S3 Overkill?

Was I right to go Navarra over Daytona?

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SamP97

SamP97

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Hi everyone,

New member here. I've just ordered a new S3 sportback with tech and comfort packs in Navarra blue.
Currently driving an A3 S Line 1.6 TDI (pitiful I know).

Do you think I should have got another A3 with the 2.0TFSI instead, is the S3 a little bit overkill? Ended up getting it through carwow, at 2k deposit and £380 a month over four years, I'm pretty certain I've got a good deal here maybe some of you can comment further.

What I'm mainly looking for is people with S3's and your opinions on them, a few people have said to me oh you're brave the running costs on that are going to be horrendous but I can't imagine it'll be that bad. Am I to be excited, or dread my decision?
 

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Navarra, absolutely... it's an amazing blue.

S3 at the right price is a better bet than a vanilla A3. Better residuals, yet often there are bigger discounts. Plus, you might have heard that it is a lot faster.
 
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if you want an S3...get one :yahoo:
I had absolutely no need for one, still dont...I could have stuck with my 150 2.0tdi sline and would have been fine....
But I ended up getting the itch for one.
 
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audi upgrades
Thanks! I fancied black edition, but hated the alloys it came with, so would have had to have paid extra for the 19inch ones, of course, means forking out for mag ride too, 3k later...!
Whats the navarra like to maintain as a colour, I'm guessing swirls and scratches are constantly trying to make an appearance, I used JetSeal on my A3, but wondering if this will need a ceramic coating...
 
MattSedg said:
if you want an S3...get one :yahoo:
I had absolutely no need for one, still dont...I could have stuck with my 150 2.0tdi sline and would have been fine....
But I ended up getting the itch for one.
Click to expand...
You didn't mention whether you regretted that decision, or need I ask? :laughing:
 
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Another big ? on my mind was transmission, I decided to go S tronic, thoughts on this box?
 
SamP97 said:
Another big ? on my mind was transmission, I decided to go S tronic, thoughts on this box?
Click to expand...
Love the engineering porn and mechanical ingenuity. Loath it's ability to never ever be in the gear "I" want to be in to the point where it will induce actual rage. But I'm in a minority here.
 
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GSB said:
Love the engineering porn and mechanical ingenuity. Loath it's ability to never ever be in the gear "I" want to be in to the point where it will induce actual rage. But I'm in a minority here.
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Some people go on about it being 'twitchy' or 'judder' when doing the intricate little things, parking on a hill, bay parking etc etc. Load of rubbish or something you've experienced?
 
SamP97 said:
Some people go on about it being 'twitchy' or 'judder' when doing the intricate little things, parking on a hill, bay parking etc etc. Load of rubbish or something you've experienced?
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I've only had some jerkiness when going into reverse and not being gentle enough, this was my first auto gearbox and I love it, only done 380 miles and im used to it now
 
SamP97 said:
a few people have said to me oh you're brave the running costs on that are going to be horrendous but I can't imagine it'll be that bad.
Click to expand...
I'm not complaining, to and from work in a 30, 40 and half mile 70 limit gets me 30mpg. Under £300 to insure and service price on par with most other cars I've had.
 
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Come to mention it, what are the service costs on them :laughing:
Seems to be as soon as you buy an 's' car and try and book one online, all of a sudden the price isn't there...
 
SamP97 said:
Some people go on about it being 'twitchy' or 'judder' when doing the intricate little things, parking on a hill, bay parking etc etc. Load of rubbish or something you've experienced?
Click to expand...
Many many people will disagree with me, but I think that day to day it's occasionally acceptable, but when you're hunting for a gap at a junction I do find the take up on the clutch a little unpredictable, either not pulling away briskly enough, or being far to aggressive. The fact is though that despite being a super high tech box that can change gear faster than my wife can change her mind, it's just not that good at the everyday stuff like pulling away. It's better than the first gen single clutch systems like SMT, SMG, and Ferrari's F1, but outside of going flat out it's yet to get to match the abilities of a slightly portly ham fisted bloke driving with a cup of coffee in one hand.
 
