Why an S3 Sportback over a Golf R - thoughts please.

[Jassyo06]

@jassyo06 How does it work about allocating sales people to customers? When you go into a showroom and tell the "meet and greet" people you're interested in a new car, how do they choose a sales exec to speak to you...?

There's no Meet n Greet as far as l am aware at Glasgow Audi mate,been in over a dozen times....its all, can l help you sir....etc etc....from sales peeps,my son calls it walk in traffic...its a lottery...my son sells on a good day at the most 3 cars via walk in,spending roughly about 2 hours per punter....most sales are via existing customers, or by recomendation or by sheer luck

 

[Jassyo06]

There is an uncanny resemblance ....
View attachment 105247

Bet ye, yiv got yer name down on the Lego Waiting list for the Tumbler.... ya brickie Anorak....lol

 

[Gordo77]

There's no Meet n Greet as far as l am aware at Glasgow Audi mate,been in over a dozen times....its all, can l help you sir....etc etc....from sales peeps,my son calls it walk in traffic...its a lottery...my son sells on a good day at the most 3 cars via walk in,spending roughly about 2 hours per punter....most sales are via existing customers, or by recomendation or by sheer luck

But what's to stop all the sales people approaching potential customers at the same time, do they have some kinda agreement? There's usually about half a dozen sales people sitting at their desks whenever I've been in.

I thought the big reception desk at Glasgow was where the meet and greet people sat? When I had the TT in for service work a couple of months ago I wandered over to the main sales section and the lady behind the big reception desk couldn't get round quick enough to ask if she could help!

 

[Jassyo06]

But what's to stop all the sales people approaching potential customers at the same time, do they have some kinda agreement? There's usually about half a dozen sales people sitting at their desks whenever I've been in.

I thought the big reception desk at Glasgow was where the meet and greet people sat? When I had the TT in for service work a couple of months ago I wandered over to the main sales section and the lady behind the big reception desk couldn't get round quick enough to ask if she could help!

Gordon av only been in the mornings mate around 11am its pretty empty then,that solar Orange S3 my son sold, the couple had been waiting over 30 minutes to grab someones attention.....my son does a lot of sales via the Dog n Bone

 

[Gordo77]

Gordon av only been in the mornings mate around 11am its pretty empty then,that solar Orange S3 my son sold, the couple had been waiting over 30 minutes to grab someones attention.....my son does a lot of sales via the Dog n Bone

That's not good @jassyo06 ... waiting 30+ mins to get somebody's attention. Happy ending to that story tho.

I arranged test drive of the TT over the interweb last year, and a sales exec had been appointed to meet me and go out on the test drive at the arranged time. It worked pretty well.

 

[Jassyo06]

That's not good @jassyo06 ... waiting 30+ mins to get somebody's attention. Happy ending to that story tho.

I arranged test drive of the TT over the interweb last year, and a sales exec had been appointed to meet me and go out on the test drive at the arranged time. It worked pretty well.

Av never had that kinda service Gordon....its aye wit ye wanting dad...fancy a test drive in such n such...and get ye oot ma hair for awhile...lol

 

[pburv]

Av never had that kinda service Gordon....its aye wit ye wanting dad...fancy a test drive in such n such...and get ye oot ma hair for awhile...lol

lol...Sounds like an episode of 'Home To Roost'...

 

[Jassyo06]

lol...Sounds like an episode of 'Home To Roost'...

Very...True...mate

 

[Flying Scotsman]

Jassy, now I understand your son's dilemma.......Glasgow Audi !!!...As a Glaswegian, I can sympathise with him...lots of tyre kickers there..."Mister can I take that motor for a spin"

 

[Jassyo06]

Jassy, now I understand your son's dilemma.......Glasgow Audi !!!...As a Glaswegian, I can sympathise with him...lots of tyre kickers there..."Mister can I take that motor for a spin"

For example He took a Audi Anorak out on a test drive on a used RS6....his 3rd test drive on the same..car....out of normal working hour's .....still did'nt buy the car.....his working peers demand they do.....

 

[Bristle Hound]

For example He took a Audi Anorak out on a test drive on a used RS6....his 3rd test drive on the same..car....out of normal working hour's .....still did'nt buy the car.....his working peers demand they do.....

