New Mercedes A35 AMG vs Audi S3

[Snake Pliskin]

The Mercs interior styling is of the love it or loathe it mindset, it's full of cheap tacky plastic as well according to reviews l have watched,The "AMG" Badge is now being utilised as much as the BMW M sport badge
so we will now have AMG lites as well as the current BMW M lites .. Fair do's as the full monty AMG models are stupid money, like RS models but only the real AMG cars sound ****** awesome all new RS models don't . . RS 4/5
Anyway @Snake Pliskin think you'll need to part with far more dot - dash for another new car this time around fact

That was kinda why I was planning a S3 next as that in theory should be similar or less to my RS3 plus I will have built up a good chunk of equity by keeping it longer. First time ever I will have kept a car over 3 years lol ... but more exotic holidays & cash in the bank does have its appeal if I’m honest.

 

[Jassyo06]

Merc exterior. Audi interior. Please.

You and @Snake Pliskin =separated at birth and obviously like the jelly mould wedge like shape. .

 

[JonW]

I’ve had two new Mercs and had lots of issues with both, A class and the new shape C class, each time I got in to the C class I found it easy to find something wrong, either by sight or sound, the build quality was very poor imo. Now add to that the very poor customer service and you have a nightmare on your hands.

I couldn’t bring myself to buy another I don’t think.......but if there’s any demos about before I get my new S3 I might have a go.....just in case it.

Honestly, I used to prefer driving my Missus Ford KA over the C class, it got right on my norks!

If it wasn’t for some weird unexplainable biased attitude I’d probably have a look at the Golf R...that interior though :0(

I don’t mind this A35, interested to know what the price might be.

 

[Daveotto]

Competition for the Honda Civic batmobile maybe

Interior stick on widescreen ipad is hideous, saw one in a new E classs taxi in Germany the other week......yuk

What was ever wrong with understated,

Audi front spoiler Quattro sticker took the TTRS off my next car list

 

[Daveotto]

’ve had two new Mercs and had lots of issues with both, A class and the new shape C class, each time I got in to the C class I found it easy to find something wrong, either by sight or sound, the build quality was very poor imo. Now add to that the very poor customer service and you have a nightmare on your hands.

Stuck up there own rears is an understatement, walked round a local Merc dealership a couple of weeks ago in a quiet midweek afternoon wanting to look at the inside of an SLC (was thinking about an SLC45)....round the show room 4 times and not one salaesman raised a head...I walked out...another potential new car off my list

 

[aussieR]

Both myself and my wife like it and will definitely cross shop it against S3 again when lease ends in 18 months. The 3rd car on our list is GTI once next model out with 7sp trans, 180kw and fully optioned due to pricing.

I'm test driving new mustang this week but pricing in Aust too much IMO at basically $80k for 10sp v8 model with the upgraded suspension.

 

[Rideen]

Seeing so many new A Classes here in Germany and I can vouch for one thing: They look A LOT better in pictures than they do in real life.

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Both myself and my wife like it and will definitely cross shop it against S3 again when lease ends in 18 months. The 3rd car on our list is GTI once next model out with 7sp trans, 180kw and fully optioned due to pricing.

I'm test driving new mustang this week but pricing in Aust too much IMO at basically $80k for 10sp v8 model with the upgraded suspension.

The next gen Golf GTi is rumoured to have a big power hike.
If that materialises and the car looks a good package at a sensible price point, I may even consider having a look.
Otherwise the Golf R for sure would be worthy of consideration.

 

[Snake Pliskin]

You and @Snake Pliskin =separated at birth and obviously like the jelly mould wedge like shape. .

I don't know why you are so against the exterior styling though Jassy lad ?
It does look pretty sharp on the exterior.
The interior dash is questionable though I do agree and the other things that put me off Merc are:
LOTS of people saying quality is poor.
The Merc Dealers - many people say they are not very helpful or friendly.
On both occasions that I looked at Mercs - on neither occasion was I offered any help and they do come across as not interested.
Having now dealt with the same Audi garage for 10 years I do have a good relationship with sales & service and that does count for something.

 

[aussieR]

The next gen Golf GTi is rumoured to have a big power hike.
If that materialises and the car looks a good package at a sensible price point, I may even consider having a look.
Otherwise the Golf R for sure would be worthy of consideration.

That's a great point. If we're updating in 2020 then mk8 golf released, a35 out and BMW will have updated 1 series that's 2L 4cy FWD to me I'm not interested in BMW in 2L. The main reason m140i was option due to the 3L engine and rwd.

