Facelift A3 TFSI to S3 power increase?

Masslob · Sep 29, 2016

OK so I've been driving a 2004 A3 2.0 TFSI for last few years. Whose power I love.

My new S3 is obviously 110 bhp quicker and 2.6s faster to 60mph. So quite a bump.

After researching , this kind of speed it's equivalent to the bmw 135i and some older M3/M5 (0-60 seems to average at 4.5/4.6s for most performance cars)

only A45 AMG, RS3 and current generation M3/M5 beat the S3 to 60mph.

For those that are upgrading/upgraded in the same way. How was the jump in power? Is harder to handle/control? Hair trigger accelerator???

I want to know what to expect. Don't want to put my foot down and hit all wall cos in underestimated the power

Simon L · Sep 29, 2016

Masslob said:
OK so I've been driving a 2003 a3 tfsi for last few years.

My new s3 is obviously 110 bhp quicker and 2.6s faster to 60mph. So quite a bump. After researching this kind of speed it's equivalent to the bmw 135i and some older m3/m5 (0-60 seems to average at 4.5/4.6s for most performance cars)

For those that are upgrading/upgraded in the same way. How was the jump in power? Is harder to handle/control? Hair trigger accelerator???

I want to know what to expect. Don't want to put my foot down and hit all wall cos in underestimated the power

I went from a Rav 4 that did 60 in about 10.5 secs..................although felt more like 10 years tbh :whistle2:

Yer not gonna hit a wall yer muppet!! lol

Masslob · Sep 29, 2016

You

Simon L said:
I went from a Rav 4 that did 60 in about 10.5 secs..................although felt more like 10 years tbh

Yer not gonna hit a wall yer muppet!! lol

You dont know how I drive

many of my friends have legit pleaded with me not to get a more powerful car as apparently I'm dangerous enough in my current one...so what if I tend to drive like a true Italian driver

they should think of it like a rollercoaster rather than a car ride

Simon L · Sep 29, 2016

Masslob said:
You

You dont know how I drive many of my friends have legit pleaded with me not to get a more powerful car as apparently I'm dangerous enough in my current one...so what if I tend to drive like a true Italian driver they should think of it like a rollercoaster rather than a car ride

You just need to have a bit of healthy respect for it's power. It's not hairline trigger responsive but it goes quicker than you think it's going. Just take it easy to begin with and get used to it, you don't really want to redline a new engine anyway, and definitely not until the oil gets up to temp (just in case you missed the many warnings plastered all over this forum)

You'll do fine

Simon L · Sep 29, 2016

..............if you're a bit of a speed demon though, best stick some cash aside for the inevitable speeding fines and insurance premium hike..... :whistle2:

Masslob · Sep 29, 2016

Simon L said:
..............if you're a bit of a speed demon though, best stick some cash aside for the inevitable speeding fines and insurance premium hike.....

That why I fitted it out with every driver assist extra there. The more it does they less likely we are to have incidents

Every review I read said numb, un-involving handling and safe and solid drive. Between the assist extras and the Conservative handling I reckon it will balance out my Mediterranean driving style.

Falmouthboy · Sep 29, 2016

Unless you are a complete plonker you will have no issues. The combination of electronic driver aids will keep you out of trouble provided you aren't stupid. In dynamic mode the throttle response is sharper, so perhaps avoid that at first. If you really want to tread carefully at first, keep it in economy mode which really softens the throttle response. However, whatever mode you are in, floor it and you are asking for trouble if you aren't used to that amount of power.

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Firstname_lastname · Sep 29, 2016

Falmouthboy said:
Unless you are a complete plonker you will have no issues. The combination of electronic driver aids will keep you out of trouble provided you aren't stupid. In dynamic mode the throttle response is sharper, so perhaps avoid that at first. If you really want to tread carefully at first, keep it in economy mode which really softens the throttle response. However, whatever mode you are in, floor it and you are asking for trouble if you aren't used to that amount of power.

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Seconded, It's not a top fuel dragster, even in dynamic mode you have to really, really go for it before it wakes up, and even then then its more playful than actually trying to kill you. Audi put loads of anti idiot features into the S3, but still I am not saying its impossible to lose it, treat it with a bit of respect (it is a powerful car after all) and it'll reward you every time you get into it.

Also watch your speed, its faster than it seems, i really mean that, the sound deadening and refinement/composure of the ride hide its speed very well, and its possible to not realise that your going 10+ MPH (by the Matt Farah method of calculating speed)

Jcbmally · Sep 29, 2016

Simon L said:
I went from a Rav 4 that did 60 in about 10.5 secs..................although felt more like 10 years tbh

Yer not gonna hit a wall yer muppet!! lol

Was that with a tail wind down hill ? :racer:

mfl · Sep 29, 2016

grandma or grandpa can drive the S3, its the most gentle performance car I have ever driven, so many driver aids..no wheelspin anywhere, no burn outs, no drifting, ......drive like an idiot and even a Corolla, will take your life. ... but do keep an eye on the speedo.

