Facelift Facelift S3 vs Facelift VW Golf R (MK7.5)

TR Hamza

TR Hamza

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Hey guys,

Hope you are all well!

Anyway, on the weekend I got to check out a Facelift Golf R (MK7.5) and created a video on it.

Thought some of you guys might be interested in seeing how our cars compare to the now updated VAG sibling. I found that there were enough differences, with some areas favouring either car. Anyway, hope you enjoy the video!

Luckily because this is an Audi forum this thread hopefully won't descend into chaos :) (Hopefully)

 
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Eco? :tearsofjoy:

Fair play, good review.

TX.

Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk
 
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terminator x said:
Eco? :tearsofjoy:

Fair play, good review.

TX.

Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Thanks mate,

Eco was too much of an exciting topic for us to cover haha!
 
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Thanks TR Hamza for the video, it made me realise I had made the right decision in ordering an S3. I don't like the front end of the Golf the S3 looks much more aggressive, I don't like the back end and the interior is not good at all. It would appear that black shiny plastic and me just don't see eye to eye. I can see the golf appealing to the younger end of the spectrum as there always a market for smoked rear light clusters there. Wow, I'm sounding really old. :)
 
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Thanks for posting.
I'll get a proper look tonight though (when I'm trying to ignore the wife lol).
Good to get a look at rival cars as a comparison.
 
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Makes the gap between S3 and R even smaller... biggest difference for me is the interior, Audi still the winner for me... but price difference really hard to justify


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I don't get the price difference remark to be honest.

5 door DSG on both, 4 year PCP with 10,000 miles per year, with £3,000 deposit representing the expected discount on either car. Monthly figures are;

Golf R - £453.86 - GFV £13,062.60
Audi S3 - £414.64 - GFV £17,047.75

Maybe I'm missing something. If you look at overall cost then the S3 is more, but most people buy on PCP which is just renting the thing anyway and the S3 is nearly £40 a month cheaper. :)
 
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It's all been said before on here,they are still the same cars as before but with some superficial/cosmetic upgrades
 
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Supa Koopa said:
I don't get the price difference remark to be honest.

5 door DSG on both, 4 year PCP with 10,000 miles per year, with £3,000 deposit representing the expected discount on either car. Monthly figures are;

Golf R - £453.86 - GFV £13,062.60
Audi S3 - £414.64 - GFV £17,047.75

Maybe I'm missing something. If you look at overall cost then the S3 is more, but most people buy on PCP which is just renting the thing anyway and the S3 is nearly £40 a month cheaper. :)
Click to expand...

Here in Australia, where I am, difference is about £5000 minimum, depending on options..




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umm said:
Here in Australia, where I am, difference is about £5000 minimum, depending on options..
Click to expand...

Ooops! Note to self, the world is bigger than just the UK and most places have the internet....! :)
 
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Even in the UK, the Golf's get a lot more discounts than Audi's which is probably why the GFV is lower for the Golf. Go on drivethedeal and you can get a standard 5 door DSG golf R for under £29k with £5,255 discount. Same thing with a standard S3 Sportback S-tronic and its sold at £30,700 with £4,260 discount. Keep in mind that the RRP for both cars standard is pretty much the same, just £725 more for the S3.
 
Might just be my speakers (or the microphone?) vs real life, but neither of them sound as good as the facelift Cupra that I see around town...
 
S3 looks better, sounds better, has a nicer interior, better badge (yes I said it), and is arguably a lot less common that the Golf R. For me its a no brainer ....
 
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Looks are based on personal preference. You look at the golf forum, they say the S3 looks bland and the Golf R is more sporty looking.
 
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On the price difference: as ever, it depends on your requirements.

If you want certain levels of spec, then the price gap between S3 and R grows a bit.

On most models of Golf, standard equipment includes front & rear parking sensors, and active cruise control. Then self-park is an amusing throwaway addition at £75. To get that lot on the S3 is an expensive raid on the options list, pushing towards £2,000... Assuming that's what you want of course, which is why "it depends".

(speaking from personal experience of speccing an S3 to match an existing Golf GT...)
 
