listers_socks
Registered User
Haven't been around for a while due to a never ending list of stuff to do in the new house and busy in work, so recently realised I never did do a proper write up on my thoughts of the S3 compared to my F80 M3 CP now that i'd done over 1k miles in 2 months.
Firstly my S3 ownership hasn't been without it's issues, nothing major after my dealer experience, but a few minor things that have annoyed me. I have to stress these may appear overly critical but i am trying to be as honest as possible. Some of them may even be my settings/setup so please tell me how to fix them!
1) Windscreen wipers - i find them rubbish! they make noise unless it's pouring down and generally do a poor job with over spray when going down into position.
2) Sun visor - moving back up into away position always knocks it out and you have to clip it back on. Design flaw perhaps but both do it and although initially a quirk i am finding it more annoying as weather improves
3) Sat Nav - live traffic info has proven to be rather poor - compared to the BMW system i find it slow to react to alternative routes (twice told me to leave on junction i just passed) and in general the sat nav is not as good, ETA changing massively with no reasoning for example
4) MMI - no option to display music details that are playing on radio (i.e. showing what song is playing)
5) 1st gear - I haven't tried launch control but 1st gear just seems a little gutless to me, especially compared to 2nd. Maybe it's me...
6) Having to manually put car into Sport mode - i find it odd that you have to put it into dynamic and then push down into Sport mode. All other modes i find throttle not responsive enough.
7) Turbo lag - when on the motorway and stuck behind slow moving traffic and you floor it when they move back in, the lag i find rather annoying. Maybe I am comparing it too much to the M3 but i do get frustrated with the performance say from 40-70. I do wonder though as it's power delivery is so smooth that the pace is there but it doesn't 'feel' fast? or sound as fast as per 8.....
8) Exhaust noise - I think i will have to do something about this, at first i enjoyed the quiet pacey go-kart of a car i had, but i think it needs that extra db's now.
9) Seat positioning - on long journeys i find it a bit of a struggle to stay comfortable, will continue to play with the seat positions but i find the seats are not as grippy as the M3's or other sports cars i have owned.
It's a long list and a lot of the above were not an issue in the M3, so maybe that's my main issue that it isnt the M3. To counter it though there are a lot of positives:
1) Digital cockpit - I'm a bit of a techy so i love it
2) 2nd gear - probably a reason why i am not a fan of 1st gear but the pull in 2nd gear is very good and always makes me smile
3) Colour - was worried about the Nano Grey but it's the gift that keeps on giving. Dark in most pics i saw before but in the sun and right light it changes colour, still surprises me when i come back to the car and the colour has 'changed'
4) Handling - one huge advantage over the M3 is the ability to chuck it into corners and it just sticks and grips and goes. Not matter what the weather and it just seems to handle it with ease
5) Looks - especially the rear end. I used to always come back to my M3 and smile and it's same with the S3. The rear angle is special and the rest isn't bad either.
The above are my thoughts based on my experience, most wont apply to others and so irrelevant. However there are some niggles, when it is in Audi next i may mention the wipers and the sun visor issues as they may be able to resolve, but the rest are quirks i will simply have to live with.
So in summary the S3 is a special car and enjoyable, it just isn't as special and enjoyable as the F80 M3 CP i had. I know saying this on an Audi forum will get me flamed but it's just my opinion
i hope to bond with it more over the next few months and miles and will definitely report back progress.
Firstly my S3 ownership hasn't been without it's issues, nothing major after my dealer experience, but a few minor things that have annoyed me. I have to stress these may appear overly critical but i am trying to be as honest as possible. Some of them may even be my settings/setup so please tell me how to fix them!
1) Windscreen wipers - i find them rubbish! they make noise unless it's pouring down and generally do a poor job with over spray when going down into position.
2) Sun visor - moving back up into away position always knocks it out and you have to clip it back on. Design flaw perhaps but both do it and although initially a quirk i am finding it more annoying as weather improves
3) Sat Nav - live traffic info has proven to be rather poor - compared to the BMW system i find it slow to react to alternative routes (twice told me to leave on junction i just passed) and in general the sat nav is not as good, ETA changing massively with no reasoning for example
4) MMI - no option to display music details that are playing on radio (i.e. showing what song is playing)
5) 1st gear - I haven't tried launch control but 1st gear just seems a little gutless to me, especially compared to 2nd. Maybe it's me...
6) Having to manually put car into Sport mode - i find it odd that you have to put it into dynamic and then push down into Sport mode. All other modes i find throttle not responsive enough.
7) Turbo lag - when on the motorway and stuck behind slow moving traffic and you floor it when they move back in, the lag i find rather annoying. Maybe I am comparing it too much to the M3 but i do get frustrated with the performance say from 40-70. I do wonder though as it's power delivery is so smooth that the pace is there but it doesn't 'feel' fast? or sound as fast as per 8.....
8) Exhaust noise - I think i will have to do something about this, at first i enjoyed the quiet pacey go-kart of a car i had, but i think it needs that extra db's now.
9) Seat positioning - on long journeys i find it a bit of a struggle to stay comfortable, will continue to play with the seat positions but i find the seats are not as grippy as the M3's or other sports cars i have owned.
It's a long list and a lot of the above were not an issue in the M3, so maybe that's my main issue that it isnt the M3. To counter it though there are a lot of positives:
1) Digital cockpit - I'm a bit of a techy so i love it
2) 2nd gear - probably a reason why i am not a fan of 1st gear but the pull in 2nd gear is very good and always makes me smile
3) Colour - was worried about the Nano Grey but it's the gift that keeps on giving. Dark in most pics i saw before but in the sun and right light it changes colour, still surprises me when i come back to the car and the colour has 'changed'
4) Handling - one huge advantage over the M3 is the ability to chuck it into corners and it just sticks and grips and goes. Not matter what the weather and it just seems to handle it with ease
5) Looks - especially the rear end. I used to always come back to my M3 and smile and it's same with the S3. The rear angle is special and the rest isn't bad either.
The above are my thoughts based on my experience, most wont apply to others and so irrelevant. However there are some niggles, when it is in Audi next i may mention the wipers and the sun visor issues as they may be able to resolve, but the rest are quirks i will simply have to live with.
So in summary the S3 is a special car and enjoyable, it just isn't as special and enjoyable as the F80 M3 CP i had. I know saying this on an Audi forum will get me flamed but it's just my opinion
i hope to bond with it more over the next few months and miles and will definitely report back progress.
