Who's going to trade up to the RS3?

[Boyakasha]

Interested to know who is going to move to the new RS3 when it comes out, and if you think the jump in performance is worth the depreciation/uplift cost from your existing S3?

 

[PanamaS3]

If you've got the money I think heart wins over head....as soon as its a debate, and it becomes a value proposition, then it makes no sense really to go for the RS3 if you are coming from an S3....I mean it's like any performance sports car unless you are buying a rare supercar for investment.
So I think it boils down to what you can really justify in your life and whether the extra expenditure is really worth it....some say yes, others no.
If you just want performance then modify a cheaper car....simple as that.

 

[infernox]

I've had my S3 facelift for 3 weeks now and at first I wasn't considering the RS3, but now that the initial buzz has worn off I am looking to get a facelift RS3 saloon sometime next year. Not sure how to put it in words but the S3 doesn't feel like a car with 310hp. I was expecting more coming from a 125hp 1.4 TFSI 8P A3. The other car I was contemplating at the time I bought this was the GTI Clubsport 40, which I'm regretting that I never test drove.

 

[Bells]

Recently picked up my S3 and never even considered a RS3 during my ordering process and still wouldn't now. One main negative for me is there's no option of a 3 door and I'm personally not a huge fan of the sport back / saloon given the choice.

I'd also be burning my money so soon after purchasing a new car and I couldn't justify the extra £'s to purchase an RS3 anyway, yes it's got near 400bhp and that 5 cylinder engine sounds great but I think the S3 is in that performance sweet spot plus still sounds pretty good for what it is and will probably still work out around £8,000+ cheaper which is another bonus!

 

[Daveotto]

Not sure how to put it in words but the S3 doesn't feel like a car with 310hp. I was expecting more coming from a 125hp 1.4 TFSI 8P A3.

What were you expecting? I made the same move via a 150bhp 2.0TDI and in all departments the cars are different IMHO

If you were expecting more after upping your BHP by nearly 2.5 times and getting a new interior you will be deeply disappointed in the RS3 then as that is only going to add another 50 bhp or thereabouts and nothing internally of any significance from you current 310

I ripped up as set of tyres on a slalom course with an RS3 on an Audi Sport track day and whilst it was fun I would have had almost as much fun in my S3 so have never really contemplated buying one as you are never going to get close to using all the power on UK roads. For the extra £10-£15K over a S3 I would consider a Porsche Cayman over an RS3 for a completely different type of driving experience

 

[SILVAF0XX]

I'm actually thinking this will be my next car as well. I'm not disappointed in my S3 in any way, it's a very capable and rapid vehicle, but I think some people always want more.

The last fast hatch I had was a 2004 Civic Type R, which I owned from new. I kept the car for 6 years and never got bored of the performance level. The thing is, at that time, 200bhp in a hatch of that type was pretty special and I never dreamed I could afford to climb into anything quicker.

Now that I'm lucky enough to be able to pick from cars that, in relative terms, have blistering performance similar to what super cars were not that long ago, I think I've been spoilt.

I do think, if I can justify the money, which is a big "if" I will go for the RS3 next. Although having just taken delivery on a 4yr PCP I will not be doing it for a good 2 years I reckon. Once I start the decision process and contemplating that kind of spend, it will bring a lot of pretty good alternatives into focus I think.

 

[Rob2k68]

£25-30k plus my car for the same interior and similar maybe less power - it's a no from me.

I'll probably sit tight for the all new body style in a few years time.

If you're in the sweet spot with the finance agreement or paid cash then it's probably the obvious upgrade.

 

[msdmjb]

For me (leaving emotion and willy waving at the door for the moment) not worth the change if the projected pricing is correct, plus no 3dr and DSG only and the on the road performance difference isn't large enough (engine does sound magnificent though)............count the number of times you run out of performance in an S3 in a road environment. Our household is lucky enough to be able to buy one tomorrow but I am all about justification of cost and what it gives me over the current S3.

As said earlier for circa £50k there are some proper dedicated sporty cars rather than family 5dr hatches modified to be sporty..............lights touchpaper and exits stage left

 

[S32B]

Trade up if you can get a dealership to call you back when they say they will! I'd heard nothing from a chap I'd been dealing with, then out of the blue I get an email:

"Good evening Steve, I am really sorry for the radio silence recently, I have had some time out of the business, I am back in tomorrow and shall give you a call if that’s ok?"

I replied saying it would be fine, gave him BOTH my home number and mobile number, yet a week on I still haven't heard from him!!! So I'm just sticking with my current car until July or October depending on what deals come out at the start of each 1/4.

