New S3 (or A3!) must haves....

[thebluefox]

Hi all,

Not posted for a while as my MY10 S3 was swapped for an A1 while I bought a house. Now back in the market for a brand new S3 and wondering what optional extras you all couldn't do without?

Currently looking at a Sepang Blue 3 door Black Edition, with Tech, Comfort, Bang and Olufsen, and folding mirrors.

Anything you'd go for as well/instead of those?

I'm currently picking between an S3, a Golf R, and an m135i, but the S3 is winning out as I am an Audi man!

 

[jaypers777]

B&O, Tech Pack, Super Sport Seats are probably my 3 favourite things. You will see my spec in my signature and I'm glad I picked all of them. Only thing missing is cruise control but I hardly used that on my previous car so probably little loss.

 

[batch]

As above plus ILP, side assist and BSP!

 

[HarryM]

Tech pack is a must for me same with the Bang and Olufsen, your list seems good to me maybe look into the red parade pack if you are a fan of two tone colour leather, comfort pack if you want cruise control and auto wipers but the interior light package in my opinion transforms the cars interior at night ! Pic below.

 

[thebluefox]

B&O, Tech Pack, Super Sport Seats are probably my 3 favourite things. You will see my spec in my signature and I'm glad I picked all of them. Only thing missing is cruise control but I hardly used that on my previous car so probably little loss.

I do love the Super Sport Seats, they're an £800 option though and I've got a target price that I'd like to hit, so I'm weighing up what to pick and what not to!

Tech pack is a must for me same with the Bang and Olufsen, your list seems good to me maybe look into the red parade pack if you are a fan of two tone colour leather, comfort pack if you want cruise control and auto wipers but the interior light package in my opinion transforms the cars interior at night ! Pic below.

View attachment 68950

As above plus ILP, side assist and BSP!

The interior light pack does look good! What's BSP though?

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Yeah do have a good spec there already.

Options to possibly consider not on your list:

Mono Pur - I ummed and arrred over this as it really should be standard on a S3 / RS3 but in the end went for it as it does look great and I knew it would niggle me if I didn't have it.

Privacy glass - looks great and and essential item for me, especially if you are going black edition already.

Speaker upgrade - I went audi sound system as it balances upgrade vs cost really well but I would have B&O if £ was no issue.

Everything else is personal choice / circumstances.

 

[batch]

I do love the Super Sport Seats, they're an £800 option though and I've got a target price that I'd like to hit, so I'm weighing up what to pick and what not to!





The interior light pack does look good! What's BSP though?

Black Styling Pack!

 

[batch]

I do love the Super Sport Seats, they're an £800 option though and I've got a target price that I'd like to hit, so I'm weighing up what to pick and what not to!





The interior light pack does look good! What's BSP though?

Black Styling Pack!

 

[Jassyo06]

If l had to choose a S3 again,probably do without the B&O and settle for the *** "not into music really"and go mag ride,but your spec seems very good indeed
Is it the S-tronic you're going for? as that's the most expensive option.ps as Batch said it's the black styling package there's no black edition of the S3 out yet

 

[Simon L]

Mag ride (if not standard) B&O and tech pack are the only ones I couldn't live without.

Reversing camera I would pass on next time. For some reason I drive like a complete fanny when I'm using the camera and park way better without it!

 

[Simon L]

.....Having said that, it does have a useful stealth function but in the interests of forum sexual equality I will refrain from discussing this 'feature' any further

 

[thebluefox]

Ahh sorry, the monkier "Black Edition" is left over from when I bought my old 8P S3!

It is S-Tronic I'm going for...I think.

I'm not sure if mag ride is standard, Sytner Audi in Leicester sent me a spec over for a prebuilt Daytona Grey car as an example but I don't have it to hand.

My dealer also said Mono Pur "isn't worth the extra money"!

 

[Jassyo06]

Ahh sorry, the monkier "Black Edition" is left over from when I bought my old 8P S3!

It is S-Tronic I'm going for...I think.

I'm not sure if mag ride is standard, Sytner Audi in Leicester sent me a spec over for a prebuilt Daytona Grey car as an example but I don't have it to hand.

My dealer also said Mono Pur "isn't worth the extra money"!