Simon L · Sep 29, 2016

Jcbmally said:
Was that with a tail wind down hill ?

Could've happily driven it off a cliff mate, it was so dull to drive!! Having said that it was rock solid, cheap to run and saw the family through many happy years.............kinda miss chucking everything in it and not giving a sh!t what it looked like!! lol

Jcbmally · Sep 29, 2016

Simon L said:
kinda miss chucking everything in it and not giving a sh!t what it looked like!! lol

Hahaha, one good thing about a "knock about car" mate. :respekt:

Rob2k68 · Sep 29, 2016

You'll probably be wanting more in six months :yahoo:

................

Simon L · Sep 29, 2016

Rob2k68 said:
You'll probably be wanting more in six months ................

6 months?? You wouldn't wait 6 days Rob ..................monsieur Vin Sprung Durck Diesel !! lol

ian225 · Sep 29, 2016

I find you drive less powerful cars harder as you need to to get the most out of them, once you get a more powerful car you seem to Drive more sensibly for some reason, or maybe I'm just getting older lol

Simon L · Sep 29, 2016

ian225 said:
I find you drive less powerful cars harder as you need to to get the most out of them, once you get a more powerful car you seem to Drive more sensibly for some reason, or maybe I'm just getting older lol

Definitely getting older mate but I'm with you all the way! lol

Jcbmally · Sep 29, 2016

ian225 said:
I find you drive less powerful cars harder as you need to to get the most out of them, once you get a more powerful car you seem to Drive more sensibly for some reason, or maybe I'm just getting older lol

Yup,,, just getting older. :whistle2:

I work mine, the wife's and even the boss' hard :rockwoot:

Simon L · Sep 29, 2016

Going back to a few earlier comments, and with my slightly more serious hat on for a sec, I do get the criticism of Audi's performance cars....................a bit too safe, nannyish............toys to correct your mistakes etc but what I don't get is those that suggest a real performance car has to be rear wheel drive, so you can push it to the limit round corners, correcting your oversteer as you go .....................hang a few donuts round tesco car-park wheel-spinning like a hero..........blah blah blah

All I can say is thank god Audi cars can't do that coz in the wrong hands you get pillocks like this who one day will kill someone....................

Jcbmally · Sep 29, 2016

Simon L said:
Going back to a few earlier comments, and with my slightly more serious hat on for a sec, I do get the criticism of Audi's performance cars....................a bit too safe, nannyish............toys to correct your mistakes etc but what I don't get is those that suggest a real performance car has to be rear wheel drive, so you can push it to the limit round corners, correcting your oversteer as you go .....................hang a few donuts round tesco car-park wheel-spinning like a hero..........blah blah blah

All I can say is thank god Audi cars can't do that coz in the wrong hands you get pillocks like this who one day will kill someone....................

Yup Simon L the guys are ding bats. Time and a place for hooning around, defo not the high street.
Plus, the first thing I think of when seeing peeps doing stuff like this is,,,,,,,,,,, what a pr##k :haudrauf:

Diggerz039 · Sep 29, 2016

Agree with Simon. How often do the rear wheel drivers plan on drifting round a corner? Never ever see it on roads. All i see is from a red light and first to be away up to the next light or when the loser gives up. The s3 (i have saloon) is so quick. I had a 330d bmw 3 series before which was 0 to 60 in 6.5. And a vxr which was slightly quicker. That was quick to me. This s3 saloon is something else. Its also good if you want to take it easy.

Then when you fancy smashing it, whack down on the stick (auto stick) and youre in sports. And you notice instantly

Amazing car. I dont know about hb or sb though...

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mfl · Sep 29, 2016

Simon L said:
but what I don't get is those that suggest a real performance car has to be rear wheel drive, so you can push it to the limit round corners, correcting your oversteer as you go .....................hang a few donuts round tesco car-park wheel-spinning like a hero..........blah blah blah

I remember a young French lady many, many years ago who did a pretty good job at showing what you could do with a Quattro, so I agree it doesn't have to be a RWD car.

Daveotto · Sep 29, 2016

You will be fine, like any car it takes an hour or so to get used how it responds, just don't wear diving boots the first time you drive it as the accelerator does need a bit of feathering/finese in dynamic mode

The one thing you do have to watch out for is other drivers at roundabouts as most don't realise how fast you get to them when you pull out as they assume you are in an average car with average acceleration. Lost count of the number of times I have to brake on a roundabout or here myself shouting "wait" as I approach the next exit/entrance.

