What's your favourite A3 engine? I've gone for the 1.4cod as a trade off between poke, economy & budget. Didn't fancy the 1.6 diesel as reviews make it sound a bit gutless, the 1.8tfsi- nobody seems to think its worth while and I couldn't justify the extra £££ on either 2.0 tdi engines. Interested to hear from people who have either regretted their decision, feel vindicated by their decision or have driven more than 1 variant. I know I know preference bla bla bla. Opinions please.
Which engine?
- Thread starter Symon
- Start date
Blackwhite
Registered User
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2014
- Messages
- 8,141
- Reaction score
- 1,071
- Points
- 113
Have driven a fair few of the range - all S-Tronics (1.6 TDI, 2.0 TDI 184 quattro, 1.4 COD, S3) and there is def an engine to suit everyone.
I went for the 1.8 TFSI quattro and haven't looked back. I am a low mileage driver and enjoy the oomph of this engine, (makes a good noise too). Would recommend in a heartbeat.
I went for the 1.8 TFSI quattro and haven't looked back. I am a low mileage driver and enjoy the oomph of this engine, (makes a good noise too). Would recommend in a heartbeat.
Psyman79
Sarcasm is hard on a forum ;)
I had a 1.4COD before the S3 and it was a mighty fine engine. I've also had a go of the 1.8 petrol and 2.0(150) diesel and think i prefered the COD out of the 3.
Like you I went for the 1.4COD engine. A friend has an A3 with the 2.0 diesel and he is delighted with it but I didn't want a diesel engine in my A3. I don't do a high mileage and prefer the characteristics of this petrol engine - revs nicely and gives great economy with low emissions. Having done over 5,000 miles since August it has totally lived up to my expectations. I also have a TT with the 1.8 TFSI engine and that's a great engine also.
If I was 30 years younger I'd probably have gone for an S3 but at age 65 my requirements are now different. I've done the fast car thing and got it out my system. Now I want smoothness (and the 1.4 is very very smooth) and great economy but also with a reasonable turn of speed. You will not be disappointed.
If I was 30 years younger I'd probably have gone for an S3 but at age 65 my requirements are now different. I've done the fast car thing and got it out my system. Now I want smoothness (and the 1.4 is very very smooth) and great economy but also with a reasonable turn of speed. You will not be disappointed.
Everytime I drive my car I am reminded on how powerful it is in every day driving conditions, smooth, quiet, efficient and refined...
I'm going to make the case for the 2.0 TFSI in the S3.
The S3 has a few minor dynamic issues but the engine really is a cracker. I can see why it's won a number of awards worldwide.
I picked up my S3 today where it has been at my dealers bodyshop for the last week (I had missed it dearly). I had to drive 25 miles to home over the Salisbury plain and couldn't resist giving it some beans. You simply would not believe how quickly I covered that distance in the S3.
Aggressive when needs to be but very smooth and refined when you need to drive past a village community speed check with your innocent cap on
The S3 has a few minor dynamic issues but the engine really is a cracker. I can see why it's won a number of awards worldwide.
I picked up my S3 today where it has been at my dealers bodyshop for the last week (I had missed it dearly). I had to drive 25 miles to home over the Salisbury plain and couldn't resist giving it some beans. You simply would not believe how quickly I covered that distance in the S3.
Aggressive when needs to be but very smooth and refined when you need to drive past a village community speed check with your innocent cap on
Just to be off topic for a mo, watch out because that might be me out there if you drive through our village, however we also put the camera outside on the boundary as well so we know what drivers are up too before they hit the 30 or 40mph speed limit. Actually most are fairly well behaved and the majority of the rest haven't a clue what speed they were doing
As far as volunteer speed watch is concerned I had a experience several months where I stopped at a junction and then turned into a road in a village and immediately saw the speed watch unit with volunteers in day-glo jackets standing next to it with clip boards. It was a 30mph limit so I carefully stuck to the speed limit. A few days later I received a letter from the police says I was doing 41mph. I wrote back and said the problem with using volunteers is that they often have an axe to grind and are trying to get the evidence to get some form of traffic calming installed in their village. I said this to the police in my reply letter and asked some questions but they have not even had the courtesy to reply.
Yup my axe is definately grinding. I can't speak for others but we are fair, however we will have to have some kind of traffic calming because of the minority, not yourself dave, who cannot slow down even when there is a school by the main road.
Last edited:
I agree completely.
I went out for a little spin in mine earlier and it is a speedy little minx. I can't imagine how an S3 must feel!
A lot can depend on what you have been used to. When I drove a 150TDI I found it rather under-powered compared to my then 170TDI which is why I went for the 184TDI.
It's probably the same reason why Skoda do so well in the annual car tests. They are good cars but I very much doubt if most Audi drivers would rate them that well. They are generally used to a much better car and expect more than most Skoda cars can give.
It's probably the same reason why Skoda do so well in the annual car tests. They are good cars but I very much doubt if most Audi drivers would rate them that well. They are generally used to a much better car and expect more than most Skoda cars can give.
