RSS-S3
Registered User
Utterly ****** all over a E64 v8 6 series last night, the look of utter shock on his face was priceless!
Last edited by a moderator:
Facelift The S3 is Rapid...
- Thread starter ASRman
- Start date
RSS-S3
Registered User
I think the old Focus RS was awesome, the sound of its 5 pot was legendary, and it went like a bat out of hell especially with a tune. Don't really rate the new one much, seems to loose to just about every other similar hatch despite its 350 bhp. Whats the selling point? It has a 'drift mode' for around the track? Who's going to make use of that on public roads 
I have a good friend who has an RS3 8p (335 bhp), I have sat in it before and it does feel very similar in performance to my FL S3. Will hopefully get some friendly runs in with him this weekend (within speed limits of course etc) and try and get it recorded for you guys. Should be an interesting comparison as the lighter weight of the 3 door 8V makes the power to weight ratios extremely similar
I have a good friend who has an RS3 8p (335 bhp), I have sat in it before and it does feel very similar in performance to my FL S3. Will hopefully get some friendly runs in with him this weekend (within speed limits of course etc) and try and get it recorded for you guys. Should be an interesting comparison as the lighter weight of the 3 door 8V makes the power to weight ratios extremely similar
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2016
- Messages
- 1,355
- Reaction score
- 1,778
- Points
- 113
I disagree, every generation has been pretty awesome in my opinion. I'm a big blue oval fan. The Mk 1 just looked like it had driven off a rally stage, the finish and spec was awesome, and although a bit unruly on the road sometimes because of the aggressive nature of the diff, it was bonkers quick in it's day (not that long ago in my opinion). The Mk 2 again, looked awesome and the Volvo lump was just so nice, lovely sound and very tune-able. Again, drove very well, better on the road than the Mk 1... a Megane RS was a better steer perhaps, but for pure theatre, it was up there with exotica. Mk 3, less aggressive styling pehaps and has been dulled abit by the 2.3i 4-Cyl and AWD, but no doubt about it 's mega performance. Still one of the kings of the hot hatch market and I very nearly bought one (S-Tronic swayed me to a Golf R and then the S3).
A friend of mine had the latest focus RS, he also has a nearly new GTR which is at stage 2. As soon as he got the RS he had it on a Dyno and wasn't putting out anywhere near 350bhp, the car was rejected and a ford specialist told him that 350 figure is very generous....
Nigeltdi4life
Registered User
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2015
- Messages
- 87
- Reaction score
- 71
- Points
- 18
Yea the old A-Class was ugliest of all time my mum had one, complete rubbish lol
Sent from my ALE-L21 using Tapatalk
A45 AMG vs Type R, and from looking at the above vids I would say the S3 and Type R are on a par when accelerating from a roll...
Seems Merc and Ford are seriously overrating their cars?
Seems Merc and Ford are seriously overrating their cars?
Last edited:
I've been googling the dyno results for various cars. Some interesting numbers and variation across the board.
Had an information overload with things like drivetrain loss and parasitic loss for AWD. Need some Paracetamol.
Had an information overload with things like drivetrain loss and parasitic loss for AWD. Need some Paracetamol.
RSS-S3
Registered User
The numbers from earlier were something like 320 for the RS and 280-290 S3. This was after the losses I mentioned earlier were applied. I dont't really know all the techy stuff here.
I've been driving my S3 for a year now. Lovely to look at and sit in but the extended testdrive I had in the Focus Rs really showed up the S3's dynamic insufficiencies.
I've been driving my S3 for a year now. Lovely to look at and sit in but the extended testdrive I had in the Focus Rs really showed up the S3's dynamic insufficiencies.
PanamaS3
Registered User
mine is tweaked to about 400bhp...suspension mods recently done....got a bit overzealous overtaking a car on one-way dual carriage before bend I take every night.....couldn't brake quickly enough before bend (also probably due to not wanting to look like a twot braking right after going past) and whoah lordy got the frigging back end out of sorts a bit....its definitely very deceptive gathering speed and nearly caught me out....but obviously I clenched and drove off like a champ with possible bad smell hanging in the air 
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2016
- Messages
- 1,355
- Reaction score
- 1,778
- Points
- 113
Yeah, it's a shame really. Ford, for some reason have really struggled to get the 2.3i EcoBoost engine working at those power levels, it's main issue seems to be cooling, which has been effecting the engine in different ways. There's also been some gearbox and steering issues from what I've heard, European cars seem less affected oddly, but lots going on in the states about it. Even during the development, it had some problems and was delayed twice. Like I said, a shame really.
By contrast, the S3 is a model of reliability. When you think about it, you get the odd lemon, but on the whole, it's a pretty reliable beast.
Anyone had a play with an M135i?
Had one tailgate me last night on the way home from the gym, not knowing what it was at first, I let him past to see the dual exhaust and little M badge so seeing as the roads were empty thought id have a little sprint with him (up to speed limit etc etc), he immediately floors it...