Masslob · Sep 29, 2016

Thanks guys. I think as suggested above I'll start in eco mode to I get used to it and then work my way to comfort and then dynamic. People always accuse me of having a heavy footo on the gas which is why I have to be more careful in a vastly more powerful car than I currently have. And to think this was the least powerful of the performance hatches I was looking at there other 3 go from 340 to 380 bhp. God knows what they must be like to control

GSB · Sep 30, 2016

The power hike is noticable, but the chassis makes it very easy to use it very very regularly. Just drive it in drive select auto mode and get used to it. It's not some savage rear drive '70's widow maker that'll catch out the unwary and unskilled and send them **** first through a hedgerow in a fiery shower of blazing wreckage. It's actually rather benign, and you will find your self at speeds bordering on lethal very very quickly, and seemingly without any effort being required. It gathers speed very very quickly, and you need to use it responsibly.

Efficiency mode is crap too, the restricted torque through 98% of the throttle travel is frustrating and artificial, and in my opinion more likely to catch you out as the last 2% on the throttle gives you the full beans in one big lump.

Masslob · Sep 30, 2016

It concerned me as a mate who bought a 500bhp M5 almost lost control when he underestimated it's power. I was worried that given the way I drive I'd put my foot down and be caught off guard and have an accident.

GSB · Sep 30, 2016

If you treat the throttle like a light switch then you need to learn better car control. You can get away with it in something low powered and benign, as it's usually massively over tyred and set up to understeer, to appease the sort of people who don't like driving, and only care about the colour.

There's no amount of ASC, ABS or ESP that'll bail out the lead footed buffoon when he's got significant amounts of power available to him though. Underestimate powerful cars at your peril.

If you're genuinely worried, or you geniunely are one of these people who is continually stabbing away at the throttle like you're trying to stamp out an ant colony, go on a car handling course. It'll teach you the finer points of throttle control, and show you that fine control of the throttle can have a huge effect on steering, comfort, and safety.

Failing that, sellotape a raw egg to the throttle pedal, and drive it that way. You'll very quickly learn the required finesse needed for fine car control, and your passengers will thank you for it.

For gods sake though, put the egg in a bag. It's a Royal pain to clean egg out of your carpets.

Masslob · Sep 30, 2016

Lol I believe I'm just over thinking it. I made the jump from 110bhp golf to a 200bhp a3 against popular opinion cos they thought I'd be in trouble with the power hike. After a wobbly first few days I now drive her like a pro. So I'm sure after the initial learning curve I should be fine

Brasso · Sep 30, 2016

Firstname_lastname said:
Seconded, It's not a top fuel dragster, even in dynamic mode you have to really, really go for it before it wakes up, and even then then its more playful than actually trying to kill you. Audi put loads of anti idiot features into the S3, but still I am not saying its impossible to lose it, treat it with a bit of respect (it is a powerful car after all) and it'll reward you every time you get into it.

Also watch your speed, its faster than it seems, i really mean that, the sound deadening and refinement/composure of the ride hide its speed very well, and its possible to not realise that your going 10+ MPH (by the Matt Farah method of calculating speed)

The driver aids are certainly excellent, having turned them off for a damp launch one day the car certainly became a bit of a handful then .

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Ofarlig · Sep 30, 2016

The S3 is not nearly powerful enough for it to be a problem really. Even with ESC "off" while launching or full throttling out of corners in the wet is far from scary or out of control.

It's not a supercar just a fast standard car.

GSB · Sep 30, 2016

Ofarlig said:
The S3 is not nearly powerful enough for it to be a problem really. Even with ESC "off" while launching or full throttling out of corners in the wet is far from scary or out of control.

I think you may be underestimating the overwhelming superiority of the power of stupidity.

There are some stunningly dumb people out there. People so dumb that you have to wonder how they manage to get through the night with forgetting how to breathe. The sort of people who would leave a car in gear and crank it into their own garage door on the starter motor motor, watching the closed door lurch closer in halting surges without once thinking that the way to stop this collision is already in their hand, and they merely need to turn it the other way.

These people do not need to be in charge of a 300 hp car. Would you give this person the keys to your S3? I wouldn't even put them in charge of the TV remote.

Brasso · Sep 30, 2016

Ofarlig said:
The S3 is not nearly powerful enough for it to be a problem really. Even with ESC "off" while launching or full throttling out of corners in the wet is far from scary or out of control.

It's not a supercar just a fast standard car.

I agreed the 300bhp is not a problem, nor is it scary with the aids turned off, if fact it's quite fun if your not on public roads.

The safety aids just make it easier and much more predictable for the average driver.

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Facelift A3 TFSI to S3 power increase?

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in ur base killin ur doodz

Started with nothing & still have most of it left.

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