Why not come to our lovely village Dave, as your number plate stands out a mile I can give you a nice welcoming gift
Volunteer speed watch?! I've never heard of it however the idea sounds dreadful!
I thought it was only the police who could do that not local axe grinders and only then if I was exceeding the speed limit, which I tend not to do when passing through villages. I reserve that for the quiet country lanes or the open road, which fortunately there are quite a lot here in Cambridgeshire, well quite lanes at least!.Why not come to our lovely village Dave, as your number plate stands out a mile I can give you a nice welcoming gift
Unless of course you are referring to a nice Devon cream tea
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2014
- Messages
- 947
- Reaction score
- 798
- Points
- 93
Did 66 miles today on M1&M6 ......absolutely loved it!!! The S3 engine is a masterpiece! !! You can cruise along at 70mph comfortably no problem .....and then when you want to let rip.....it just goes.....and goes....and goes .....and my god!!! IT JUST KEEPS GOING! ! Acceleration is ......well........i just cant help but smile everytime i push down on that peddle. MPG is pretty unbelievable to considering. I must admit I am having to adjust from a much lower powered engine (150bhp DS3 petrol turbo) where I could take the engine to the limits a lot of the time. In the S3 I have to hold back even when pushing it (cuz its just toooooo fast) so I actually think the S3 is making me a calmer......and dare I say it.....safer driver.
One of the best thing about the S3 is driving at 18mph past a community speed watch and then flooring it to 30mph.
If you floor the S3 it makes quite a racket and it's extremely noisy. Sometimes a lovely burp will emanate from the exhaust.
This causes much distress to a community speed watch "volunteer" with the laser. They usually can't turn around quick enough to point at you as you drive away. Regardless, your still under 30 mph. In fact yesterday I took great satisfaction that the community speed watch had set themselves up approx 100 metres from the national speed limit signs leaving the village. You can imagine the absolute horror on their faces as they heard the full S3 goodness accelerating past the "thank you for driving carefully" sign.
It's a shame there are not enough Police to monitor speeding in villages - however they are the people with the power to enforce speed limits and I personally feel that's who should be doing it.
As I say - aggressive when you want it to be but very civilised all other times.
If you floor the S3 it makes quite a racket and it's extremely noisy. Sometimes a lovely burp will emanate from the exhaust.
This causes much distress to a community speed watch "volunteer" with the laser. They usually can't turn around quick enough to point at you as you drive away. Regardless, your still under 30 mph. In fact yesterday I took great satisfaction that the community speed watch had set themselves up approx 100 metres from the national speed limit signs leaving the village. You can imagine the absolute horror on their faces as they heard the full S3 goodness accelerating past the "thank you for driving carefully" sign.
It's a shame there are not enough Police to monitor speeding in villages - however they are the people with the power to enforce speed limits and I personally feel that's who should be doing it.
As I say - aggressive when you want it to be but very civilised all other times.
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2014
- Messages
- 947
- Reaction score
- 798
- Points
- 93
Ha.One of the best thing about the S3 is driving at 18mph past a community speed watch and then flooring it to 30mph.
If you floor the S3 it makes quite a racket and it's extremely noisy. Sometimes a lovely burp will emanate from the exhaust.
This causes much distress to a community speed watch "volunteer" with the laser. They usually can't turn around quick enough to point at you as you drive away. Regardless, your still under 30 mph. In fact yesterday I took great satisfaction that the community speed watch had set themselves up approx 100 metres from the national speed limit signs leaving the village. You can imagine the absolute horror on their faces as they heard the full S3 goodness accelerating past the "thank you for driving carefully" sign.
It's a shame there are not enough Police to monitor speeding in villages - however they are the people with the power to enforce speed limits and I personally feel that's who should be doing it.
As I say - aggressive when you want it to be but very civilised all other times.
Hilarious
Unfortuantely I do not live in Devon, but here they do a nice range of Trugs http://www.sussextrugs.com/ Of course I know you as one of the more responsible and safe drivers, however I do not comprehend what local axe grinders you might be referring too, might they be called 'Johnny'? We do though sometimes get a person knocking at the door asking if we need anything sharpening, but even they seem to be rare these days..I thought it was only the police who could do that not local axe grinders and only then if I was exceeding the speed limit, which I tend not to do when passing through villages. I reserve that for the quiet country lanes or the open road, which fortunately there are quite a lot here in Cambridgeshire, well quite lanes at least!.
Unless of course you are referring to a nice Devon cream tea
And there was me thinking you lived in the land of lovely cream teas. Still Sussex is just as nice if rather busy in most areas..
