It's like this on the Audi A4, A5, A1 as well from the one's I've driven. My 04 plate golf was the same also. Only car I think I've ever had really good feedback from is Ford. Even the last 3 series I drove felt a bit lacklustre in the 'steering feels' department, apart from when you tend to lose the back end.Lifeless and without feel, yes, correct.
Putting it into dynamic just adds friction without any further feel.
It's the Audi way.
True, you will find a lot of whiners on this forum, and not many people who encourage you to buy one of the cars they tend to own, lol.Do you know the feel of the steering is the one gripe I don't have. I turn the wheel and it goes round the corner. I can't tell th difference between the drive select settings - in all cases the same thing happens, I turn the wheel and go round the corner . Is it me or is everyone else a wuss?
Yes steering lacks feedback, and with S3 progressive steering taking a corner can go from light to heavy mid corner if you change force on the wheel or rate of turn significantly mid corner.
I am sure the steering is reacting to your movement rather than behaving oddly/badly but once you get used to it I actually quite like it, but I might be in a minority here.
That said I find dynamic steering a little jerky but in comfort settings it's absolutely fine especially if you leave throttle response in dynamic...IMHO
This isn't any sort of rant, I'm actually curious. What should it feel like ? Handling etc I get but I've never given any thought to steering (As long as it works) ever
There are so many things you should be able to "feel" through the steering system, and a good system will give you feedback on lots of things.
I can tell when one tyre is under inflated compared to the other, on a car with good steering feedback. On the Audi, no.
I can tell when the road surface changes on a car with good steering feedback. One the Audi, no.
I can tell when the front of the car is approaching the limits of grip
I can tell when the from to the car has overcome the limits of grip - and here's the important thing - just how much to back off to regain that grip. With the Audi, you only know through other senses (sight, sounds, bum feel) and then, too late, the steering goes light.
I can tell when the car is going light through dips and crests as it happens on a car with good steering feedback. On the Audi, again, the other senses tell you first, then you realise the steering has gone light.
On a car that has entered understeer or oversteer - the counter steering needed is gauged on a good car, by the slip angle and how much grip the fronts have. On the Audi, again, the other senses tell you first, and you end up trying to correct something that has happened in the past.
Around a bend - with a car with good feedback, you can tell exactly what the tyres are doing, how much grip they have, how much more they have, when they are approaching the limit etc. On the Audi - it's pretty blunt, with virtually no feedback of that sort.
Some cars you get in, and you feel that the steering is directly connected to the front wheels. On the Audi - it feels like it has gone through multiple rubber bushes, there is no direct connection, nor direct precision to the steering.
All this before even starting to talk about turn-in characteristics.
I like a car that you can drive just as fast at night, as you can in the daytime. As your sight is deprived at night, that's one less sense you have, and on a car with good communicative steering, you can indeed drive at night without being disadvantaged. Try an unlit twisty narrow B road at night, and you'll soon find that you're lacking a degree of precision, or feedback, as to what the car is actually doing under your feet.
Is comfort setting the lighter version of dynamic (steering wise)?
I detect salt, and lots of it.No, I don't like moaning, but if you think the steering on your S3 is 'good', I'm getting a good understanding of your experience.
Your final sentence would appear to sum up your experience of reality as well.
No. You detect reality. That you may like the steering in your S3 is perfectly fine, as it is with Halegavin.
It is not, however, 'good'. It's actually sh*t.
It is a step backwards from the 8P, which was never great to begin with but at least you could detect the onset of loss of grip, through understeer slide through to AWD slide and be able to judge the steering inputs to recovery.
Like driving a circuit through an Xbox.
I don't own an S3 presently. I own an 8P A3, which is utter trash in terms of handling, but then are most of the other cars of today.... 3 Series F30 I drove the other week was just as awful, same goes for Golf R, Mercedes A Class, etc etc, list goes on...
I'm not gonna get into a fight with anyone here about the steering feel, some like it others don't ..........big deal, nothing new there.
I will say however that if you need your steering to tell you when your losing grip your driving too bleedin fast!! Slow down, enjoy the ride
You're confusing handling with steering feel. And 'feel' in general.
The 8VS3 handles well, way better than the 8P (usual 'bouncyness' on a 'B' road as you up the pace in both) but it steers soullessly.
There is nothing coming back through the big round thing that you hold onto to encourage further, or lesser inputs from your feet.
I'm not moaning for the sake of it, it's just bad.
Well, my personal opinion...after many years and miles on sportsbikes I can tell you there's much more ways to get a feel for grip and speed, if you rely on steering so much when you're pushing it you're missing so much other feedback.
You're confusing handling with steering feel. And 'feel' in general.
The 8VS3 handles well, way better than the 8P (usual 'bouncyness' on a 'B' road as you up the pace in both) but it steers soullessly.
There is nothing coming back through the big round thing that you hold onto to encourage further, or lesser inputs from your feet.
I'm not moaning for the sake of it, it's just bad.
No, I'm not.
I'm missing one of the vital input ingredients. Like one of the five senses. If you don't get that, well....
I understand what you mean, I just don't understand why it holds you back or affects your enjoyment so much. I think you should give it a bit more time as its obviously different to your last car.
I get that some folk don't like the steering, that's fair enough but others can work with it and there's probably plenty that don't really care as long as it goes round a corner, I say give it more time or cut your losses.
Some would disagree with your interpretation of the S3 handling "well".
Without magnetic ride, it's poor. With it, it appears to be improved, but there are far better alternatives in the handling stakes out there.
Now I'm not going to make any judgements on reality or experience, I shall leave that to others.....