lol, I am so tempted but wanna wait till the right one comes along. :) but also don't wanna regret it if it turns out to be on par with the ST.
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Yeah, on a decent run low 30's is definitely achievable even when putting the foot down a bit.
 
If I could get 300+ miles on a tank driving the car sensibly and also putting the foot down on the odd occasion with mixed driving I think I would be quite happy with that IF that's possible your thoughts lol
 
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You could easily argue that economy is not what an S3 or ST etc is all about,but mine would quite easily return 30mpg on the morning drag into work,which is a mixture of country and urban,although it can do a lot less if pushed.

The TFSi is a very economical engine off-boost,and if you can squeeze 500bhp out of one,and still get it to run sensibly when it's not possible to use the power,I think it speaks volumes for the engine and the tuning options.
 
S3Alex said:
You could easily argue that economy is not what an S3 or ST etc is all about,but mine would quite easily return 30mpg on the morning drag into work,which is a mixture of country and urban,although it can do a lot less if pushed.

The TFSi is a very economical engine off-boost,and if you can squeeze 500bhp out of one,and still get it to run sensibly when it's not possible to use the power,I think it speaks volumes for the engine and the tuning options.
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i appreciate and know that these cars are not built for economy not one but BUT I did not expect the ST to be as rank on fuel as it really was I mean 180 miles out of a tank with mixed driving is pretty awful to be fair and I really do not want to make a mistake like that again and end up kicking myself for it.
 
The S3 is no where near as bad as the ST for fuel. Mixed driving, expect 24 - 30, thats sensible driving, with a few spirited corners and acceleration thrown in. Enjoying the car so to speak. 300+ miles out of 55 litres.

But be warned. The S3 as standard, is not a hardcore handling car. It will understeer like a pig as standard (you either have to learn to drive around its limitations or upgrade components), and arguably the ST is better performing in this respect.

But it is an excellent cabin to be in, refined, and won't make your ears bleed or give you a headache after a 3 hour journey. It is a quick straight line car, and the Haldex makes it worthwhile in the winter and slippery roads.

A post 58 reg facelift car. if you can afford it, is the one to go for, this has the Gen 4 Haldex fitted.
 
veeeight said:
The S3 is no where near as bad as the ST for fuel. Mixed driving, expect 24 - 30, thats sensible driving, with a few spirited corners and acceleration thrown in. Enjoying the car so to speak. 300+ miles out of 55 litres.

But be warned. The S3 as standard, is not a hardcore handling car. It will understeer like a pig as standard (you either have to learn to drive around its limitations or upgrade components), and arguably the ST is better performing in this respect.

But it is an excellent cabin to be in, refined, and won't make your ears bleed or give you a headache after a 3 hour journey. It is a quick straight line car, and the Haldex makes it worthwhile in the winter and slippery roads.

A post 58 reg facelift car. if you can afford it, is the one to go for, this has the Gen 4 Haldex fitted.
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Thank you you for the info there veeeight and my budget would be a max of 16k provided the interest rate was low enough lol and what would be ideal is someone who has had an st and now has the s3 and could compare the two I was speaking to a friend yesterday his mate had a new RS then an s3 now back to an RS and says there's not much diff at all between running costs.
 
Briand88 said:
Thank you you for the info there veeeight and my budget would be a max of 16k provided the interest rate was low enough lol and what would be ideal is someone who has had an st and now has the s3 and could compare the two I was speaking to a friend yesterday his mate had a new RS then an s3 now back to an RS and says there's not much diff at all between running costs.
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why did he come back to rs again?:]
 
Briand88 said:
she lol and she said that the S3 was rubbish, different strokes for different folks I suppose.
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could be, I had an ST previously too and my first impression to the new car was god this aint quicker at all, lacks of torque wobbles a bit around corners doesnt sound nice and more but remember once you get it up to stage 1 or 2 or even 2+ with a bit of suspension mods the car will impress you well and will kill any ST with no effort at all yet being pleasant to drive and fairly economical. I can easily manage 30mpgs motorway driving, 23-24 around town:D.
 
