A3 Sportback S-Line - Poor Ride?

rob1210

rob1210

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Hi,

I am waiting on my new A3 Sportback 170 S-line Stronic to be delievered in a couple of weeks. I've been reading some scare stories on the net that the ride is really bone-jarring harsh. I would be interested in hearing about anyone else's opinion on this.

When I test drove the car it seemed fine and I used to have an A4 2.0t Quattro S-Line with the old style RS4 18" wheels and I was happy with that.
 
I'd take it with a pinch of salt mate. At the end of the day it is as much the fault of the British roads that the suspension can feel hard as it is the fault of the car. It's no Citroen C8, but then you wouldn't want it to be.

After the car you've owned previously it will be fine.
 
It is pretty firm, but nothing like as ridiculously rock hard and spine shattering as the 3-door S-Line !

I was given an S-Line Sportback as a loaner a while back, and the improvement in ride compared to my car was very marked.
 
mfspen said:
It is pretty firm, but nothing like as ridiculously rock hard and spine shattering as the 3-door S-Line !

I was given an S-Line Sportback as a loaner a while back, and the improvement in ride compared to my car was very marked.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with that I had a 2004 A3 sport and suspension was a lot harder than my sportback you'll be happy enough with sportback.
 
Didn't know there was suspension difference in between an S line 3 door a3 and an S line sportback?
 
The ride in my 170 S-Line is firm but in no way can it be described as harsh or bone jarring.

I carry my aging inlaws around and they have never moaned that the ride is uncomfortable and believe me they would soon start bleating if it was.
I've not been in a 3 door S-Line but seen a few posts on here saying that the 3 door does have a much firmer ride compared to the 5 door.

Edit
I guess the extra weight of the Sportback and (if fitted) diesel engine will make the suspension feel quite different.
 
I can confirm there's nothing to worry about in the suspension department, in fact I think they've got it pretty much spot on (for my liking), having owned and raced a Plus 8 Morgan for years I know all about bone jarring rides.
 
I read all this before I bought mine but after a test drive it didn't put me off at all, was expecting it to crash about all over the place the way some of the press go on about it. Sure its firm but not in an uncomfortable way! Its no harder a ride than my Dads MK5 Golf GT TDi :icon_thumright:

I used to have a Corsa B with 17" wheels on 40 profile tyres and lowered suspension, now that was what you call a hard ride! :lmfao:
 
Rob, coilovers refers to "coil spring over strut", which is when the coil spring is assembled over the shock absorber. The whole unit comes as one assembly. Some coilovers are provided with a height adjuster 'Nut'.
Often seen as a component of McPherson strut front suspension systems.
Hope this helps. Cheers.
 
Basically Rob, with a set of coilovers, you improve the whole smoothness of the ride of the car and also depending on which set you go for you can get ones with "adjustable damping" so you can set the car up to be as smooth or as hard as you like!

Hope this helps :icon_thumright:
 
mfspen said:
It is pretty firm, but nothing like as ridiculously rock hard and spine shattering as the 3-door S-Line !
Click to expand...

We had an s-line quattro 3door 170 on demo for the weekend when we were shopping for a new one. Girlf took it for a quick blast over the yorkshire moors with me as a passenger, I had to ask her to stop the car because I felt physically sick :puke2:
 
GhostyDog said:
We had an s-line quattro 3door 170 on demo for the weekend when we were shopping for a new one. Girlf took it for a quick blast over the yorkshire moors with me as a passenger, I had to ask her to stop the car because I felt physically sick :puke2:
Click to expand...

I thought car sickness was made worse by cars with softer suspension as they roll more causing more disturbance to the inner ear????

Perhaps it was just your gf's driving :)
 
I have an A3 140 Sportback S-Line and the ride is firm'ish ... it is no way harsh. I find the ride a happy compromise for comfort and sporty.

I personally would hate a car with very soft plush suspension that rolls about in the bends, but it is all personal choice.

My previous car was a subaru impreza sti with prodive suspension - that was very firm, so to me the S-Line is quite soft and comfortable. It handles the bumps in the road just fine and doesn't lean too much in the bends.