All these options are personal preference mate and most of all down to the budget you have,try and get a stock S3, you will get a better Discount/deal instead of a factory order dealers like to shift existing stock before ordering from the factory

 

[G-S3]

I have lots of extras, I use all at some point or another, think Tech Pack, B&O and Drive Assist are well worth the money.

S-Tronic
Comfort pack
Driver Assist pack
Adaptive Plus Headlights
Interior Light pack
B&O Sound System
Tech Pack
Parade Red Leather
Aluminium Roof Rails
Hold Assist
Parking System Plus

Only things I'd like to have tried would be Mag ride and LED headlights

 

[xBox]

Wing design 19"s

 

[Daveotto]

I cant live with anything not in my signature, especially ILP!!!!!!!

Except maybe adaptive lights but as driven way less than 200 miles in the dark out of 4000+ so is maybe to early to tell

 

[Simon L]

I cant live with anything not in my signature, especially ILP!!!!!!!

Except maybe adaptive lights but as driven way less than 200 miles in the dark out of 4000+ so is maybe to early to tell

.......probably the honest answer Dave, but maybe not that useful to those on a budget!

 

[Jassyo06]

I have lots of extras, I use all at some point or another, think Tech Pack, B&O and Drive Assist are well worth the money.

S-Tronic
Comfort pack
Driver Assist pack
Adaptive Plus Headlights
Interior Light pack
B&O Sound System
Tech Pack
Parade Red Leather
Aluminium Roof Rails
Hold Assist
Parking System Plus

Only things I'd like to have tried would be Mag ride and LED headlights

So has half the forum ^^^ the guys on a specific budget...best value for money/must have's

 

[Daveotto]

.......probably the honest answer Dave, but maybe not that useful to those on a budget!

If budget was really tight the only ones I would still try to add would be Comfort Pack and Audi Speakers or alternatively move down to a top end high power A3 2.0 TDI or 1.8 TFSI and add in some options because of the slightly cheaper price and lower running costs...or is that to contentious?

end of the day we all have our own onions and thats why Audi give us so many variants and options as we like to be our own person and also make it fun and seem like we are in control!!!!!!

 

[Jassyo06]

.......probably the honest answer Dave, but maybe not that useful to those on a budget!

Very curt....lol...yeah Dave we would all want the "full monty" if we could..lol except l would'nt get the "drivers assistance package" again as a package its expensive add nothing to residuals,side assist/blind spot recognition/high beam assist being the only items that are really used.
l quite fancy a "Flux Capacitor" in my next new Audi....in black of course

 

[musicegbdf]

For me the must have is the five year warranty.
The nice to have's are comfort pack ,ILP and ***.
Tech pack wasted on me and expensive. My simple rule was negotiate a discount , then spend it in options . That way you should not lose on depreciation.

 

[Simon L]

Very curt....lol...yeah Dave we would all want the "full monty" if we could..lol except l would'nt get the "drivers assistance package" again as a package its expensive add nothing to residuals,side assist/blind spot recognition/high beam assist being the only items that are really used.
l quite fancy a "Flux Capacitor" in my next new Audi....in black of course

haha, yeah wasn't supposed to be though mate. For once I had my sensible hat on and was trying to consider the OP's position...........don't worry, probably won't happen again lol

.......at the end of the day most of the options are just expensive luxuries that you get sod all back on come trade in

 

[Jassyo06]

For me the must have is the five year warranty.
The nice to have's are comfort pack ,ILP and ***.
Tech pack wasted on me and expensive. My simple rule was negotiate a discount , then spend it in options . That way you should not lose on depreciation.

not all options are money down the drain,the uber expensive tech/package, niether is a panroof...S-tronic gearbox...

In hind sight..l would drop the gearbox...and....fire on a Exclusive paint colour...Magnetic Blue...or one of the blue mica's.

 

[blodwen715]

Hi having just ordered (4 weeks ago) an S3 with a few extras, this thread has had me thinking and going through the configurator again to work out what was a must and was not....
So after much thought out of the few extras I ordered..
Had to have
reverse parking (in comfort pack) - had on my last 2 cars, forgotten how to park without them!
paint - just don't like the basic colours
folding mirrors - never had them before but was determined the car I bought next Audi or not should have them...

others I ordered
Sat Nav - never had one before.. I know its not a necessity with linking to phones, but been old I never go no where without a map!
ILP - sounded interesting
Priv glass - close to been a must have more for the look with them, I know you can get cheaper aftermarket
rev floor mat - don't know why

ones that got away (after second thoughts I should have added...)
through load capability - tbh thought it was standard or expected it to be once I knew they had cupholders more gutted as the 1st think the wife asked about was rear seat cupholders (curious why!)
Audi SS - just don't know why I didn't order it

 

[musicegbdf]

Yeah , jassyo06 , good point about the S tronic , though in my mind that wasn't an option as such . I think of it as a different car , like I would think three door and five door are different. My order is a sportback , stronic and have not thought of those as options. Any thing else helps desirability , but not sure how much it increases resell price come selling time.

