Autocar review - New S3 but praise for the 8L S3 too!

[jamiekip]

Thought you might like this....

http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/RoadTestsHistory/Audi-A3-S3/224171/

"Not so long ago, the first-generation S3 stood alone as the one genuinely good car to drive in Audi’s range. And that was less than three years ago.

What the original S3 did that no other Audi could replicate at the time was deliver a full and complete package of abilities to its intended audience. It looked good, went well, handled tidily and had a very smart interior. And all for only a small premium above its more mainstream competition.

Except in reality it had almost no competition. At the time there were no other high-quality, high-performance four-wheel-drive hatchbacks on the market. The EvoBishi brigade bought Subarus and Evos, the rest of the market bought S3s, and there was virtually no crossover between the two. Audi had a niche in the market all to itself.

 

[icenutter]

Good reading. Except its standing is weakened by asserting that the previous S3 handles well, when infact it's just a safe underdamped understeerer - like most of the Audi range it has to be said. Except the RS6 and B7 RS4 maybe (which incidentally I have never driven).

Does that sound like a rant? It's not supposed to be...

 

[S3Steve]

Good read mate.

13.9 sec 1/4 as standard, thats impressive.

 

[jamiekip]

I know you're not ranting mate.

It says it was the best handling Audi up till 3 years ago - I think most Audi drivers will be first to admit that their car's have always been nose heavy, I know my old S3 would like to understeer, a trait of the quattro set up pushing everything over the front axle..... but to say it is the best handling Audi car for years is pretty cool.
Plus the article makes a good point about Audi's advances in handling on new cars.... Did you check out the in gear times??? Even fifth is quick at low revs! Was quite (pleasently) surprised by the summary on the new S3..... mine comes in 2 weeks!!!

 

[jcs356]

Having read that, I bet you can't wait for your new toy to arrive! I bought the mag yesterday and was pleasantly surprised when I read the review. Still keeping my fingers crossed for an RS3, though...

 

[jamiekip]

Counting the days mate..... an RS3, if they fatten the arches, widen the track and stick either a turbo'd inline 5 or maybe the 3.6 v6 from the R36 passet in it....... it will be a beast.... we can dream eh!!!

356 speedster.... nice summer toy!!!

 

[jojo]

Now I wouldn't mind taking a new S3 out for a testdrive, but I will most probably buy one if I do, so maybe at a later date.

 

[jcs356]

I took one out just before Xmas. Salesman wanted me to drive along his 'route' - I wanted to go my 'route'. He seemed desperate to prove to me it was fast in a straight line until I told him I knew it would be fast in a straight line and it was the bendy bits I was more interested in. With me in the seat we went my 'route' and having got to the road I wanted to drive along (Deepcut Bends if anyone knows it) it took him about 3 minutes before he asked me to slow down!!! He said he'd only been in the job for 4 weeks an writing off their S3 demonstrator wouldn't look good for his job prospects. I was driving 'fast' but wasn't really pushing it. Killjoy.

I'm moving a bit off topic here, but the new TT is offered with an option for magnetic dampers that can adjust the feeling of the car in motion. They aren't currently available on the new S3 which I can't understand.

 

[jcs356]

Counting the days mate..... an RS3, if they fatten the arches, widen the track and stick either a turbo'd inline 5 or maybe the 3.6 v6 from the R36 passet in it....... it will be a beast.... we can dream eh!!!

356 speedster.... nice summer toy!!!

Cheers - the speedster is great for posing.

I know I'm only dreaming, but I'd like to see the RS3 use the new 'twincharger' technology that VW have introduced. So keep it as the 2litre engine (so it isn't nose heavy), but twincharge it. Considering they can get over 200bhp from a 1.4 (currently only the 170bhp version is in production), I'm sure they could get well over 300 from the 2.0....

Oh, well, back to reality. Still on the RS3 waiting list with Camberley Audi if it does happen.