I have my stage 2 mk7R that I totally love and still plan to keep LONG term.

Hard to pass up going s3 again as it's just such a fantastic car and great value.

 

[Jassyo06]

I don't know why you are so against the exterior styling though Jassy lad ?
It does look pretty sharp on the exterior.
The interior dash is questionable though I do agree and the other things that put me off Merc are:
LOTS of people saying quality is poor.
The Merc Dealers - many people say they are not very helpful or friendly.
On both occasions that I looked at Mercs - on neither occasion was I offered any help and they do come across as not interested.
Having now dealt with the same Audi garage for 10 years I do have a good relationship with sales & service and that does count for something.

It's a hatchback lol . . .... . ....... . The clam shell bonnet for starters, blah de blah.. Cut to the chase l dislike Mercedes benz cars as much as you dislike BMW's lol
I would have a Ford Focus RS before the AMG A35 and a M2 Competition before the AMG A45s

 

[Jassyo06]

I don't know why you are so against the exterior styling though Jassy lad ?
It does look pretty sharp on the exterior.
The interior dash is questionable though I do agree and the other things that put me off Merc are:
LOTS of people saying quality is poor.
The Merc Dealers - many people say they are not very helpful or friendly.
On both occasions that I looked at Mercs - on neither occasion was I offered any help and they do come across as not interested.
Having now dealt with the same Audi garage for 10 years I do have a good relationship with sales & service and that does count for something.

It's a hatchback lol . . .... . ....... . The clam shell bonnet for starters, blah de blah.. Cut to the chase l dislike Mercedes benz cars as much as you dislike BMW's lol
I would have a Ford Focus RS before the AMG A35 and a M2 Competition before the AMG A45s

 

[NevMan]

Like you @Snake Pliskin , have a very good relationship with my local Audi Dealer, so will look to stick with them, assuming Audi have what I want next time. Given that boys are growing up (son about to embark on Vehicle Mechanic trade in Army in March) by next car will more than likely be smaller than Q5

It's a hatchback lol . . .... . ....... . The clam shell bonnet for starters, blah de blah.. Cut to the chase l dislike Mercedes benz cars as much as you dislike BMW's lol
I would have a Ford Focus RS before the AMG A35 and a M2 Competition before the AMG A45s

On that point, hate to admit, but new focus shape doesn't look to bad......<ducking to avoid gun shots>

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Like you @Snake Pliskin , have a very good relationship with my local Audi Dealer, so will look to stick with them, assuming Audi have what I want next time. Given that boys are growing up (son about to embark on Vehicle Mechanic trade in Army in March) by next car will more than likely be smaller than Q5

On that point, hate to admit, but new focus shape doesn't look to bad......<ducking to avoid gun shots>

Totally agree on the Focus - it did turn my head when I saw it recently - it looks excellent doesn't it .... externally !
But then the interior just totally put me off.

 

[NevMan]

Yes, like most cars, when you open the door, or get in, you get put off. Remember many years ago..went to look at Vauxhall Astra (gti level performance).
Opened door, shut door, left, went and bought Golf 5 GTI, true story!

 

[Tej13]

It's a hatchback lol . . .... . ....... . The clam shell bonnet for starters, blah de blah.. Cut to the chase l dislike Mercedes benz cars as much as you dislike BMW's lol
I would have a Ford Focus RS before the AMG A35 and a M2 Competition before the AMG A45s

I very much agree on the Clam Shell bonnet issue - not a fan of them, and spoils the side view of a car to my eye...

 

[Kayobong]

I find it such a shame that despite still having my >4yr old manual 3dr S3 and plenty of cash to burn there is nothing out there for sensible money (say sub £50k) that makes me think of changing...........new S3/Merc included. I am a fan of having a speedo and rev counter and am not interested in buying a new car cause of its tech, its slab dashboard, slightly different looking panels or number of exhausts. It will be no quicker nor any more efficient than my current one and lets be honest anything around 300bhp is way fast enough for on the road driving (anything around 5secs to 60 is quick enough me thinks). I don't expect a revolution but not even sure there is even evolution on show here, just shiny new things to justify increases in prices aka changes for changes sake. As for the nonsense rear spoiler..........whats it even for, appealing to 22yr olds with £500 a month to lease it??
Yep, grumpy ol' mustard

Well I'm 20 and I hate the rear spoiler on this and the older A45 AMG, hideous! That said I don't like the car as a whole, the dashboard screens will look very dated in a couple of years I imagine.

