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- Nov 11, 2016
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Hi all 
So, as most of you know I picked up my S3 on Tuesday from Southampton Audi. I must say that everything was very efficient and smooth, from start to finish the service was brilliant, so I'd recommend them to anyone in that area looking for a new Audi. As for the S3...
Engine & Gearbox: The engine seems really strong, bags of torque and pulls really well. It's quite scary how fast it gets into license threatening numbers. Obviously, I'm only about 200 miles in, but I love the sounds of the up-shifts, but it's not as aurally exciting as I'd hoped. I'm sure this will improve with a few more miles as others have suggested and coming from the T5 of the Focus ST (which is one of the best sounding hot hatches ever) it's hard to compare. The box is a marvel. Really smooth and quick and just makes the whole car effortless. Economy isn't great, but it's a hot hatch so what do I expect. That said, I got 33mpg on my way home from work yesterday, so not too bad.
Interior: Magic! The finish is excellent and I love the SS seats and red accents, really add something extra to the cabin. I've found the controls all easy to use, the VC is brilliant, it makes you wonder how you'd ever go back to normal dials afterwards. MMI is also simple and has lots of cool features, so still getting to know all of those. Love the interior LED lighting and illuminated B&O speakers and sills. Really glad I ordered the light bars in the doors aswell as it looks amazing. Great place to spend time and really relaxing. My only gripe, the SS aren't as supportive as I'd like (being a bit on the skinny side) and the seat base is a bit firm, but hope this will soften with age.
Exterior: Love how the S3 looks, not in your face aggressive but purposeful. You do get admiring glances, but mainly it's people who just think it's looks like a 'nice car', I real sleeper. I think the 19" V spoke wheels look awesome and are really easy to clean, so that's a big bonus as I hate cleaning alloys. Like the little touches I added such as the black Quattro graphics aswell. The LED headlights are like ascending to the pearly gates, they literally turn everything to daylight and the dynamic indicators are just damn cool! Haven't seen Daytona in any real sunlight yet, so haven't got any colour coming out, looking forward to the summer.
Handing & Ride: The ride is firm, even in comfort mode (I've got MagRide), but it's not grit your teeth hard. The body is well controlled and everything is very secure. I think the steering is pretty good, I was worried about what some the reviews have said, but I find it quite talkative. Steering's a bit too stiff at motorway speeds mind. Haven't really pushed the car yet, but it all seems very direct and point and shoot currently. Looking forward to getting it to move about a bit as the miles increase.
Other: The ACC is just incredible. Find that I use it all the time and it's great for traffic, which the Sat Nav doe's a great job of warning me about and then finding a new route, so impressed with that aswell. Did a LC start this afternoon with my little brother from some traffic lights and it's just flew! I love the sound of the car holding the rev's and then just zooming off. Otherwise, it's practical and easy to live with really, lots of nice little touches like Audi beam and the storage pack etc. B&O stereo is very good, lots of clear and bassy sound.
My only real gripe at the moment, is that I'm impressed with it, but I haven't fallen in love with her yet. I need to find some character from it, which I'm sure will become apparent as I explore the handing and find some flaws which is often the way. But my reasons for moving from the ST to the S3 have all worked out well and it's everything I'd hoped she was.
Anyway, pictures below for your viewing pleasure...
So, as most of you know I picked up my S3 on Tuesday from Southampton Audi. I must say that everything was very efficient and smooth, from start to finish the service was brilliant, so I'd recommend them to anyone in that area looking for a new Audi. As for the S3...
Engine & Gearbox: The engine seems really strong, bags of torque and pulls really well. It's quite scary how fast it gets into license threatening numbers. Obviously, I'm only about 200 miles in, but I love the sounds of the up-shifts, but it's not as aurally exciting as I'd hoped. I'm sure this will improve with a few more miles as others have suggested and coming from the T5 of the Focus ST (which is one of the best sounding hot hatches ever) it's hard to compare. The box is a marvel. Really smooth and quick and just makes the whole car effortless. Economy isn't great, but it's a hot hatch so what do I expect. That said, I got 33mpg on my way home from work yesterday, so not too bad.
Interior: Magic! The finish is excellent and I love the SS seats and red accents, really add something extra to the cabin. I've found the controls all easy to use, the VC is brilliant, it makes you wonder how you'd ever go back to normal dials afterwards. MMI is also simple and has lots of cool features, so still getting to know all of those. Love the interior LED lighting and illuminated B&O speakers and sills. Really glad I ordered the light bars in the doors aswell as it looks amazing. Great place to spend time and really relaxing. My only gripe, the SS aren't as supportive as I'd like (being a bit on the skinny side) and the seat base is a bit firm, but hope this will soften with age.
Exterior: Love how the S3 looks, not in your face aggressive but purposeful. You do get admiring glances, but mainly it's people who just think it's looks like a 'nice car', I real sleeper. I think the 19" V spoke wheels look awesome and are really easy to clean, so that's a big bonus as I hate cleaning alloys. Like the little touches I added such as the black Quattro graphics aswell. The LED headlights are like ascending to the pearly gates, they literally turn everything to daylight and the dynamic indicators are just damn cool! Haven't seen Daytona in any real sunlight yet, so haven't got any colour coming out, looking forward to the summer.
Handing & Ride: The ride is firm, even in comfort mode (I've got MagRide), but it's not grit your teeth hard. The body is well controlled and everything is very secure. I think the steering is pretty good, I was worried about what some the reviews have said, but I find it quite talkative. Steering's a bit too stiff at motorway speeds mind. Haven't really pushed the car yet, but it all seems very direct and point and shoot currently. Looking forward to getting it to move about a bit as the miles increase.
Other: The ACC is just incredible. Find that I use it all the time and it's great for traffic, which the Sat Nav doe's a great job of warning me about and then finding a new route, so impressed with that aswell. Did a LC start this afternoon with my little brother from some traffic lights and it's just flew! I love the sound of the car holding the rev's and then just zooming off. Otherwise, it's practical and easy to live with really, lots of nice little touches like Audi beam and the storage pack etc. B&O stereo is very good, lots of clear and bassy sound.
My only real gripe at the moment, is that I'm impressed with it, but I haven't fallen in love with her yet. I need to find some character from it, which I'm sure will become apparent as I explore the handing and find some flaws which is often the way. But my reasons for moving from the ST to the S3 have all worked out well and it's everything I'd hoped she was.
Anyway, pictures below for your viewing pleasure...
BEAUTIFUL!