 

[Daveotto]

@blodwen715 might not be to late to change your options, call your dealer!

 

[blodwen715]

@blodwen715 might not be to late to change your options, call your dealer!

cheers, might try.. I was informed today I had an unconfirmed build week 44, that was a nice surprise as was told wk 47 before

 

[CraigI]

Comfort pack is all you need.
You spend loads of money on extras you don't need your car will just depreciate more - none of them get you anything back at the end of the day. This is shown by the GFV's of cars with no options and cars with £10k of options being the same.

 

[paulk]

got to have supersport seats

 

[batch]

Get a stock car that matches as far as possible your spec - big deals to be had...

 

[dolo]

If all I could afford was a standard S3 I could live without any of the extras.
All extras depend on your budget.

 

[Rob2k68]

Wouldn't be without :-

Tech Pack High
B&O
Comfort Pack
Interior Light Pack
Mono Pur

Glad I got :-

Park Assist +
Reversing Camera
Pano Roof
LED Headlamps
Mag ride
High Beam Assist
Electronic Folding/Heated Mirrors
Electric Lumbar Support
Privacy Glass

Could live without :-

Hill Hold Assist
S-Tronic

Maybe next time :-

Exclusive Paint

 

[Jassyo06]

Wouldn't be without :-

Tech Pack High
B&O
Comfort Pack
Interior Light Pack
Mono Pur

Glad I got :-

Park Assist +
Reversing Camera
Pano Roof
LED Headlamps
Mag ride
High Beam Assist
Electronic Folding/Heated Mirrors
Electric Lumbar Support
Privacy Glass

Could live without :-

Hill Hold Assist
S-Tronic

Maybe next time :-

Exclusive Paint

I think you have one of the highest spec SB S3's on the forum Rob,l think forzbee just pipped you with the drivers assistance package and 19s l think? not that it would bother ye

 

[thebluefox]

Glad this has spurred such a flurry of conversation

A few of you have mentioned getting a stock car, over spec'ing one to be built, and that's exactly what I'm doing. So this thread is as much about deciding what's worth squeezing into a budget as it is defining some must haves when trawling through the stock list.

@musicegbdf I'm with you on considering S-Tronic as a different car, rather than just an option. I bought a manual 8P S3 and then kicked myself for not going with s-tronic, so approaching this I've come at with knowing I want a 3dr S-Tronic S3, and then everything else has been up for grabs essentially.

The example car the dealer pulled out had the following;

Bang & Olufsen sound system 750.00 GBP
4ZD Black Styling package 395.00 GBP
PC2 Brake calipers painted in red with S3 logo 325.00 GBP
WBI Comfort package 605.00 GBP
8T2 Cruise control 0.00 GBP
6XE Door mirrors - electrically folding, adjustable and heated 150.00 GBP
UH2 Hold assist 90.00 GBP
7X1 Parking system, rear 0.00 GBP
VW1 Privacy glass 290.00 GBP
PNU Satellite Navigation system – SD card based 495.00 GBP

Brake calipers - if that option isn't selected do they still have the S3 logo on?
Not that bothered about Hold Assist even though some of you guys have mention you like it
And Privacy Glass I can get done when I have the car, so I'm not that fussed about that either.

I've just ran through the configurator and ended up with the below;

Bang & Olufsen sound system 750.00 GBP
Black Styling package 395.00 GBP
Comfort package 605.00 GBP
Cruise control 0.00 GBP
Door mirrors - electrically folding, adjustable and heated 150.00 GBP
Extended mono.pur interior finish 295.00 GBP
Interior lighting package 170.00 GBP
Parking system, rear 0.00 GBP
Technology package with Mobile telephone preparation - High with Audi Connect 1,795.00 GBP

Came in at just over £37k, amd I could easily drop BSP and Mono Pur.