geefunk1978 said:
Simple answer is it will be more economical than a Focus ST no matter how you drive it. Done.
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Perfecado :D that's really all that matters aslong as it isn't as bad or only slightly better that's good enough for me test driving it tommorow
 
Hi Briand88,

I have had a lot of 'performance cars' over the years and i have to agree with you that the Focus ST drinks fuel compared to the S3, i had a facelift 08 ST from brand new and to be honest only kept it 9 months, i'd be very lucky to see 200 miles with mixed driving from a full tank.
Now I've had 2 x S3's and i thought for the power output they are pretty good on fuel i saw most weeks 250-280 from i full tank, i don't hang around!!, most i ever had was on trips to Cornwall i'd get 320 miles out of a tank, oh and i found they are better run on Shell Vpower Nitro+.

Yes its true the handling may be better on other cars, but as i found change the standard tyres for something better (Eagle F1's) and things improve a lot.

+its great in the snow, especially with winter tyres !
 
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Ran a 3 manual door for 3 years and now a 5 door DSG for the last 18months and only ever see 22mpg around town.
On the occasional run out I get high 20s.
Only ever saw 30 once on 5 run back from London.
Both cars Stage 1 and never driven that hard that often.
 
My trip is sitting at 284 miles since tank filled, states that I have 35 miles left in the tank... thats with the occassional hammering and normal driving on mixed roads...

For a performance car, I feel thats a good return... and if you get it stage 1'd, i've heard this increases fuel efficiency due to the increased torque.... hopefully soon to be finding out for sure!
 
I did a little test last night, well, i went for a drive and turned into a test! So before i set off I reset my average mpg and did a frequent route i take to get fuel and then find a B road or 2. It was a complete mixture of driving, so urban 30mph zones flowing traffic some 50 - 60 A roads cruising, some faster A road driving and ending up with 20 minutes of balls to the wall action and some more A roads to cool off.

Total trip was about an hour and a half and before I dropped the hammer average MPG was around 32.5. At the end of the trip completely it was at 28.4. I am by no means hard on the throttle when im not in the mood for it, the odd sprint out of junctions but generally conservative when there are no bends in the road! The car is not remapped either.

I hope this helps!
 
Thanks guys I have had a lot of help from each and everyone of you and I appreciate it a lot I have heard such big differences in mpg from high teens to 29 so I think for the time being in going to leave it, seen a cracking facelift BMW 3series coupe m sport for 17490 with manufacturers warranty left plus another 1 year warranty from BMW so I'm contemplating that I test drove it yesterday seemed nippy enough for the town driving I do. I'm 95% sure this is the car I'm going to get thanks again everyone of you who knows maybe I'll see you guys in a few years hopefully in an RS4 :p.
 
S3_Jacko said:
My trip is sitting at 284 miles since tank filled, states that I have 35 miles left in the tank... thats with the occassional hammering and normal driving on mixed roads...

For a performance car, I feel thats a good return... and if you get it stage 1'd, i've heard this increases fuel efficiency due to the increased torque.... hopefully soon to be finding out for sure!
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It certainly can,providing you dont use all the extra power as well!

Mine wouldn't easily do 30mpg before it's first remap,but would do after.
 
Briand88 said:
Thanks guys I have had a lot of help from each and everyone of you and I appreciate it a lot I have heard such big differences in mpg from high teens to 29 so I think for the time being in going to leave it, seen a cracking facelift BMW 3series coupe m sport for 17490 with manufacturers warranty left plus another 1 year warranty from BMW so I'm contemplating that I test drove it yesterday seemed nippy enough for the town driving I do. I'm 95% sure this is the car I'm going to get thanks again everyone of you who knows maybe I'll see you guys in a few years hopefully in an RS4 :p.
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An RS4 is even worse on fuel....