 

[AlS3BE]

Gonna get slated anyway so here goes.
I actually think that a35 looks quite good.
I quite liked the older a45 and was very close to getting one instead of the s3. It was the more modern looking tech that sold the s3. A45 tech looked very dated but the rest of interior was nice, some cheap plastics here and there but the s3 is the same and I don’t feel/touch up the interior up all the time. With the performance exhaust it was a hoot to drive, popping and banging everytime you moved the throttle but just couldn’t live with it everyday. I occasionally do long distances and the s3 was just that bit more civilised.

 

[aussieR]

I test drive a250 few years back when looking at Golf R/s3 as similar prices here. I only lasted 2 min in it as hated the interior and drive.

Went straight to VW and test drove the GTI and really liked it. Then to Audi and s3 and I totally loved it! I ended up ordering VW and wife s3.

The s3 is awesome car IMO and nothing compares as sedan here for value. The Audi dealers have always been fantastic to deal with also. Service top notch. Would be very had to leave the Audi family!

 

[AlS3BE]

My wife has a merc and I found the dealership very good to deal with. From sales to servicing always a pleasure. Especially the servicing they either come pick up the car or drive me to work from the dealership then pick me up when job is done. The way it should be. Can’t say I’ve had that from my local Audi dealers.
Been reading this post about folk getting poor service, it might just be your local dealer and not a true reflection of all merc dealers.

 

[aussieR]

My wife has a merc and I found the dealership very good to deal with. From sales to servicing always a pleasure. Especially the servicing they either come pick up the car or drive me to work from the dealership then pick me up when job is done. The way it should be. Can’t say I’ve had that from my local Audi dealers.
Been reading this post about folk getting poor service, it might just be your local dealer and not a true reflection of all merc dealers.

I cross shopped Mercedes, Audi, BMW, VW and Ford. The only one that was fantastic to deal with every single time was Audi. I had poor dealing at Mercedes but only went to one dealership twice. I had poor dealings with 3 different VW delaerships/salespeople but great service at the 4th hence I bought car through them. BMW one dealership was fantastic and another one was terrible so I guess it's luck of draw in a way. I personally don't understand poor customer service when that's your job.

I love my VW primarily due to the stage 2 HO mods and way it drives. Not so much for features which are miles behind wife's s3. Unless the Mk8 is fantastic and we could get awesome deal there is almost zero chance I'd get another VW due to their poor customer service in sales and again when I had haldex issues, not angry that pump failed, things happen but the poor service to get updated software even after pump replaced took days.

 

[Damo S]

I'd rather buy a second hand R8. It may be possible to get one with the V10 engine for that money

 

[AlS3BE]

I'd rather buy a second hand R8. It may be possible to get one with the V10 engine for that money

I did think about that when I got my last A6 but the servicing cost and no warranty on an older r8 scared me off the idea. Anything that breaks on the r8 is gonna be a fortune. Even discs and pads is costly.
Insurance wasn’t actually that bad.

 

[Jassyo06]

Totally agree on the Focus - it did turn my head when I saw it recently - it looks excellent doesn't it .... externally !
But then the interior just totally put me off.

It's all relative to the actual price of a car ie the Focus is a good bit cheaper than a equivalent Audi, but it's not the case with a new A Class it's quality of interior isn't reflected in its price, its got more cheap feelng/looking plastics than the other German cars, it still has faux Artico leather etc etc

 

[Snake Pliskin]

It's all relative to the actual price of a car ie the Focus is a good bit cheaper than a equivalent Audi, but it's not the case with a new A Class it's quality of interior isn't reflected in its price, its got more cheap feelng/looking plastics than the other German cars, it still has faux Artico leather etc etc

Can't disagree as that is the exact reason I walked away on the 2 previous occasions I looked at the A class.
Really horrible sctatchy interior plastics - and the interior also felt a bit enclosed, in addition to no interest from the Dealer on both occasions lol.
It was a case of going to Merc garage, looking in showroom, sitting in it, saying naaaah and then going to Audi to order lol.
Re the Focus - as much as I could go for a Golf instead of an Audi I just son't think I could go to a Ford with that interior.
It's not that it is a bad interior, it is just a totally differnt look to Audi & VW's clean & neat feeling interiors which I like.