Just my 2p worth.
 
I have the S-Line 3-door.
The ride is perfect, no more no less!
Firm and smooth. Stiff but not bone crushing (previous car was an 8L with H&R Cup kit that lowered it 35mm - that car was worse in terms of ride quality at lower speeds. It bounced a bit too much for my likings. But as soon as the road opened up it felt pretty much like the 8P S-Line. Overall, the H&R setup wasn't half as good as the S-Line 8P.

Swallows most bumps in a controlled way, but of course the roads here in Norway can be pretty bad and sometimes you (the car) suffer a little. Could be a lot worse...

A pitty it doesn't lower the car properly :)
 
I've had my Sportback 2.0 TFSi S-line Quattro for 2 weeks and I am really pleased with the ride. I had also been worried by some of the comments on here, but they are not valid IMHO. The ride is taut, firm and roadholding is excellent. It doesn't jar or jump about.
 
audi upgrades
garypaul said:
I thought car sickness was made worse by cars with softer suspension as they roll more causing more disturbance to the inner ear????

Perhaps it was just your gf's driving :)
Click to expand...

Heh, there's nothing to hold onto as a pasenger and the wife drives rather fast, I was bounced around all over the job :(

Incidentally, I don't think i've ever seen anything as wrong as your avatar :puke2:
 
You will love it mate, the next couple of weeks will drag but then it will be "happy days" when it arrives and you keep wanting to go for a drive.

Enjoy ... we did ...
 
Unless you're particularly swayed by the flash badging, spoilers etc., then also consider the Sport edition of the sportback.

I took a bit of a risk ordering this, as I wanted something sportier than the SE, but without the jarring I took issue with after extended tests of S-Lines. The trouble for me was locating a 2.0T Sport non-quattro with 18"s to take for a decent test ... pretty much impossible over the course of 4 months. Nearest I found was a 3.2Q DSG with 17"s, but what with the DSG and the overall heaviness of the car, I didn't feel I was getting a decent all-round representation.

The dealer I ended up handing over my hard earned didn't know there was any difference between the ride of Sport and S-Line editions. Another dealer I had test drives with reckoned that the choice of 18"s over the standard 17"s would negate the lowering difference benefit between Sport and the S-Line. Happily for me, this has not been the case.

So far in 3 months of ownership there's not been a long trip gone by - that might involve harsh roads / tight bends - without me (or my partner) saying sooo glad we went for the Sport/18"s config.

Each to his own ...
 
sukrw said:
I have an A3 140 Sportback S-Line and the ride is firm'ish ... it is no way harsh. I find the ride a happy compromise for comfort and sporty.

I personally would hate a car with very soft plush suspension that rolls about in the bends, but it is all personal choice.

My previous car was a subaru impreza sti with prodive suspension - that was very firm, so to me the S-Line is quite soft and comfortable. It handles the bumps in the road just fine and doesn't lean too much in the bends.

Just my 2p worth.
Click to expand...


I'm with you on this mate. Every other car I've had I've lowered and uprated the suspension. I prefer it to be firm and handle well rather than soft and 'bouncy'.

Must say, I'm impressed by the 170 Sportback handling as I really notice the active steering on high speed bends....makes a big difference compared to my A3 1.8TS.......
 
There's no doubting my S-line's suspension is leagues ahead of my previous A4 sport (02 model), but it's still not great.
It's still way harder than it needs to be.
It's perfectly possible to combine sporty and comfy, but the S-line doesn't do it.
Rebound damping, in particular, is **** poor.
The car will 'ping' back off undulations and have your head shooting for the roof and your **** leaving the seat.
That's the dampers being completely overwhelmed by the springs.
 
Well after two days driving I realise my gears were unfounded, really happy with the ride. I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea and wouldn't be great for a gentle afternoon drive with your grandmother but then again we buy the s-line for the "sportiness". Handles so much better than my previous Golf Sport 2.0tdi.
 
No problem with A3 Sportback suspension down here in Bristol. Would be even better if our rubbish Council (North Somerset) filled in some potholes.:hubbahubba:
 
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