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You've done the right thing getting the S3. I moved from a diesel A3 to an S3 and never regretted it. Over the 40k miles I had it I got 32 mpg that's great. The S3 is like a normal A3 just with a great engine and a few trinkets, it's a good car. As for the gearbox... S-Tronics are hateful but like GSB I'm in the minority as there are plenty of fans. I've moved to an Alfa with a traditional 8 speed slush box and, while I'd still choose a manual if I could, it's a much better box than the S-Tronic. So much smoother and easy to live with. Regardless, you'll love the car.
 
excellent choice ... I went from a A3 2.0 TDi to the S3 just over a year ago (pre facelift .. grrr ..) and it superb, still love driving it every day ...

overkill ... yeah (my 150 TDi was plenty ... but ... not an S3)
more expensive to run (and service) ... yeah, I get about 350 to a full tank without going nuts

but who cares ... its an S3, and if thats what you want, an A3 just won't cut it :)

ohh and the S-Tronic is fantastic, great for lazy drives and blasting about as well, both my A3 and S3 had is, S3 is far better though in terms of the S-Tronic ... oddly

my problem is where to go next, S5 is the next logical step, but finding it hard to justify another S series really, might need to be a top specced A5 ... gonna be a tough decision, but at least if got another year or so to think about it
 
Overkill? Nope, not sure there is ever such a thing.

Speed wise possibly, but if it's what you want go for it. My brother has a TTS and yet barely drives it like it has 300bhp. Go for it.
 
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I can put your mind at ease here as I had very similar thought when I ordered my S5 couple of years back. Originally was going to get a 2.0TFSI quattro, but found I could get the S5 for similar amounts using fake money off finance and just went for it. After, I heard lots of owners of the 2.0TFSI only getting around 25MPG, whereas I get 22MPG and the S5 performance is such a huge step up. Servicing is alright if you ring around enough dealers and insurance was only £300....I know I would have been kicking myself if I got the A5 knowing what I know now.

As for the S3...I have a Navarra blue S3 hatch on order for September and that would be the equivalent of £360 per month with £2k down over 48months, so sounds like your deal for a Sportback if decent :) I managed around 16% discount including the contribution using finance (£1900). I also have very little options wise (metallic paint and folding mirrors), so you've done well mate!

Also thought about Daytona, but went with Navarra in the end as it reminds me of Estoril, which I love.

Enjoy it mate, honestly running costs wont be that far off a 2.0TFSI and the performance gulf is plenty big enough to justify it anyway :)
 
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Cheers guys, would love to reply to you all individually but it's getting late.
Very glad to hear all of you are glad to be in an S3. I'm very excited and do think this will be the perfect car for me (during the week to work) yet still be the car my family needs it to be. Like Sandman says, I don't know what else I would get as a sporty little family car, certainly not for 35k!
I will have a long hard think about whether to change to manual tomorrow, when they call to finalise the spec.
 
Any word on how good that B&O sound system is?
Not that I'm sure I'll use it, until I'm over the sound of the car, rather than trying to mask my diesel clattering along :tearsofjoy:
 
SamP97 said:
Cheers guys, would love to reply to you all individually but it's getting late.
Very glad to hear all of you are glad to be in an S3. I'm very excited and do think this will be the perfect car for me (during the week to work) yet still be the car my family needs it to be. Like Sandman says, I don't know what else I would get as a sporty little family car, certainly not for 35k!
I will have a long hard think about whether to change to manual tomorrow, when they call to finalise the spec.
Click to expand...

Ah yea, on the S-tronic worry...this is a worry of mine too. The hesitancy on my previous A5 2.0TFSI turbo was very noticeable and the supercharged S5 was such a relief from this perspective, as it didnt suffer from this at all.

Supercharger, Torsen quattro and S-Tronic really is a stunning combination.

Going back to a 2.0TFSI turbo does have me slightly worried....
 
DrEskimo said:
I can put your mind at ease here as I had very similar thought when I ordered my S5 couple of years back. Originally was going to get a 2.0TFSI quattro, but found I could get the S5 for similar amounts using fake money off finance and just went for it. After, I heard lots of owners of the 2.0TFSI only getting around 25MPG, whereas I get 22MPG and the S5 performance is such a huge step up. Servicing is alright if you ring around enough dealers and insurance was only £300....I know I would have been kicking myself if I got the A5 knowing what I know now.

As for the S3...I have a Navarra blue S3 hatch on order for September and that would be the equivalent of £360 per month with £2k down over 48months, so sounds like your deal for a Sportback if decent :) I managed around 16% discount including the contribution using finance (£1900). I also have very little options wise (metallic paint and folding mirrors), so you've done well mate!

Also thought about Daytona, but went with Navarra in the end as it reminds me of Estoril, which I love.