1. Firstly it sounds ****** spectacular, not sure if he had a stock exhaust or aftermarket but it sounded properly good, almost E46 M3ish but better in my opinion;
2. Secondly it looked ****** sh*t, although I did like the colour, think it was in valencia orange;
3. Finally there was nothing in it in terms of straight line performance, I did reel him in slightly at first up to around 40/50 then as speeds grew I couldn't really close the gap any further. It seemed to fair better against the FL S3 however than the A45 did.
Had it been the newer M140i I have a feeling it would have been a bit quicker than the FL S3
Had one tailgate me last night on the way home from the gym, not knowing what it was at first, I let him past to see the dual exhaust and little M badge so seeing as the roads were empty thought id have a little sprint with him (up to speed limit etc etc), he immediately floors it...
1. Firstly it sounds ****** spectacular, not sure if he had a stock exhaust or aftermarket but it sounded properly good, almost E46 M3ish but better in my opinion;
2. Secondly it looked ****** sh*t, although I did like the colour, think it was in valencia orange;
3. Finally there was nothing in it in terms of straight line performance, I did reel him in slightly at first up to around 40/50 then as speeds grew I couldn't really close the gap any further. It seemed to fair better against the FL S3 however than the A45 did.
Had it been the newer M140i I have a feeling it would have been a bit quicker than the FL S3
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2016
- Messages
- 1,355
- Reaction score
- 1,778
- Points
- 113
Yeah, they are little weapons those things. 140's are a fair bit quicker than the S3... add some British weather to the mix though and the tables are quickly turned. Ugly as sin mind...
Zak0123
Registered User
Been following this thread for the last couple of days and what happens this evening... 'a spirited run in'
I can add to what others are saying, he couldn't pull away in the AMG. I could hear his exhaust crackling and farting away though! Sounded beastly.
The S3 is fast.. and I'm in a manual!
I can add to what others are saying, he couldn't pull away in the AMG. I could hear his exhaust crackling and farting away though! Sounded beastly.
The S3 is fast.. and I'm in a manual!
Nigeltdi4life
Registered User
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2015
- Messages
- 87
- Reaction score
- 71
- Points
- 18
I remember watching a video on YouTube of some guy reviewing the facelift S3 and I'm pretty sure he said it's 50kg lighter than the preface lift, maybe that explains some of its rapidness
Sent from my ALE-L21 using Tapatalk
Sent from my ALE-L21 using Tapatalk
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2016
- Messages
- 1,355
- Reaction score
- 1,778
- Points
- 113
I'd be surprised if that was the case, 50kg is alot to loose in just a facelift. It's probably down to the tiny bit of extra power and the 7-speed box...
Should rename this thread the Not so Fast and
The facelift car is not faster than the PFL
Poppycock...... Most regular members on here know more about the cars than youtube presenters
The facelift car is not faster than the PFL
Even though it has a bhp increase, I'd of thought that the facelift s tronic would be marginally faster? I'm talking points of a second though so probably not noticeable in real world.
I think it looks fairly even between the Focus RS and the S3. Although I think a few times the Focus seems to pull away (look in the wing mirror, S3 falls behind), yet strangely the S3 gains at the end in some of the races. Yet they will be reaching some serious speed there by the time they ease off. So I think the Focus would have the S3 in most day-to-day situations.
Not a Focus fan or anything, just my opinion.
Not a Focus fan or anything, just my opinion.
Wrong. The extra power and better gearing ratios does make a difference. I've actually ran against a pre-facelift S3 recently (s-tronic also) and my car was noticeably quicker, he even rolled the window down afterwards and was equally surprised. Having said that he was in a sportback not a 3-door so perhaps weight was was a factor to an extent
Last edited:
As long as your happy mate, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz,it's irrelevant to me.
I don't think the S3 stock is a fast car either in facelift or preface lift, it all depends on what cars you've driven before or after having the S3
As for drag racing others up to the speed limits,there's so many variables involved as to the outcome with very similar powered cars,my S3 would be so slow as it has the heavier pano-roof lol
Fair enough mate. I haven't got the slightest bit of brand loyalty towards Audi, if anything i'm more of a bimmer guy (flame suit on). But this car is rapid in my view , previous cars i've had are the two previous generations of M5 (V10 E60 and V8 E39) and also driven extensively the newer F10 M5 and a C63 AMG with the performance pack but the little S3 still is mighty impressive for what it is. As for the drag racing I agree it can be extremely variable, if one person floors just slightly ahead it can make a big difference in the result, but we did a few runs and the FL definitely had the edge
My son could get ya a great deal on a new bimmer... next time around lol,he brings home a different one every night,...last night it was a i3........wtf...he said it was fast off the mark though but try's to get me into the drivers seat of each and every one of them..................Sorry son not interested....lol but don't tell anyone on here lol,but l drove a 430d Xdrive....**** that took off like a bat out of hell but the engine was very noisey/rough... great driving position and steering feel.......but l dont like BMW's design language or there interior quality,but l suppose Your either a Fanboy of one or the other....