This is a great review and further confirms why I wouldn't buy a Golf (not that there's anything bad about it!).

Audi have started contacting me about changing the car and I'm very happy with the A3 as its fuel economy is great for short journeys across Cardiff and I use a business car for long distances so the A3 doesn't really fall within that remit.

From a personal viewpoint the exterior just doesn't look anywhere near aggressive enough for me on the Golf. The S3 lights have a more angular shape (which gives it a more aggressive/angry look for me) than the Golf's and then there's the grille on the S3... need I say more!? The Golf is nice but a little too understated aesthetically given its power and ability.

I'm test driving a few cars in a few weeks (S3, pre-FL RS3, F-Type) to get a feel for where I may head next but this is review is very encouraging from an S3 perspective.
 
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infernox said:
Looks are based on personal preference. You look at the golf forum, they say the S3 looks bland and the Golf R is more sporty looking.
Click to expand...
... I did not call the S3 bland. I said it was more reserved looking.:busted cop:

I always thought the Mk7 rear end was better looking than the rear end of our A3 Sportback. It was the front end of the Golf that I didn't like. That has been sorted. I think the new headlights lights make the new Golf much sportier looking. They are much better than the original U shaped lights.

My wife still cannot tell the difference between her A3 and the facelift model. In fact - from the front - I seriously doubt if she would recognise the difference between an A3, A4, A5 and A6. Never mind recognising a car with an S badge. They are all just Audi cars to her. I suspect the majority of people are like that.:blink:

The majority of people will see the facelift Golf as, "just another Golf". Though some of them may also think, "That Golf has pretty lights!"

I completely agree with the comments that the S3/A3 has a better interior. My only gripe with our A3 is, it has no right foot rest. When I use the cruise control a lot, it is a right pain in the ar.. knee:haha:
 
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Supa Koopa said:
Ooops! Note to self, the world is bigger than just the UK and most places have the internet....! :)
Click to expand...

I should also add, in Australia we have far fewer options to select as our base S3 comes with what you guys in the UK have as options..

For example, VC is standard, tech pack features (we don't have that name) come standard, keyless entry is standard, etc..


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AndrewB said:
On the price difference: as ever, it depends on your requirements.

If you want certain levels of spec, then the price gap between S3 and R grows a bit.

On most models of Golf, standard equipment includes front & rear parking sensors, and active cruise control. Then self-park is an amusing throwaway addition at £75. To get that lot on the S3 is an expensive raid on the options list, pushing towards £2,000... Assuming that's what you want of course, which is why "it depends".

(speaking from personal experience of speccing an S3 to match an existing Golf GT...)
Click to expand...

Indeed. I felt kind of mugged by Audi considering now the S3/R have the same chassis, engine and gearbox and stuff i had to pay for as an extra (folding mirrors, ACC, parking sensors) come as standard. I love my S3 but i have to look at my bottom line and a Golf R is essentially the same car but not as classy but way cheaper. I think ill be getting one of them after my lease is up.
 
Add Nappa Leather to the Golf and you are back to a similar price, depends on whether you like leather or not.
The VC on the Audi looks a lot better than the Active Display in the Golf.
I would still take the S3 and I drove Golfs for 25 years.
 
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Ill spec them both up closer to the time but i have an objective to lower my overheads, if i can find a sweet deal on an S3 then ill stick with that but if the price diff is 50 to 100 a month then ill have to go for the golf..we shall see...
 
I've always thought the GTi was a better looking car than the R. I do prefer the 5 door styling of the Golf over the A/S3 though, that's about it. Think I'd probably have gone Leon Cupra over R if I'd had too. Fortunately i didn't so Vegas it is :)

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infernox said:
Looks are based on personal preference. You look at the golf forum, they say the S3 looks bland and the Golf R is more sporty looking.
Click to expand...
.

Good job he didn't prefer the golf. Would of been linched on here
 
AndrewB said:
On the price difference: as ever, it depends on your requirements.

If you want certain levels of spec, then the price gap between S3 and R grows a bit.