 

[davc]

As said earlier for circa £50k there are some proper dedicated sporty cars rather than family 5dr hatches modified to be sporty..............lights touchpaper and exits stage left

I couldn't agree more.

 

[Jassyo06]

I was a huge huge fan of the car wanted one so badly, but since they stopped making the car a year ago..... I have been waiting waiting then it's been announced in March at the Geneva motorshow and it still won't be here until January *** man it's only a car Audi.... So l dropped out got my bucket list S3 all £47000 of it yeah that's it's retail price..... But l here you say ****, you could get a new RS3 for that money, but you won't get any discount..... As the salesman will tell you these cars sell themselves...so basically the new RS3 has jumped a rung on the Audi pricing ladder structure.... A want value for money..... Ergo my S3 with a awesome discount and awesome spec

 

[Mac135]

I've taken delivery in the last fortnight of an S3 sedan. I considered a RS3, test drive the previous series hatch. Loved it. Could have waited for the new RS3 sedan it would have meant taking delivery of the RS3 in June/July rather than mid May. I could have lived with that. In the end it wasn't money, or delivery time but rather what could I do with an RS3 that I couldn't in the S3? Here in speed restricted Australia the answer is not much. Yes, the RS3 sedan would be more exclusive but let's be honest few people can pick one Audi from another and there is that fabulous sound. Beyond that I'm not sure the RS3 is special enough

Bottom line the S3 was all the car I needed. Stylish, quick (enough in factory spec and with room to improve if I feel the need) and comfortable.

Would I look at an RS3 again in the future - yes perhaps during the next model cycle but right here and now it just didn't pull the heart strings enough.

 

[Mark_86]

No. For the money, there are better and more serious performance cars on offer imo. That money would get me into a nearly new Porsche...

 

[Snake Pliskin]

I was lucky enough to get one of the RS3's last year at a price that was pretty sensible (base rrp £40k) plus I got a good discount too.
If the new car is around £46k as everyone suspects then I am not sure I could justify another £6k for what is essentially the same car.
I've had many Audi's over the last 10 years and nearest to the S3 I had was a TTS from 2011 to 2013, which was a great car.
I have test driven the S3 and I really liked it.
It is plenty fast enough and its available in a manual, which I would consider for sure.
The RS3 is without doubt my fave Audi car, as it just does everything.
The power is incredible and the sound the thing makes is just so pleasurable to hear every single day.
The 5 pot engine is a masterpiece and the sport exhaust for a factory fitted option is ace !
Is it worth the extra over an S3 - sensible head probably not - as someone above said, the S models are usually the sweet spot and best value.
But for pure driving enjoyment and grin factor, the RS3 does bring huge audio enjoyment to the mix and that is totally worth the extra over the S3 IMO.
It is a special car for sure and I would have another 100%, but I would also still consider a manual S3 (and may do when the new model comes in 2019).
Both are great cars IMO.

 

[infernox]

What were you expecting? I made the same move via a 150bhp 2.0TDI and in all departments the cars are different IMHO

If you were expecting more after upping your BHP by nearly 2.5 times and getting a new interior you will be deeply disappointed in the RS3 then as that is only going to add another 50 bhp or thereabouts and nothing internally of any significance from you current 310

I ripped up as set of tyres on a slalom course with an RS3 on an Audi Sport track day and whilst it was fun I would have had almost as much fun in my S3 so have never really contemplated buying one as you are never going to get close to using all the power on UK roads. For the extra £10-£15K over a S3 I would consider a Porsche Cayman over an RS3 for a completely different type of driving experience

The interior and new tech are great, just gotten used to them now after 3 weeks but couldn't go back. It's hard to say but I think it doesn't feel special enough. I've seen some other owners with the same opinion like Hamza on youtube and some guys who switched to the RS3. Haven't driven the RS3 though so no idea how it is. The S3 is a daily driver for me so I was looking for a hot hatch or small sports saloon. If I drove the S3 without knowing how much power it had, I wouldn't think it had 310HP. Doesn't seem like it has 2.5x the BHP compared to my old car, maybe its because my old car was manual and this is S-tronic or could be the similar linear power delivery. Either way I'm not saying the S3 isn't fast, it's a great car that I like a lot. It does everything you need it to, just missing a bit of soul that I'm hoping the RS3 has.

 

[RedTurtle]

My S3 is coming to the end of it's PCP, so i'll see what sort of deals are available, the RS3 is a dream, it wasn't around last time I ordered IIRC, but if the deal isn't right it'll be a FL S black edition.