Enjoy it mate, honestly running costs wont be that far off a 2.0TFSI and the performance gulf is plenty big enough to justify it anyway :)
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Sounds like we have had many a same thought run through our heads, good to hear what you've just said!
Sounds like you've done well too, and I agree regarding blue. My A3 is scuba blue at the moment, and I initially thought I'd move away from dark blue colours due to the insane amount of time I've spent cleaning and polishing that car, but the gorgeous finish you do get from a darker blue just puts everything else to shame (in my opinion), so looks like I'll still be cleaning for some weekends to come!
 
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DrEskimo said:
Ah yea, on the S-tronic worry...this is a worry of mine too. The hesitancy on my previous A5 2.0TFSI turbo was very noticeable and the supercharged S5 was such a relief from this perspective, as it didnt suffer from this at all.

Supercharger, Torsen quattro and S-Tronic really is a stunning combination.

Going back to a 2.0TFSI turbo does have me slightly worried....
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Hopefully, we won't be disappointed, I'll do my best to remember to check back with you on this, as I'm in for a September build as well.
My only experience of an S tronic is an A6's 2.0TDI, which in fairness I found very smooth, however, I partly put this down to diesels preference of low revs, making it simple for an computer to know where to put the car... maybe I'm wrong.
 
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SamP97 said:
Any word on how good that B&O sound system is?
Not that I'm sure I'll use it, until I'm over the sound of the car, rather than trying to mask my diesel clattering along :tearsofjoy:
Click to expand...

The B&O is very impressive for a factory fit system, an hours drive home from the detail had my ears feeling it. It seems to handle whatever you throw at it!
 
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It all depends what you're comparing the various aspects with.
If you're stepping up the car ladder, bits will seem expensive.
Personally I, like @DrEskimo, was a member on A5OC, came from an S5 with a 3.0 V6 Supercharged engine and S Tronic box. It had zero hesitation away from junctions and sounded amazing.
Yes the S3 with 2.0 turbo has a slight hesitation away from a junction if you're in a hurry but compare it to an Audi 2.0 TDi STronic and you'll think it's amazing (I'm talking from experience of my wife's A4 which was terrible at quick take offs).
My costs for insurance, car tax and monthly' shave reduces although fuel consumption is very similar.
The wifes A4 was Daytona and, whilst it's a cracking colour, it didn't excite me like Navarra did (which I ordered without seeing it as there were none about in Septmaner last year). Not one regret here either.
One regret I have, which you've not made, is not ordering B&O which I had in my S5 BE and A5 before it, and in my wife's A4 BE and previous TT BE (still don't know why I didn't......... moment of madness!).
 
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Audi Bairn said:
It all depends what you're comparing the various aspects with.
If you're stepping up the car ladder, bits will seem expensive.
Personally I, like @DrEskimo, was a member on A5OC, came from an S5 with a 3.0 V6 Supercharged engine and S Tronic box. It had zero hesitation away from junctions and sounded amazing.
Yes the S3 with 2.0 turbo has a slight hesitation away from a junction if you're in a hurry but compare it to an Audi 2.0 TDi STronic and you'll think it's amazing (I'm talking from experience of my wife's A4 which was terrible at quick take offs).
My costs for insurance, car tax and monthly' shave reduces although fuel consumption is very similar.
The wifes A4 was Daytona and, whilst it's a cracking colour, it didn't excite me like Navarra did (which I ordered without seeing it as there were none about in Septmaner last year). Not one regret here either.
One regret I have, which you've not made, is not ordering B&O which I had in my S5 BE and A5 before it, and in my wife's A4 BE and previous TT BE (still don't know why I didn't......... moment of madness!).
Click to expand...

So the *** just doesn't make up for it AB....? Looks like a regret I will share with you then, oh well...!
 
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I loved my S3 sportback and its DSG Box. Can't think of a better all rounder tbh. I didn't keep mine long enough to experience any servicing costs and such like; fuel consumption was fine though, close to 30mpg. Still miss it. It was a bit of a gateway drug for me though, I flipped a 1.4l 85ps VW Polo for the S3 and inside a year flipped the S3 for a 991 C2S. Beware.

Planning to add an new S3 saloon in March as daily driver so will be back in one :)
 
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I think you will enjoy your S3. It's a great car. I can drive my elderly mother in comfort mode and she feels cosseted or when I'm in the mood on my own put it in dynamic and scare myself. The dog is happy in the back and there's plenty of room for trips to the dump. Two standard bins fit in the boot of a sportback without even folding the seats down. You can't have everything in one car but it's a pretty good all-rounder. Navarra is a great colour IMHO and I've had no trouble with the s-tronic (I've never previously owned an auto car but have driven various autos over 28 years of driving).
 