 

[NevMan]

Can't disagree as that is the exact reason I walked away on the 2 previous occasions I looked at the A class.
Really horrible sctatchy interior plastics - and the interior also felt a bit enclosed, in addition to no interest from the Dealer on both occasions lol.
It was a case of going to Merc garage, looking in showroom, sitting in it, saying naaaah and then going to Audi to order lol.
Re the Focus - as much as I could go for a Golf instead of an Audi I just son't think I could go to a Ford with that interior.
It's not that it is a bad interior, it is just a totally differnt look to Audi & VW's clean & neat feeling interiors which I like.

agree, have had a few Ford's in my time, nothing at all wrong, solid, served their purpose, but a massive german car fan tbh

 

[Jassyo06]

Just been to supermarket car park. .. . Very very rare thing for me . . . Got out my car walked 5 yards and bosh one of these new A class Mercs was parked right in my line of sight... As a look at it, the words that came out of . . where OMG... That's fooking ugly .... And the driver must av read my lips... .as he looked a bit miffed lol
Terrible looking thing indeed

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Just been to supermarket car park. .. . Very very rare thing for me . . . Got out my car walked 5 yards and bosh one of these new A class Mercs was parked right in my line of sight... As a look at it, the words that came out of . . where OMG... That's fooking ugly .... And the driver must av read my lips... .as he looked a bit miffed lol
Terrible looking thing indeed

lol

how about a Merc Coupe ?

 

[Damo S]

Mercs use to be really nice looking cars, think of the old 190E which at the time looked like a real quality motor, even the SLK when that first came out and the same age of SL models. Over time they seem to have lost the plot and their cars are mostly weird and a bit ugly. The A45 AMG was a reasonable looking car though to be fair and I must admit I did have a look at them before buying the S3. Whilst they are a fair bit quicker (360bhp) they were 6 or 7 k more for the same age and mileage and tbh I just preferred the look of the S3.

 

[Jassyo06]

lol

how about a Merc Coupe ?

Now that's epic

 

[Daveotto]

Now that's epic

No this is Epic....even if it’s grey/silver

 

[Jcbmally]

Q3 interior and similar to the new A1, apart from the steering wheel, but the A3 style heater controls are in both.

 

[Jassyo06]

No this is Epic....even if it’s grey/silver

View attachment 165922

No that is just........ Epically unrealistic mate......and off topic Mr Moderator....lol

 

[Jassyo06]

Behind another tonight this time a black yin...initial thoughts where is that a Mazda or a Kia??? as the 3 pointed star is tiny at the back,its very oriental in its design at the back...probably why the front grill/emblem is so large......otherwise you wouldnt think it was a Merc

 

[Daveotto]

No that is just........ Epically unrealistic mate......and off topic Mr Moderator....lol

To be totally accurate...... ".....and off topic Mr NOT HERE SO OFTEN Moderator...."

 

[S3tuart]

I quite like it ... unbolting the ironing board from the rear would make a big difference.

 

[NevMan]

I quite like it ... unbolting the ironing board from the rear would make a big difference.

But then where do you do your ironing?

 

[Tempz]

The current facelift 8V S3 looks so much better. I know which one I’d have.

 

[wab172uk]

Mercedes have finally released details about there S3 rival. Still not sure about the rear look and very surprised to see it as only 2 exhausts instead for 4. I do like the steering wheel and the front sport seats. Will be interesting to see what the Saloon version looks like next year.

What do you think? better than the current Audi FL S3?

View attachment 165752
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More information and Pic's can be found here:
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/mercedes-amg-a35-revealed-302bhp
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/merce...bhp-mercedes-amg-a-35-revealed-ahead-of-paris

Not a fan TBH. Always thought the A class design (especially the rear) was all wrong. The Saloon looks better.

Don't like the overall exterior design
Don't like the Ipad for a dashboard
Don't like the wheels
And no manual option.

No thanks

New A3/S3 will follow suit.

Roll on the next gen Focus RS.

 

[1future]

Mercedes have finally released details about there S3 rival. Still not sure about the rear look and very surprised to see it as only 2 exhausts instead for 4. I do like the steering wheel and the front sport seats. Will be interesting to see what the Saloon version looks like next year.

What do you think? better than the current Audi FL S3?

Had a blast of my mrs’ relatives vegas yellow S3 last night and ill tell you what.. IM GETTING AN S3 EVEN IF IT KILLS ME

He didn’t even know he had launch control.. Until i showed him.. now he’s launching at every traffic light haha! Audi beats mercedes any day.. good look in a mercedes when we have the “4 months of snow”


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