 

[New S4 Man]

i would have considered one but i just don't like the 4 door hatch/saloon. I also think the two giant exhausts and the front grill land wheels all look worse then the S3, even with it's daft 4 pipes.

 

[richinsoton]

No. For the money, there are better and more serious performance cars on offer imo. That money would get me into a nearly new Porsche...

I agree with this & the RS only coming as 4/5 drs it's soon to be a favourite with the sticky finger brigade too, so the question will soon become 'Who's going to be first to lose the RS3?'...

 

[PanamaS3]

I agree with this & the RS only coming as 4/5 drs it's soon to be a favourite with the sticky finger brigade too, so the question will soon become 'Who's going to be first to lose the RS3?'...

Yeah I agree on the doors....you want the RS at this level to at least have the option of 3 door hatch or in a coupe shape which might well swing it for them/us/me!

 

[RSS-S3]

Lets see what the bank says in a years time.

I would be looking to order a RS3 saloon, but I wouldn't be unhappy if I vered off and at the last moment and re orderd a S3 saloon!

 

[MikeParkin]

I've spoken to a few guys who have had the RS3 and didn't have them long. They said they wished they had got the S3 and tweaked it. But it's all opinionated, I think if you went from S3 to RS3 then you would probably be disappointed in some way. Again though if you went straight to RS3 from a fiesta then it would be mind blowing.

 

[keenu]

I would have considered it but with new road tax rules and cost after extras I couldn't really justify over the S3. Also I would wait until the new gen comes out as the interior is pretty much the same as the facelift S3 and it wouldn't much of an upgrade with the increased cost.

 

[Jassyo06]

I've spoken to a few guys who have had the RS3 and didn't have them long. They said they wished they had got the S3 and tweaked it. But it's all opinionated, I think if you went from S3 to RS3 then you would probably be disappointed in some way. Again though if you went straight to RS3 from a fiesta then it would be mind blowing.

I have driven the pre facelift car around half a dozen times so in
my opinion yeah the older car was well worth the jump, as l have said above the new car is in a totally different market place Audi and BMW have got wise to this supply and demand of hyper hatches/coupe's watch and see l wouldn't be surprised if they are overpriced ie Audi demanding more than there rrp like the last car did

 

[PanamaS3]

I think the following says something: My dealer had $50k of someones money for the pre-FL RS3 (he had a pre-FL S3) sitting for months in his safe. He and all the other hardcore S3 owners (I like to include myself in that) modded their cars to Stage 2. He finally got the RS3 and immediately modded the engine....put it up for sale within a couple of months and bought an R8. Ok, now I know he's a special case....but....there are no deposits down for new RS3 or TTRS, and 3 and 1 (respectively) are coming in 3 months. It's a buyers market here for them I think....so if I can snag a good deal I'm interested just because virtual cockpit would be nice and THAT engine....plus magride (which I couldn't get before). However, seems like in the US (from the S3 facebook page I frequent) that they can't get enough of them....and I think it will do well there.

 

[Terminator x]

I'm another fan of RS3 over S3 and can compare the two as we have one of each on the drive. Yes there isn't much in it speed wise however the RS3 has so much more drama to go with it that I was swayed. The gap between the 2 was about £10k PFL although RS3 came with extra standard kit vs S3 and that engine of course. Not sure what the gap is now with FL cars.

TX.

Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk

 

[Jassyo06]

I'm another fan of RS3 over S3 and can compare the two as we have one of each on the drive. Yes there isn't much in it speed wise however the RS3 has so much more drama to go with it that I was swayed. The gap between the 2 was about £10k PFL although RS3 came with extra standard kit vs S3 and that engine of course. Not sure what the gap is now with FL cars.

TX.

Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk

We won't know this until they release it in the UK also the power gap is larger now so your gonna pay more for that,PFL your RS3 came with the £900 option of the led headlights as standard and front and rear parking sensors ie comfort package, Audi won't make matrix headlights standard on it though, maybe the comfort pack will though

 

[Tom.H]

We won't know this until they release it in the UK also the power gap is larger now so your gonna pay more for that,PFL your RS3 came with the £900 option of the led headlights as standard and front and rear parking sensors ie comfort package, Audi won't make matrix headlights standard on it though, maybe the comfort pack will though

I'm thinking not too much less than £50k before options! Probably mid £50k specc'd up.

 

[Terminator x]

There will be £5k of options at least that are "must have". Not many bog standard PFL RS3s got delivered other than the original dealer orders and tbf they are NASTY.

TX.