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Great stuff, everyone seems to love their S3, I hope I do mine!
 
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I’d had two A3’s before switching to my S3. One 1.6 petrol the second a 2.0l diesel. Going from ~60mpg to something in potentially single figures was something which bothered me slightly...

However, you’d be surprised. On long motorway runs I’ve actually managed to get 41mpg out of it. Which cruise control on. :)

An for those “spirited” drives the 310bhp knocks your socks off! Along with delivering those ~12mpg figures

I don’t have any regrets picking Navarra when I got mine. However, like you’ve mentioned she does like to scratch easily!

I’ve a mate who works in a insurance approved body shop who’s recommended some Poorboy’s black hole to mask some of the scratches not if, but when they happen.

She can give a great deep shine tho, and gets lots of comments from other enthusiasts :)

I personally am yet to experience jerkiness when trying to park and such like. Sometimes 1st to 2nd gear can be a bit... jumpy.. but I think that’s me rather then the car

You certainly won’t be disappointed

b0dfe184cfb5ded8cbafc655d495049e.jpg
5064de35baa591b4536b8fb23a09a973.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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MikeSel^ said:
I’d had two A3’s before switching to my S3. One 1.6 petrol the second a 2.0l diesel. Going from ~60mpg to something in potentially single figures was something which bothered me slightly...

However, you’d be surprised. On long motorway runs I’ve actually managed to get 41mpg out of it. Which cruise control on. :)

An for those “spirited” drives the 310bhp knocks your socks off! Along with delivering those ~12mpg figures

I don’t have any regrets picking Navarra when I got mine. However, like you’ve mentioned she does like to scratch easily!

I’ve a mate who works in a insurance approved body shop who’s recommended some Poorboy’s black hole to mask some of the scratches not if, but when they happen.

She can give a great deep shine tho, and gets lots of comments from other enthusiasts :)

I personally am yet to experience jerkiness when trying to park and such like. Sometimes 1st to 2nd gear can be a bit... jumpy.. but I think that’s me rather then the car

You certainly won’t be disappointed

b0dfe184cfb5ded8cbafc655d495049e.jpg
5064de35baa591b4536b8fb23a09a973.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Thanks very much! Your car looks great by the way, and good to see another Meguiar's fan out there :tonguewink:
 
SamP97 said:
Sounds like we have had many a same thought run through our heads, good to hear what you've just said!
Sounds like you've done well too, and I agree regarding blue. My A3 is scuba blue at the moment, and I initially thought I'd move away from dark blue colours due to the insane amount of time I've spent cleaning and polishing that car, but the gorgeous finish you do get from a darker blue just puts everything else to shame (in my opinion), so looks like I'll still be cleaning for some weekends to come!
Click to expand...

That's my feeling exactly. My S3 was Glacier which was easy to keep clean and didn't show swirl marks even in sunlight. However after a couple of hours detailing I just couldn't get the OMG factor that I wanted. There's only so far you can take a light colour whereas Navarra Blue, oh yes I could enjoy pampering a car that colour. Gently polishing any swirls out a couple of times a year will do no damage.
 
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I find the S3 really cheap to run. Navarra is a good colour choice too.
 
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If Audi had still sold a FL 184 with a manual box in a nice blue I'd probably have bought one.
Loved the S3 loaner I had for six weeks but could I justify the extra price and 30mpg?

I've had my S3 since last Sept - and still look back every time I walk away from it. Best decision I made. Go for the B&O!

If I spent a lot of time in queuing traffic, I'd go for S-Tronic. Great if you want to floor it, perfect lightening changes bang on the redline every time. But for every day driving I found it snatchy around town, slow to change down for overtaking and reacted with a delay like corporal Jones on parade standing to attention most of the time. Changed up too quickly in D and held onto gears too long in S mode. You're supposed to need to master the accelerator 'technique' to get the best out of it but if there is one, I never mastered it fully after six weeks and it still did crazy annoying changes at times when you would least expect it. I find the manual is just so much more satisfying to drive.
Only you can decide which works best for you . See if you can loan one of each for a few hours to get a good feel and decide for yourself.
 
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SamP97 said:
Currently driving an A3 S Line 1.6 TDI (pitiful I know).

Do you think I should have got another A3 with the 2.0TFSI instead, is the S3 a little bit overkill?