Hopefully, with the discounts from getting a stock car, and the discounts they're throwing at me to hit their customer retention target for this quarter I should be able to find a car with not dissimilar spec within my budget.

 

[Don76]

I'd drop comfort pack. It's easy to switch lights and wipers on yourself.

You can spec cruise on its own and save around £400.

Hill hold is awesome on a manual. Not sure about S-Tronic though.

 

[Daveotto]

Brake calipers - if that option isn't selected do they still have the S3 logo on?

Yep fronts come in Black with a S3 logo

 

[Rob2k68]

I think you have one of the highest spec SB S3's on the forum Rob,l think forzbee just pipped you with the drivers assistance package and 19s l think? not that it would bother ye

Haha its prob up there lol also sunscreamers is pretty fully loaded too.

Tried to spec a car that I'd keep for 3 years with an eye for tech, practicality, styling and usability had loads of assists on me Leon FR and never used them.

 

[musicegbdf]

I would stay with comfort pack , I think the rear parking sensor is essential and actually I upgraded to front sensors and the adaptive cruise.
The one thing I have specced but keep thinking of dropping is the sat nav. £495 for something that is on my phone for free...
Tech pack is not my thing , so happy to save on that.
Keep wondering about going for lumbar support. Getting closer to build so will have to make my final choices.
I have ordered Daytona , and tbh both chrome or black both look nice. So see no reason to spend out. If I was ordering ibis then I would go for black....

 

[Jassyo06]

The Comfort package is mandatory...IMO it gives you the heat insulated front windscreen with the sun band which looks pretty cool IMO,front parking sensors are cheaper plus you get the option of the reverse camera when you option front sensors.Audi Connect NOOooooooo,not worth £300 should be standard,red brake calipers paint them yourself for a £20....

l love me black roof rails/BSP/Pano roof...and Spangle Bloo paint..........they where a must have for me especially the Pano Roof

Ps my Avrils Fiesta has manual lights....pain in the ar** switching them off...auto lights are a good thing most of the time

 

[Jassyo06]

Glad this has spurred such a flurry of conversation

A few of you have mentioned getting a stock car, over spec'ing one to be built, and that's exactly what I'm doing. So this thread is as much about deciding what's worth squeezing into a budget as it is defining some must haves when trawling through the stock list.

@musicegbdf I'm with you on considering S-Tronic as a different car, rather than just an option. I bought a manual 8P S3 and then kicked myself for not going with s-tronic, so approaching this I've come at with knowing I want a 3dr S-Tronic S3, and then everything else has been up for grabs essentially.

The example car the dealer pulled out had the following;

Bang & Olufsen sound system 750.00 GBP
4ZD Black Styling package 395.00 GBP
PC2 Brake calipers painted in red with S3 logo 325.00 GBP
WBI Comfort package 605.00 GBP
8T2 Cruise control 0.00 GBP
6XE Door mirrors - electrically folding, adjustable and heated 150.00 GBP
UH2 Hold assist 90.00 GBP
7X1 Parking system, rear 0.00 GBP
VW1 Privacy glass 290.00 GBP
PNU Satellite Navigation system – SD card based 495.00 GBP

Brake calipers - if that option isn't selected do they still have the S3 logo on?
Not that bothered about Hold Assist even though some of you guys have mention you like it
And Privacy Glass I can get done when I have the car, so I'm not that fussed about that either.

I've just ran through the configurator and ended up with the below;

Bang & Olufsen sound system 750.00 GBP
Black Styling package 395.00 GBP
Comfort package 605.00 GBP
Cruise control 0.00 GBP
Door mirrors - electrically folding, adjustable and heated 150.00 GBP
Extended mono.pur interior finish 295.00 GBP
Interior lighting package 170.00 GBP
Parking system, rear 0.00 GBP
Technology package with Mobile telephone preparation - High with Audi Connect 1,795.00 GBP

Came in at just over £37k, amd I could easily drop BSP and Mono Pur.

Hopefully, with the discounts from getting a stock car, and the discounts they're throwing at me to hit their customer retention target for this quarter I should be able to find a car with not dissimilar spec within my budget.

Like the 3rd spec very good options, but l would drop the connect and get front parking sensors instead or factory Privacy Glass its much better than after market tinted glass, both in transparency and glossy appearance