@jassyo06 - Oh the life of a 'Car Sales Executive' ...

 

[jonisginger]

Lol. I had a very similar experience to people here:

Drove a Sirocco R first (manual) and then a Golf R which blew it out the water speed and handling wise, but not as nice of a cockpit. Loved the drive though. Sales chap at VW was lovely but kept trying to get me to buy a Gti. My abiding memory is planting it in 2nd around a medium tightness right hander and it just flying out.

Anyway, then I went to Mercedes and had an arrogant **** who tried to get me to buy an A45, which I test drove and absolutely hated. Engine was harsh and exhaust annoying me, suspension was bitty and it felt cheap.

Went to BMW and they had a 135i in but it was on the ramp and so I couldn't see it. Never got a test drive, but a 3.0L and 2wd in a cold and rainy part of the country put me off. Not to mention mpg.

Booked an S3 test drive at Audi and in the mean time I drove a Leon Cupra R which was an amazing drive and incredible wet grip, even on a ******* wet day - but no rwd or 4wd. I had a 2001 1.6 Leon back in the day.

Drove the S3 and although not quite as engaging a drive as Leon or Golf at non stupid speeds the interior was 50x as good and it looked miles better so that sold it. Also trying to find a second hand Golf that is fully loaded is a nightmare.

Found my S3 in Glasgow, hugely underpriced and sorted my finance through a 3rd party and saved about £150 a month off dealer finance prices.

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[jonisginger]

I ordered an r back in march,
I cancelled for a few reasons.

The golf r was £30 more per month expensive than the s3 like for like.
There are so many golf r's on the road the residule will plumit.
The interior is so much nicer
The facelift s3 was due and looked awesome and had the 7speed stronic which is awesome by the way.
Bang and olfsen is better than dynaudio

I've now got the s3 facelift and don't regret it one bit! I've only had it 4 weeks tomorrow and already seen about 6 golf rs and only 1 s3.

****! Didn't realise 7 speed on new S3. Might have to upgrade!!! Bet the motorway or cruising mpg above 60 is incredible?

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[Simon L]

Bit of a pattern emerging here.....................Mercedes' twatish salesmen!! lol (definitely echoes my experience with em)

 

[CarloS3]

S3 over Golf R because a Golf R will be worth peanuts after ownership.

But seriously, I'm 25 and prefer the S3 even though some describe it as the old man's version Whenever I see a Golf R in my head i think "oh look, another lease car" with the S3 is actually gets my attention, even though i'm already in one haha. To me the S3 is the perfect blend of luxury/classiness and sportiness, both inside and out.

If a more raw experience is wanted then true the R is probably more suitable - But our roads are hardly comparable to a race track anyway.

 

[CarloS3]

****! Didn't realise 7 speed on new S3. Might have to upgrade!!! Bet the motorway or cruising mpg above 60 is incredible?

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My record in 7th on a (fairly) short motorway run is 32mpg but admittedly it's still running in so expect the mpg to improve.

 

[jonisginger]

My record in 7th on a (fairly) short motorway run is 32mpg but admittedly it's still running in so expect the mpg to improve.

Was that at strictly 70mph? I did 41 to central London and back from York, but at about 66mph..

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[CarloS3]

Yeah 70mph bang on mate - was using cruise control to make sure I drove like a right little granny to test the fuel economy for 1 run haha.

 

[CHCCubs]

I considered the Golf R, but the lack of interior colour options (black leather only) along with my preference of sedans over hatches led me to choose the S3.

 

[Gordo77]

It's odd, but the Golf R has never been on my radar. I know it's an obvious competitor to the S3, but as someone said above, I think it has a bit of a reputation for cheap lease deals.

 

[infernox]

-can and does get mistaken for a "normal" A3, you'll never mistake a Golf R for a GTI or similar, you can tell straight away its an R

Don't forget about the R-line spec golfs. They look very similar to the Golf R and its hard to tell them apart. I'd say the GTI/GTD stand out the most in the Golf range (especially the new Clubsport GTI).

 

[DrEskimo]

Hard to chose between the two, but I'm personally picky about my interior and the S3 wins...

Curious to see two members taking about the 135i and saying they don't want it because it's 3l.....?! I'm missing something clearly?! The noise of my V6 and the noise of that straight six is bleeding glorious!