On most models of Golf, standard equipment includes front & rear parking sensors, and active cruise control. Then self-park is an amusing throwaway addition at £75. To get that lot on the S3 is an expensive raid on the options list, pushing towards £2,000... Assuming that's what you want of course, which is why "it depends".
Click to expand...
Not the R but the GTi, I looked the other week at the S3 vs GTi and from memory the GTi started off £5k cheaper (after discount), then once you added the other bits you want on the S3 such as parking sensors, folding mirrors it grew to £6k, then the VC which is another £1,400 = £7.5k.

Then as you say other little bits that are standard: Red brake calipers free on the GTi, £325 on the S3, Adaptive Cruise Control free on the GTi, £475 on the S3, Tinted rear windows free on the GTi, £375 on the S3....another £1,175 so over £8,500 more, 1/3 of the GTi again. I'm thinking is that worth it for a bit more power and quattro?!?!?! I think if I go the hot hatch route again I'd seriously consider the GTi. Another A3 lower than the S3 would be too much the same but down on power to make the change worthy...if that makes sense!
 
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I don't think you should only compare what's standard on the GTI and add that to the S3 and not do it the other way round. I think you're also downplaying the power and quattro. It's not just a bit of power, the s3 has 80hp more than the standard GTI, so almost a third more and some people do complain about traction issues with the GTI (and Leon Cupra). Yes the GTI has red brake calipers but they are smaller and if you want the same size calipers than you'll have to get the performance pack which is over £1k. On the golf forums people say the performance pack is worth it for the brakes alone, but that's only bringing it to par with the S3, it also has a limited slip diff (still not up to Quattro standard) and 10/15 more horsepower, so now 70/65 hp less. As mikemod said, add leather to the GTI and that's £1,750 extra. The S3 also has a better interior than the GTI. The GTI does have tinted rear windows but they are 65% tinted, for 90% its £95. VC does cost £1,400 but it is better than active info display and comes with the tech pack extras too. To get up to par with the tech pack on the GTI, you need to add wireless phone charger for £355 and 4G data, which I don't know what extra it is for VW (maybe discover pro?). The S3 also comes with Audi Sound System now, which has 10 speakers and a subwoofer.
 
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I see the pros and cons for both, the interior of the S3 wins tenfold, and the badge is clearly better. However in my opinion the Golf is the better looking car with the lovely Pretoria wheels. The handling is also superior. However, the one thing the S3 isn't, is aggressive in its looks!

And the R is way cheaper?! Lol, also hysterical. The discounts on the S3 are greater than that of the R comfortably. The reason why the R is more expensive at the end of the day is the quite down right horrendous GFV, all down to those insane lease deals flooding the market. Check what Mk6 Rs go for. Small fortune in comparison to the last gen S3.

Love how people always mention those on the R forum bad mouthing the S3, we don't. Most of those in here are unreal with critising the R just because of the badge. It's embarrassing
 
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FBF01 said:
I see the pros and cons for both, the interior of the S3 wins tenfold, and the badge is clearly better. However in my opinion the Golf is the better looking car with the lovely Pretoria wheels. The handling is also superior. However, the one thing the S3 isn't, is aggressive in its looks!

And the R is way cheaper?! Lol, also hysterical. The discounts on the S3 are greater than that of the R comfortably. The reason why the R is more expensive at the end of the day is the quite down right horrendous GFV, all down to those insane lease deals flooding the market. Check what Mk6 Rs go for. Small fortune in comparison to the last gen S3.

Love how people always mention those on the R forum bad mouthing the S3, we don't. Most of those in here are unreal with critising the R just because of the badge. It's embarrassing
Click to expand...

Not sure if that last bit is aimed at me, I mentioned the users who 'bad mouthed' the S3 and that was on the Golf GTI forum. The point of my post anyway was that looks are subjective. You can see that Supa Koopa and jamie_88 say the S3 is aggressive in its looks but you say it isn't. Both views are perfectly fine, its your opinion. But the R being way cheaper is a fact, you can see that the user 'umm' is talking about Australian prices not UK prices. PCP might be more expensive on the R but if you're buying cash than the discounts on the R are way more. The biggest discount you can get on an R is through nationwide cars and that is a £6,000 discount for a new standard DSG 5 Door Golf R, bringing it down to £28,580. I don't think it's possible to get a new standard 5 door S-tronic S3 Sportback at that price but if it is, please let me know so I can get one.
 
