All the brochure pics and publicity pics you see do indeed appear to be of the Sport model rather than the SE.
According to Audi the Sport is meant to be 15mm lower than the SE, which like you say you'll hardly notice. The only thing really that makes it look different is that the SE has 16" alloys whereas the Sport has 17" and wider tyres.
Having been looking closely at Sport and SE models, the distance between tyre top and wheel arch is 75mm on the Sport and 90mm on the SE, this fits in with the Sport having 15mm lower suspension. It looks a bit more on the SE as there is less shiny alloy and more black rubber on the 16" wheels than on the 17" wheels. Your eye is drawn to the shiny alloy and there is less of it on the 16" so the wheels look a lot smaller even though the actual diameter of the 16" and 17" wheels fitted with factory tyres is virtually the same.
The 17" alloys on 225/45 tyres will have a 2mm larger diameter than the 16" 205/55 set up on the SE. Therefore if you fitted 17" on the SE the difference between tyre top and wheel arch drops by 2mm to approx 88mm.
Having seen an SE fitted with 17" Sport alloys, unless you look closely you'll find it hard to distinguish it from a Sport as the approx 13mm difference in resulting ride height doesn't really show unless you are looking for it.
It would however show more on 16" alloys as the shiny alloy wheel is only around 43cm wide as opposed to 47cm and it's the shiny alloy that you notice!
It could be in the photos that it is hard to distinguish what is black tyre and what is 'black' gap between the wheel arch and tyre???
Does anyone know - is you car going to be more 'pumped' up on the suspension when you get it as the shocks are new but then relatively quickly drops a little as they bed in?????