 

[deanshaw24]

****! Didn't realise 7 speed on new S3. Might have to upgrade!!! Bet the motorway or cruising mpg above 60 is incredible?

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Ive looked at instant and it always sits a 38mpg cruising at 75mph, but the main reason I love the 7th gear is because it's so quiet sitting at 75 as it's only doing about 2200rpm!

 

[jonisginger]

Hard to chose between the two, but I'm personally picky about my interior and the S3 wins...

Curious to see two members taking about the 135i and saying they don't want it because it's 3l.....?! I'm missing something clearly?! The noise of my V6 and the noise of that straight six is bleeding glorious!

Yeah gorgeous but I thought the fuel consumption is always poo? Where's when pootling I can get 45-50 from S3.

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[jonisginger]

Ive looked at instant and it always sits a 38mpg cruising at 75mph, but the main reason I love the 7th gear is because it's so quiet sitting at 75 as it's only doing about 2200rpm!

That's unreal. Upgrade pays for itself. Can't believe RS3 has 8 speed plus reverse!

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[DrEskimo]

Yeah gorgeous but I thought the fuel consumption is always poo? Where's when pootling I can get 45-50 from S3.

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Probably....I get 22MPG from my S5 but I very rarely drive economically...and it's a fair bit heavier than an S3.

But then I wouldn't even consider an S if I was concerned about fuel economy. I mean...it's an S not a 1.6TDI....?

 

[Falmouthboy]

Hard to chose between the two, but I'm personally picky about my interior and the S3 wins...

Curious to see two members taking about the 135i and saying they don't want it because it's 3l.....?! I'm missing something clearly?! The noise of my V6 and the noise of that straight six is bleeding glorious!

I would say the one area that our new S3 can't compete with our previous M135i is the sound track, particularly as we had an M Performance exhaust fitted.

In terms of economy - early days with the S3 but I would say on A roads and enjoying the performance it's about the same as the BMW, but at a steady 70 on a motorway run the Audi is a few MPG more economical, but not enough to be a deciding factor.

Handling wise we never had an issue with the rear wheel drive, but living in Cornwall we didn't experience any snow and ice when it would certainly have been at a disadvantage unless on winter rubber.


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[DrEskimo]

I would say the one area that our new S3 can't compete with our previous M135i is the sound track, particularly as we had an M Performance exhaust fitted.

In terms of economy - early days with the S3 but I would say on A roads and enjoying the performance it's about the same as the BMW, but at a steady 70 on a motorway run the Audi is a few MPG more economical, but not enough to be a deciding factor.

Handling wise we never had an issue with the rear wheel drive, but living in Cornwall we didn't experience any snow and ice when it would certainly have been at a disadvantage unless on winter rubber.


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Yup the 135i is a great package. For the price there isn't much that offers so much. The lack of AWD does take away a little bit from the 'all weather' driving of the S Audi, but as you say how much of an issue is that in the UK? The instant traction off the line is addictive though.

For me personally, I can't see past the exterior looks of the 1 series. It's beaten as one of the ugliest of the hot hatches only really by the A-Class....

The 2-series is another matter though. Think that is gorgeous and is a serious contender for my next car! But that is substantially more expensive...

 

[E S Blofeld]

Well having read the 3 pages of comments that's all very useful. Thanks very much indeed for your comments and feedback.

Common theme seems to be: S3 is a better finished car in terms of interior design and fit out / build quality. S3 is slightly softer version of the Golf R in terms of handling. S3 is a more exclusive and will hold its value better.

In fact I had finance quotes on both cars based on similar spec. The monthly cost was the same for the two cars. S3 was more expensive to buy, but the GFV after 48 months was so much higher than the Golf's that the cost of ownership was the same.

 

[R32 mad]

I've read on these forums before how the S3 loses alot of money like the Golf R does over 3 years. I specced an S3 through carwow. But GMFV was around 17k, where the Golf R was 16k, either way an S3 on average will cost more than a Golf R when specced up, therefore lose more the the Golf.

I find Audi's steering feel is a very numb experience. Test drove a TTS and felt the Golf R is still a better drive. Was kind of disappointing getting out of a TTS knowing it wasn't as fun to drive. Can't put my finger on it.