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[Jassyo06]

There will be £5k of options at least that are "must have". Not many bog standard PFL RS3s got delivered other than the original dealer orders and tbf they are NASTY.

TX.

Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk

Dynamic package was £1800 upgraded alloys £895,metallic paint £575,privacy glass £350,bang&olufsen, £750 technology package £1500 supersport seats,£700,£975 for pano-roof add all these £6745 for a top spec car so £47k, didn't add styling package but hey l was only concentrating on the real nice options that's S3 spec money now so same spec RS3 £57

 

[jungle650]

For me (leaving emotion and willy waving at the door for the moment) not worth the change if the projected pricing is correct, plus no 3dr and DSG only and the on the road performance difference isn't large enough (engine does sound magnificent though)............count the number of times you run out of performance in an S3 in a road environment. Our household is lucky enough to be able to buy one tomorrow but I am all about justification of cost and what it gives me over the current S3.

As said earlier for circa £50k there are some proper dedicated sporty cars rather than family 5dr hatches modified to be sporty..............lights touchpaper and exits stage left

Its an interesting topic and to be fair one which has many different options/ answers. Dependent upon what you want and need from a car.

For me the S3 ticks most boxes, being a small family run around and a sporty drive when required which surprises more than most when you put your foot down. If you want more power over stock, a stage 1 tune livens the car up no end, stage 2 adds more low down torque and hats off to those that have gone the whole hog and stage 3 big/hybrid turbo. Massive power from those with a stock engine.

The RS3 offers more aural drama with that engine sound and really pulls on the heart strings, that I think is without doubt.

For me though I find most non petrol heads already assume my car is an RS3 and in most cases I cant be bothered correcting them. I just now say its an Audi Sport model and leave it at that. Thats the biggest problem moving from an S3 to an RS3... they look v similar, especially FL S3.

But its a good question... if you were not going to buy an RS3 and had £45-£55k to spend on a sports car ( rather than a sporty car) , what would you buy and which has 4 seats !

I am all ears... its something I am open to suggestions on, as my current car has be stumped, as it ticks most boxes ( for me )

Jungle

 

[ice_cube99]

I went from and 8p rs3 to a 8v s3 (house purchase) and now had the car two years and getting bored of it.

I don't know if it's the car, or it's the need to change after such time. I got the car in exclusive colour and few fancy bits to maybe make it a 'keeper' but think I was kidding myself on.

Now two years with the s3 I feel the rs3 fl would be perfect but it will be a costly purchase, or maybe I go back to leasing. Problem with that is any options added push the monthlies way high.

I wish I didn't get the itch to change cars so often!

 

[MikeParkin]

Is it must be a power crave as the cars are not much different, get the S3 mapped/with a hybrid or something and I think you may find it quite rewarding.

But It's like everything in life.... there's alway something bigger, better and something you can't have.

It will never change and the crave or want for something better is always greater.

 

[RSS-S3]

You buy the RS3 for the legendary 5pot engine, not its other options!

 

[Benji34]

If I didn't have an S3 I'd maybe be tempted to go balls deep and get the RS but ultimately, for that sort of outlay, I'd probably want a totally different driving experience and type of car. The S3 is more than enough car for the UK roads as it is anyway.

 

[Jassyo06]

You buy the RS3 for the legendary 5pot engine, not its other options!

Yeah somewhat true, but on such a car a few nice options will really add to the cars appeal in every single way, a basic specced RS3 /S3 can become a very dull place to be indeed, they also increase the cars desirability into the bargain when selling on

 

[jungle650]

Yeah somewhat true, but on such a car a few nice options will really add to the cars appeal in every single way, a basic specced RS3 /S3 can become a very dull place to be indeed, they also increase the cars desirability into the bargain when selling on

I totally agree with this..

 

[GSB]

You buy the RS3 for the legendary 5pot engine, not its other options!

Oh it's a nice engine alright, but legendary? I don't think so.

Personally, I think it's a marketing gimmick engineered so that Audi can continue to dine out on the successes of an entirely different and totally unrelated five pot from 30 odd years ago, and as a bonus allows Audi to suck another £10k out of your pocket for the cost of 1 extra cylinder.

It's a nice engine, it makes decent power, but it's no BMW M10, Ford-Cosworth YB / BDA, GM LSx etc, so it might be stretching it to bestow the 'legendary' tag on it just yet.

 

[gamegenie]

I would be all over the RS3 if it was like this on the outside:

and like this on the inside:

 

[Terminator x]

@GSB the engine is regularly engine of the year so yes legendary!

TX.

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[Simonb1975]

That centre console looks a bit crap !