Chrislake90
Registered User
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2015
- Messages
- 83
- Reaction score
- 102
- Points
- 33
Ladies and Gents! I’ve had my S3 Saloon for a month now, and covered 800 miles. I thought it is about time I give a honest review for those that may browse the forum looking for an honest owners review instead of the opinion from popular motoring publications that only have access to the car for a day or two at best.
Firstly – Running costs. Now, I’m 26 and my better half is a bit older than me at 32, so as well as being a bit of a toy boy, this means our insurance is very reasonable for a car with 297bhp. With both of us on the insurance, and mileage limit of 8,000 per year (the same as our finance agreement I believe) we pay a premium of £411 per year. This includes a few bells and whistles, including replacement key cover and a better class courtesy car.
Fuel economy was initially a bit of a shocker for me, after coming from a diesel A6 which encourages no pace at all. In the S3 we are averaging 22mpg for our 800 miles. Now, to be fair to the car, I only have a 6 mile commute each way to work which can be stop start traffic for half the journey. We have thrown a couple of trips to Cambridge in with that (around 55 miles each way with 80% motorways). I didn’t buy the car for fuel economy of course, that would be a bit silly.
Interior and comfort – A pleasant surprise! I have found the interior to be a lovely place to sit, and even at motorway speeds the road noise is not too intrusive. Being a saloon, the car is automatically allotted Mag Ride. Throw it in comfort and you can happily munch miles all day long, so long as you don’t mind the fuel bill. The MMI is fine. Not perfect by any means but is more than capable for what you need. Nav works fine, although it gives instructions from the bottom of the screen upwards which seems a bit backwards to me. Our car is specced with the B&O stereo and at first I was not impressed. After a fiddle with the settings and some guidance from forum members, I am now more than happy with the quality. Once you get it set for your ears, its pure bliss and adds to the enjoyment of long journeys. There is plenty of room in the front and back, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use the car for a long journey with 3 passengers (Wouldn’t want to take 4 as the middle seat isn’t very good for a long trip) the boot is useable, but being a saloon the opening isn’t huge. But you wouldn’t be considering a saloon if boot access was going to be an issue, would you?
Driving- the most important, impressive and main reason people will be looking at this car. I’ve had a good chance to have a play with the car now, and I have not been disappointed. The power and torque available at pretty much the whole rev range, makes the car very useable. I have the S-tronic and to me the engine and gearbox are a match made in heaven. A gentle push of the throttle will see you up to motorway speeds in seconds. I’m not talking in dynamic mode with foot to the floor balls out mentalism. I’m talking a gentle push. The car is smooth, controllable and gives ample confidence that you can make that gap! But now, switch the car to dynamic, set yourself into your ‘race car’ position and put your foot through the floor. It’s like being on the Starship Enterprise when they engage warp speed. Everything turns into a blur. The note from the exhaust turns heads, gives a huge rush of adrenalin and make the ladies go weak at the knees! Lucky the car comes with leather if you get my drift! Talking of drift – I find the Haldex 4WD system more than capable. Let’s face it, we aren’t taking this on a track, we are living with it every day, in real world conditions.
Conclusion – I am hard to please. I change my cars often and its becoming a bit of a running joke between friends and colleagues. 40odd cars in 7 years would show that. I honestly do not see me changing the S3 for anything within the next 2/3 years, unless they release an RS3 saloon, or I manage to win the lottery and buy an RS6. For an everyday car that will put a smile on your face when the opportunity presents its self – I don’t think you can get a more solid all-rounder!
Firstly – Running costs. Now, I’m 26 and my better half is a bit older than me at 32, so as well as being a bit of a toy boy, this means our insurance is very reasonable for a car with 297bhp. With both of us on the insurance, and mileage limit of 8,000 per year (the same as our finance agreement I believe) we pay a premium of £411 per year. This includes a few bells and whistles, including replacement key cover and a better class courtesy car.
Fuel economy was initially a bit of a shocker for me, after coming from a diesel A6 which encourages no pace at all. In the S3 we are averaging 22mpg for our 800 miles. Now, to be fair to the car, I only have a 6 mile commute each way to work which can be stop start traffic for half the journey. We have thrown a couple of trips to Cambridge in with that (around 55 miles each way with 80% motorways). I didn’t buy the car for fuel economy of course, that would be a bit silly.
Interior and comfort – A pleasant surprise! I have found the interior to be a lovely place to sit, and even at motorway speeds the road noise is not too intrusive. Being a saloon, the car is automatically allotted Mag Ride. Throw it in comfort and you can happily munch miles all day long, so long as you don’t mind the fuel bill. The MMI is fine. Not perfect by any means but is more than capable for what you need. Nav works fine, although it gives instructions from the bottom of the screen upwards which seems a bit backwards to me. Our car is specced with the B&O stereo and at first I was not impressed. After a fiddle with the settings and some guidance from forum members, I am now more than happy with the quality. Once you get it set for your ears, its pure bliss and adds to the enjoyment of long journeys. There is plenty of room in the front and back, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use the car for a long journey with 3 passengers (Wouldn’t want to take 4 as the middle seat isn’t very good for a long trip) the boot is useable, but being a saloon the opening isn’t huge. But you wouldn’t be considering a saloon if boot access was going to be an issue, would you?
Driving- the most important, impressive and main reason people will be looking at this car. I’ve had a good chance to have a play with the car now, and I have not been disappointed. The power and torque available at pretty much the whole rev range, makes the car very useable. I have the S-tronic and to me the engine and gearbox are a match made in heaven. A gentle push of the throttle will see you up to motorway speeds in seconds. I’m not talking in dynamic mode with foot to the floor balls out mentalism. I’m talking a gentle push. The car is smooth, controllable and gives ample confidence that you can make that gap! But now, switch the car to dynamic, set yourself into your ‘race car’ position and put your foot through the floor. It’s like being on the Starship Enterprise when they engage warp speed. Everything turns into a blur. The note from the exhaust turns heads, gives a huge rush of adrenalin and make the ladies go weak at the knees! Lucky the car comes with leather if you get my drift! Talking of drift – I find the Haldex 4WD system more than capable. Let’s face it, we aren’t taking this on a track, we are living with it every day, in real world conditions.
Conclusion – I am hard to please. I change my cars often and its becoming a bit of a running joke between friends and colleagues. 40odd cars in 7 years would show that. I honestly do not see me changing the S3 for anything within the next 2/3 years, unless they release an RS3 saloon, or I manage to win the lottery and buy an RS6. For an everyday car that will put a smile on your face when the opportunity presents its self – I don’t think you can get a more solid all-rounder!
For you to go off looking for that picture is wrong!
