I bought a 2018 RS3 a little over two years ago. I traded in my 2011 Mk6 GTI that I had also bought new back in 2010.
I never really loved the RS3, not the way I expected to love a car like the RS3 and not the way I loved my old GTI. Initially I was super excited and happy of course, but as the newness wears off I cant shake the feeling that I just don't enjoy the car.
Why? Lots of reasons that are hard to pinpoint. The biggest reason is that I basically never get to use the full power of the car, I rarely even find myself pushing the car to half its capability. Having more power than you need isn't a bad thing per se, but I'm sacrificing fuel economy and maintenance costs for something I can't use.
Of course I knew fuel economy would take a hit going from a four cylinder 200hp car to a 5-cylinder 400hp. But even when I try to drive in a frugal manner I get 350km to a tank in the Audi. I would drive the heck out of the GTI and still get around 500km to a tank. I find myself taking the shortest routes and no longer driving just for fun because of this and that's sad because driving for pleasure was one of my favourite activities.
I also often find myself rolling down the windows to reassure myself that the "RS" sound is indeed there. Other people sometimes tell me it's a loud car, but I don't really hear it. I expected the RS3 to be the kind of car you'd take through a tunnel just to hear the engine note but it's hasn't been that way for me.
I just had my second annual service done, and I need new tires after less than 20,oookms. This is without any track use, without any spirited driving even because of what I mentioned above. Just basic street and highway driving. They also informed me I'll probably be needing new brakes next year... seems a little soon for both tires and brakes, especially considering I do commuter-type driving. Is it just the nature of an RS car to burn through these things regardless of driving style?
So as the time has come for me to spend money on the RS3's upkeep I've gone from kind of liking my car to not really liking it at all. I know an Audi fan forum isn't the ideal place to make this post but I thought some here might have some advice or similar experience.
I don't know what to do, and one of my tires has a bulge on the side which makes me feel like I need to make a quick decision.
Cheers!
I never really loved the RS3, not the way I expected to love a car like the RS3 and not the way I loved my old GTI. Initially I was super excited and happy of course, but as the newness wears off I cant shake the feeling that I just don't enjoy the car.
Why? Lots of reasons that are hard to pinpoint. The biggest reason is that I basically never get to use the full power of the car, I rarely even find myself pushing the car to half its capability. Having more power than you need isn't a bad thing per se, but I'm sacrificing fuel economy and maintenance costs for something I can't use.
Of course I knew fuel economy would take a hit going from a four cylinder 200hp car to a 5-cylinder 400hp. But even when I try to drive in a frugal manner I get 350km to a tank in the Audi. I would drive the heck out of the GTI and still get around 500km to a tank. I find myself taking the shortest routes and no longer driving just for fun because of this and that's sad because driving for pleasure was one of my favourite activities.
I also often find myself rolling down the windows to reassure myself that the "RS" sound is indeed there. Other people sometimes tell me it's a loud car, but I don't really hear it. I expected the RS3 to be the kind of car you'd take through a tunnel just to hear the engine note but it's hasn't been that way for me.
I just had my second annual service done, and I need new tires after less than 20,oookms. This is without any track use, without any spirited driving even because of what I mentioned above. Just basic street and highway driving. They also informed me I'll probably be needing new brakes next year... seems a little soon for both tires and brakes, especially considering I do commuter-type driving. Is it just the nature of an RS car to burn through these things regardless of driving style?
So as the time has come for me to spend money on the RS3's upkeep I've gone from kind of liking my car to not really liking it at all. I know an Audi fan forum isn't the ideal place to make this post but I thought some here might have some advice or similar experience.
I don't know what to do, and one of my tires has a bulge on the side which makes me feel like I need to make a quick decision.
Cheers!
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