To be honest maybe l have had the S3 TOO long.....so i have grown weary of it...that's my excuse....
You don't realise how quick these things are until you see another S3 flooring it past you, as I did today 
.
As @Pederson states when you floor it, it doesn't seem like you're pulling on, until you take notice at your needle on the speedo. These cars are very easy to get used to and it often makes you forget how powerful they really are. It can be quite alarming when you reach 71 on the motorway just by the squirt of the pedal.
. As @Pederson states when you floor it, it doesn't seem like you're pulling on, until you take notice at your needle on the speedo. These cars are very easy to get used to and it often makes you forget how powerful they really are. It can be quite alarming when you reach 71 on the motorway just by the squirt of the pedal.
LOL I'll definitely hold you to that, dads set his eyes on getting the new F90 M5 when it comes out next year. i3?! Fast off the mark up to 20mph yeh haha. 430D is nice , cousin has the 335i xdrive that thing is a monster, do like the S3 and it's very capable but you can't beat the feel of a bimmer imo. Fully agreed Re new BMW design I'm not feeling it at all , but I always like to be in the car nobody else has yet i see Audi's a dime a dozen all with their daytime running lights on it does **** me off lol. Seems like BMW is getting less popular which is most likely why I'll be getting into one as soon as I get rid of the S3 . Everything gets boring eventually mate , sometimes good to drive a crap car for a bit then get back into the S3 to realise how good it is
Hi guys, I had my stock S3 dyno'd today, 3 runs max bhp was 340 and 360ft lb torque. Not bad
Dynos number have so many variables so unless you can get a pfl and a fl car and get them to run on the same dyno and run under the same conditions, we won't know the real difference in power. And let's not forgot about the different ratios between the 6 vs 7 speed s tronic box. Anyone know the difference in actual ratios of the 2 boxes ?
Having driven a fl s3 for a few days and only managing 13.7mpg
( I own a pfl btw ) the fl did seem abit quicker, it did fly through the first 2 gears quicker than the pfl, speedo did read quicker but it did have VC which could have given a more accurate reading (higher refresh rate) than than the normal digital speedo. It's a shame the fl doesn't look as good as the pfl in my opinion. But I did love the new 7 speed box and the pops/crackles made it feel like a proper S/RS car. Add these two bits to the pfl and I think it would be the best car in its class as being the perfect all rounder.Mine where very similar results, 3 runs, 1st 338bhp, 2nd and 3rd both 340bhp. Guy said Audi S cars always output higher than the official stated figures.
Beware chassis dyno power readings, they are indicative only, and despite many operators claims they are not to be used to gain a true measurement of power. Their only usefulness is to provide a comparative indication of loss or gain over a starting baseline when repairing, diagnosing or tuning a vehicle. They certainly cannot be relied upon to give definitive readings between different cars (e.g. PFL vs FL) since the high number of variables in play would give a probable error greater than the difference you seek to measure.
Do you not think there is a reason BMW's are becoming less popular?
I do agree you see a hell of a lot of Audi A3's, but not so many S3's. Not new ones anyway (PFL & FL). Another reason I wanted the Saloon. Very few will have a FL S3 and even less people would have the Saloon.
I thought this too when the FL was released, but the more a looked at it, the more I prefered the FL. I now think its sharper and more agressive...(if only slightly).
Do you not think there is a reason BMW's are becoming less popular?
I've just come across someone I'm talking to that is selling his year old RS3 for an M4, madness.
The RS is in Racing Blue and my perfect spec, I saw it at the centre when it was new and by chance found it. Audi have offered him £2k more than he paid for it.
I do wonder what the optional final payment/GFV for RS3's are on PCP. Must be quite high with there almost non-existent depreciation.
Not ridiculous sadly, I believe the PFL was £23k ish? They do hold their value well.
My S3 was £38k list, I gave £34k for it. Nearly 7 months in, 7000 miles it's valued at £29k. So glad I didn't give £38k haha.
No wonder they offered him £2k more for it then. A lot of 2012 8P RS3's I've seen on autotrader are over £23k and cheapest 8V PFL RS3 is £35k+. Maybe they'll change it for the facelift, to me Audi seem to undervalue the GFV, guess they're scared of negative equity at the end of the term.
The GFV on my S3, is £17,500 ish. That is with a 4 year term and 6k miles a year!
If Audi was able to buy a car like that, they would probably sell it before it got listed online. I would probably get the first phonecall, haha.
When I asked them for the 4 year term, the GFV was £15731. Now on 2 years, its at £20900. I know cars depreciate the most in the first year but that's a big decline for 6k miles a year.