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Well aware it's all subjective, each to their own, just find it amusing the depths people go to, in portraying their opinion to reassure themselves that they made the right choice.

Had there not been chat on here of people obtaining 12-14% off their S3s though? That brings you bang in line with the price for the r mentioned above. And who buys their cars out right now anyway, next to nobody.
 
Just on parking sensors all-round and adaptive cruise being standard on the Golf R...
S32B said:
Not the R but the GTi
Click to expand...
As I say, I'm pretty sure they are standard on both the GTI and the R. In fact, everything from Match trim upwards. I just checked the brochure that I've got here (MY15 admittedly), and they're specifically listed as standard on the R.

So that's pushing an extra £2k if you want similar toys on the S3. If you want them. Not everybody does.

Difficult to prove at the moment because the Configurator says the R is only available "from stock" - perhaps something to do with the facelift R not being available to order yet?
 
FBF01 said:
Well aware it's all subjective, each to their own, just find it amusing the depths people go to, in portraying their opinion to reassure themselves that they made the right choice.

Had there not been chat on here of people obtaining 12-14% off their S3s though? That brings you bang in line with the price for the r mentioned above. And who buys their cars out right now anyway, next to nobody.
Click to expand...

I've seen those discounts but they are either on higher priced big spec S3's or the 3 door manual. With the GTI and R, you can get up to 20% discounts. Yeah you're right that most people do buy their cars through finance.
 
audi upgrades
Simonb1975 said:
tempted by the golf r estate
Click to expand...
Indeed, this is why we're lucky in VAG-world of uber platform-sharing... Choice.

So long as you accept the Golf R and S3 are pretty similar by most measures - certainly compared to the universe of other cars on sale - you can have that performance and "feel" in basically any body style you want.
  • Prefer a Saloon boot? S3.
  • Prefer an Estate? R.
  • Coupe? TT.
  • Hatch? Take your pick.
It's all good...
 
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Some cheap lease deals around for the FL Golf GTI / R coming throat the mo
 
audi upgrades
AndrewB said:
Indeed, this is why we're lucky in VAG-world of uber platform-sharing... Choice.

So long as you accept the Golf R and S3 are pretty similar by most measures - certainly compared to the universe of other cars on sale - you can have that performance and "feel" in basically any body style you want.
  • Prefer a Saloon boot? S3.
  • Prefer an Estate? R.
  • Coupe? TT.
  • Hatch? Take your pick.
It's all good...
Click to expand...

If you're looking for an estate car, the Seat Leon Cupra Estate is a good pick too. That one has got 4wd too while the hatchback is fwd.

FBF01 said:
20%....that's just rubbish. I'd like to see evidence of that
Click to expand...

Well its like I said, nationwide cars give £6,000 off a Golf R 5dr DSG. It has an RRP of £34,648 so its a 17.5% saving. http://www.nationwide-cars.co.uk/cars/volkswagen/golf/20-tsi-310-r-5dr-awd-dsg-78456/

Not quite 20% but the Golf R facelift has just released, wait a few months and the discount will likely go up. At this stage of the S3 facelift, I don't think Audi were giving this high discounts.
 
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I think audi are caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand they would like their cars to be a little more exclusive but on the other they know they can sell boat loads at a cheaper price.
Like all the other german brands they are now 2 a penny. Sure i read that they wanted to tighten up on discounts
 
AndrewB said:
Just on parking sensors all-round and adaptive cruise being standard on the Golf R...

As I say, I'm pretty sure they are standard on both the GTI and the R. In fact, everything from Match trim upwards. I just checked the brochure that I've got here (MY15 admittedly), and they're specifically listed as standard on the R.

So that's pushing an extra £2k if you want similar toys on the S3. If you want them. Not everybody does.

Difficult to prove at the moment because the Configurator says the R is only available "from stock" - perhaps something to do with the facelift R not being available to order yet?
Click to expand...
I mean i was talking about the Gti not the R :)
 
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