What I'm mainly looking for is people with S3's and your opinions on them, a few people have said to me oh you're brave the running costs on that are going to be horrendous but I can't imagine it'll be that bad. Am I to be excited, or dread my decision?
Click to expand...
... so you don't want any unbiased opinions! :blink:

You are going to be in for a few shocks compared to your current car. Beware of man maths:haha:
 
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Daz Auto said:
... so you don't want any unbiased opinions! :blink:

You are going to be in for a few shocks compared to your current car. Beware of man maths:haha:
Click to expand...
Okay, poor choice of words my apologies. The point I intended to make was that I would like to hear from people who know first hand what those costs of having one are, rather than people I know in person that make assumption, but don't have the faintest of ideas really.

If you could enlighten me that would be great, shocks as in...?
 
I suppose he means you are not going to get the fuel economy of a 1.6 derv and the insurance will be a bit more expensive. I shouldn't think it will be too much of a hardship with the "shock" of rather pleasing performance :salute:.

My car is 9 months old. The fuel economy isn't too bad. It depends how the car is driven. 40 mpg+ is easily achievable for longer runs on relatively clear dual carriageways and motorways. In town, fuel consumption is not good especially in crawling traffic. For heavily congested areas I use the efficiency setting but even so 25-28 mpg. Efficiency does make the car feel like it has been castrated so I change settings once I'm on a more open road.
 
SamP97 said:
Okay, poor choice of words my apologies. The point I intended to make was that I would like to hear from people who know first hand what those costs of having one are, rather than people I know in person that make assumption, but don't have the faintest of ideas really.

If you could enlighten me that would be great, shocks as in...?
Click to expand...
Had my S3 almost 2 and a half years 250 miles a week equates to £45 on fuel, don't drive the car hard either, is the S3 overkill YES.... You can get the Sline model to look almost identical and just as nice looking as the S3..... If 300 pony's aint high on your priorities.... Don't get one, get a nicely specced Sline model
 
Svenedin said:
I suppose he means you are not going to get the fuel economy of a 1.6 derv and the insurance will be a bit more expensive. I shouldn't think it will be too much of a hardship with the "shock" of rather pleasing performance :salute:.

My car is 9 months old. The fuel economy isn't too bad. It depends how the car is driven. 40 mpg+ is easily achievable for longer runs on relatively clear dual carriageways and motorways. In town, fuel consumption is not good especially in crawling traffic. For heavily congested areas I use the efficiency setting but even so 25-28 mpg. Efficiency does make the car feel like it has been castrated so I change settings once I'm on a more open road.
Click to expand...

So even driving like Miss Daisy you only get 25-28mpg around town and you don't find that shocking. You must have done your research. I read this forum and a Golf R forum. People seem genuinely shocked when their S3/R only averages around 30mpg +or- 3. There are lots of posts saying the cars will do over 40mpg, but that is not a realistic average. Then there are other posts with people saying how their cars 'driven properly' are doing 18mpg.

My wife has an Audi A3 1.6 TDI Stronic. We were away for the weekend and did over 300miles. The car averaged 57mpg. Though it does do less if my wife drives :blink: Considering that the S3 requires super unleaded I don't think it is unrealistic to double the annual fuel bill for an S3.

Yesterday I was talking to my wife's insurance company about her renewal. As I use the same company I though I would check what happens to my insurance when my new car arrives. Without getting into all the details I was shocked how much it would cost me to change. I'm an old git and I'm only jumping 3 insurance groups. The Sline 1.6 TDI is group 18. The new S3 is group 39.

Many will argue the costs are a price worth paying for the performance. Yes and no. Undoubtedly the S3 performance is something else. However, on our increasingly congested UK roads how often do you get a chance to use it! My wife summed this up very well. We were on the motorway and I pulled out behind a LaFerrari Aperta £1m hypercar. She said - and your both stuck behind that Fiesta!

Wasn't there a survey recently that showed the Audi S3 was the most stolen car in the UK? That's the kind of attention I would not want my car attracting.

Having said all that - the Audi S3 is an awesome car. You just have to be at a point in your life where you don't care about fuel economy, insurance bills and car thieves.
 
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I forgot to mention. There have been a few issues with the S3. Though hopefully the facelift is proving more reliable and it sounds like you won't be keeping it that long anyway.

The issues were with early turbos, manual clutch slip and faulty four wheel drive systems. Some people had a 300hp front wheel drive S3.:blink:
 
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