For that sort of money you could have a facelift S3 with a few toys. Your choice, but i dont think a 3 series stands out from the crowd as much as an S3 does. Yes they look very much like an A3 but when you look closer you can tell its an S3. The 3 series are nice but every man and his dog are driving round in a M sport Coupe's most of them being 318's :laugh:
 
To be fair there is not a great deal of 3 series coupes in Edinburgh it's a car I looked at before I traded in the ST awesome at probably one of the nicest cars on the road at the moment the one I was looking at was white with the blue halos which aren't to common most of them have the crappy yellow rings also it does not have Bluetooth or sat nav but they are things I can easily live without. Yet again thanks for the help guys :)
 
Briand88 said:
Thanks guys I have had a lot of help from each and everyone of you and I appreciate it a lot I have heard such big differences in mpg from high teens to 29 so I think for the time being in going to leave it, seen a cracking facelift BMW 3series coupe m sport for 17490 with manufacturers warranty left plus another 1 year warranty from BMW so I'm contemplating that I test drove it yesterday seemed nippy enough for the town driving I do. I'm 95% sure this is the car I'm going to get thanks again everyone of you who knows maybe I'll see you guys in a few years hopefully in an RS4 :p.
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Talk about opening a can of worms then leaving lol ;)
What engine is in the m sport ur getting?
Only asking as my m8 has a m sport 61 plate 1.8 petrol.
Nice looking car but sounds like it's going a lot quicker when revved than what it is and lacks torque.
Plus it's rear wheel drive :p
Not my intention to put u off but just letting u know what iv seen :)
Anyways good luck in the new car m8 :)
 
320i I admit it's 170bhp isn't much but for the amount of driving I do mainly city I think it will be an excellent car figures of mpg in region with the insignia can't complain at that! And it looks sooooo much nicer
 
Which engine in the 3 Series?

Used to have an E90 320d MSport. Excellent posh workhorse but not something I would ever drive for the sake of driving.

A 335i/d however is a different proposition.

The E90/92 is a brilliant platform to make an enjoyable car but IMO it needs at least cylinders to make it fast enough to be fun.
 
im around 24mpg city driving avrage prolly, swift motorway, country driving prolly about 30-32 but got it to 36.5 quite tame driving once
 
You'll certainly get better miles from the S3 than you were getting from your ST (I averaged around 22-25mpg). Pros and Cons of the two - 4wd vs 5-cyl rasp is most of the battle there, and the Audi interior is by far superior to anything Ford has to offer. The one you've linked looks expensive though. I sold mine for less last year, with fewer miles and a full Milltek. Shop around and find one that ticks all the boxes as far as options but to be honest, the standard S3 kit is pretty good anyway. The BMW is more of a compromise towards economy than you might expect, just splash out on the RS4 now and don't look back!
 
S3_Mat said:
I did a little test last night, well, i went for a drive and turned into a test! So before i set off I reset my average mpg and did a frequent route i take to get fuel and then find a B road or 2. It was a complete mixture of driving, so urban 30mph zones flowing traffic some 50 - 60 A roads cruising, some faster A road driving and ending up with 20 minutes of balls to the wall action and some more A roads to cool off.

Total trip was about an hour and a half and before I dropped the hammer average MPG was around 32.5. At the end of the trip completely it was at 28.4. I am by no means hard on the throttle when im not in the mood for it, the odd sprint out of junctions but generally conservative when there are no bends in the road! The car is not remapped either.

I hope this helps!
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I did a test too today lol. With this thread in mind, on a 65 mile return trip on a mixture of A roads and M'way earlier, according to the DIS, I averaged 32.9 mpg by generally sticking to the speed limits the whole way :sadlike:. The same journey with a bit of ragging included usually returns about 28 mpg.

My car isn't remapped either and has covered 28k miles.

So pretty much spot on I would say :yes:
 
im currently looking at a S3, budget was about 12k as i have a MK5 R32 for sale and i wanted lower running costs, the tax on the R32 is £500 a year. Just been doing sums to see ho wmuch i;ll save in a month with the S3.
S3 08 plates with 50/60k are still 14k+ 07 plates are 12/13K.

Just wanted to see the running costs against the R which understandbly is going to be thirstier than the the S3. I currently drive about 40 miles per day, long dual carriage which barely get over 50mph in rush hour then a bit of town driving, and i get about 320miles on a tank on the R32.
 
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