Then again the Golf R has the advantage of its chassis tuned by Hans Stuck, who works for Porsche. A former racing driver who knows how a car should be set up. Where as the S3 is tuned in house. So it's not surprising why the Golf R was always favoured in Journalists reviews.

 

[jonisginger]

I've read on these forums before how the S3 loses alot of money like the Golf R does over 3 years. I specced an S3 through carwow. But GMFV was around 17k, where the Golf R was 16k, either way an S3 on average will cost more than a Golf R when specced up, therefore lose more the the Golf.

I find Audi's steering feel is a very numb experience. Test drove a TTS and felt the Golf R is still a better drive. Was kind of disappointing getting out of a TTS knowing it wasn't as fun to drive. Can't put my finger on it.

Then again the Golf R has the advantage of its chassis tuned by Hans Stuck, who works for Porsche. A former racing driver who knows how a car should be set up. Where as the S3 is tuned in house. So it's not surprising why the Golf R was always favoured in Journalists reviews.

The Golf R is definitely a better drive no doubt and I got an S3.

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[infernox]

My S3 SB has mag ride and 19s, it took a long time to find a SB to test that did. Mag ride does make a difference in my opinion, and fixes some of the bounce issues in day to day driving, but it doesn't eradicate it, on some of the roads round me with bad rutting and undulations can really unsettle the car, particularly if you're pushing on. And it's still awful over speed bumps.

How is the ride on 18s with Mag Ride?

 

[jonisginger]

How is the ride on 18s with Mag Ride?

Unless you swap the wheels out they don't let you buy mag ride and 18s. 19s selects mag ride and vice versa.

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[infernox]

Unless you swap the wheels out they don't let you buy mag ride and 18s. 19s selects mag ride and vice versa.

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Is that for the sportback? I've seen cars on autotrader with 18s and mag ride.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201609097613370?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201609308286695?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201604213208302?

 

[jonisginger]

Is that for the sportback? I've seen cars on autotrader with 18s and mag ride.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201609097613370?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201609308286695?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201604213208302?

Hmm! Investigate carefully. Get the chassis number and ring Audi and ask them to check on the build system. I hope I'm wrong. But, from when I started looking about March time, when you selected 19s on the configurator it stated you had to have mag ride and vice versa. Everyone gets drivr select which is throttle and brakes etc - maybe they're confusing it with that. Anyway let me know if what you find. You can also type the reg or chassis number into myAudi.Com and it will tell you there.

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[GSB]

Unless you swap the wheels out they don't let you buy mag ride and 18s. 19s selects mag ride and vice versa.

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Yes they do. My current PFL S3 has 18" 10 spokes and Mag ride, my new FL S3 has 18' stock wheels and Mag ride.

 

[jonisginger]

Yes they do. My current PFL S3 has 18" 10 spokes and Mag ride, my new FL S3 has 18' stock wheels and Mag ride.

Oh right, OK. I am wrong. It's 19s must have mag ride but not the other way around!

 

[GSB]

Oh right, OK. I am wrong. It's 19s must have mag ride but not the other way around!

you got it. On both pre and post facelift cars you could/can buy magride independently of choosing wheels, but selecting 19"s from factory automatically selects magride. Beware the used car with no magride on 19's, but the other way round is just fine...

Magride on 18's is just fine. Good relaxed ride in comfort mode, sporty as hell in dynamic mode. The "S3 bounce" is not a problem I've come across, at least until this happened;

 

[jonisginger]

you got it. On both pre and post facelift cars you could/can buy magride independently of choosing wheels, but selecting 19"s from factory automatically selects magride. Beware the used car with no magride on 19's, but the other way round is just fine...

Magride on 18's is just fine. Good relaxed ride in comfort mode, sporty as hell in dynamic mode. The "S3 bounce" is not a problem I've come across, at least until this happened;
View attachment 105663

What's the S3 bounce?

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[steeve]

S3 Golf R?
We cant answer that, only you can answer that I'm afraid. You have an R so spend some time in an S3 and make your own mind up.

I had long tests in both before deciding, overall I picked the S3 but for my own reasons.

You've seen how many different opinions there are, and thank goodness for that.