The 'local axe grinders' are those I mentioned in my previous post otherwise known as 'speed watch volunteers' who provide incorrect information to the police in order to try and make a case for some form of traffic calming in their particular village. They said to the police that I was doing 41mph but I never exceeded 30mph the whole time my car was visible to them. I stopped at a junction before turning in to the road they were 'watching' and could see them before I pulled out so I made sure I did not exceed the 30mph limit. It's the police's job to enforce speed limits but in this country they have given up that job and now rely almost entirely on so called safety cameras which is one of the main reasons I drive to Holland and Germany for my holidays.
Personally I'm quite happy to volunteer to help the police and in fact I did so quite recently co-ordinating and up dating their Neighbourhood Watch database so that it could be transferred to the National Alert database but certainly not as a speed watcher.
I went for the 1.8tfsi manual and love it! It has plenty of power and everyone who goes in it says how fast it is and how much faster it feels compare to faster cars, from 3000rpm it is so responsive i have a huge grin on my face. I opted for this rather than the s3 as i do alot of motorway miles and i know the mpg would kill it. The 1.8 has everything for me, if i floor it everywhere i get about 35mpg about 360 miles to a tank. If i take it easy and drive like my mum then i can get 40mpg 410 miles to a tank. Dont regret it one bit, although would of loved quatro on the manual
After four diesel A3s I've gone back to petrol with the 1.4COD and love it
With the sun the other day I was actually cruising around with the windows down for the first time and that's when you really appreciate a petrol - they may have made diesels sound fairly quiet from inside the car but, with the windows down, it still sounds like a bus.
With the sun the other day I was actually cruising around with the windows down for the first time and that's when you really appreciate a petrol - they may have made diesels sound fairly quiet from inside the car but, with the windows down, it still sounds like a bus.
My last car was a 1.6 tdi focus. Nice engine on a motorway, utter rubbish around town. Really looking forward to the 1.4 cod. If i could have afforded the 1.8 I would have gone for that.
Ha, Ha! The A3 with the COD engine is certainly a nice PLAICE to be and EEL be the one to say it is a BRILLiant engine. I think we've all been HERRING good things about it. Steeve, if you get the opporTUNAty to try it you should. If any others have experience of this engine then don't be so KOI - tell us about it. WHALE love to hear about what you think. On the other hand if you don't like it then stop CARPing on about it and explain why. And if you need time to think more about it then feel free to MULLET over.
I should DOLPHINately stop the fish jokes ....
can I say the 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo motor, to be used in the RS3, because I find the the 2.0TSFI in S3 a little tame
as for speed watch .... I thought Sydney was a nanny state, but its sounds like you guys are getting just as bad....
as for speed watch .... I thought Sydney was a nanny state, but its sounds like you guys are getting just as bad....
I have a 1.8 manual; I'm actually quite surprised how many people have responded to this thread saying they have the same engine as I understood they were quite rare. Overall I'm delighted with my A3, and have no plans to change it any time soon. However, specifically with regard to the engine it doesn't feel as fast as I was hoping in everyday driving. That said, if you find a quiet road and drive it hard it's certainly not a slow car. I think there are a few reasons for my feeling slightly underwhelmed; getting the first one out of the way I'll admit one of my own driving faults is I don't change down enough at speed; for some reason I can't get the expectation out of my head that if something slows me down to 60 on the motorway once the way is clear I can put my foot down and have the car surge more or less immediately back to cruising speed whilst still staying in 6th. Being realistic 6th is for MPG not performance and to achieve my expectation I should pop it briefly into at least 4th!
Putting that aside I think the feel of speed (or lack of it) is due to the A3's refinement. My first car (a Y reg Clio with only 98bhp) probably gave me my greatest ever impression of performance; since then the cars I've owned have become progressively more powerful and faster on paper, but each one has felt less so. I think this is because the Clio was very noisy and unrefined; you certainly knew when it was working hard! The A3 is of course far quicker and better to drive, but the refinement in this case perhaps works against it as you're insulated from the performance.
One thing I don't understand is why Audi don't offer the 2.0 Golf GTI engine in the 8V A3, unlike in previous models. I personally wouldn't mind a bit more power but don't feel I can justify an S3.
Putting that aside I think the feel of speed (or lack of it) is due to the A3's refinement. My first car (a Y reg Clio with only 98bhp) probably gave me my greatest ever impression of performance; since then the cars I've owned have become progressively more powerful and faster on paper, but each one has felt less so. I think this is because the Clio was very noisy and unrefined; you certainly knew when it was working hard! The A3 is of course far quicker and better to drive, but the refinement in this case perhaps works against it as you're insulated from the performance.
One thing I don't understand is why Audi don't offer the 2.0 Golf GTI engine in the 8V A3, unlike in previous models. I personally wouldn't mind a bit more power but don't feel I can justify an S3.
This.
I've gone from a diesel Mondeo ST with a fully replaced turbo-back exhaust (+decat) to the A3 and the A3 is definitely faster but it feels slower due to the lack of engine / exhaust noise.
I'm driving a courtesy mini one at the moment with all of 105nm of torque & 98bhp. Because it's a tin can though, I feel like I do 0-30 quicker than Concorde. 30-60 in less than an hour though.
