Hi everyone,
Im new to the forum and this will be my first thread post and it will be a little bit of a long one. Since Novemeber ive been test driving new cars to decide what my new car will be.
So far ive test driven (ill keep the detail to a minimum barring the RS3):
- Merc A45 AMG w/Aero pack etc - Blisteringly quick but suspsension and comfort was ****** horrendous and looks wise... well lets just say its no Scarlett Johansson imo.
- BMW m140i, 240i and M4 (I had the first two in the same day and the sales guy then took me out in his demo M4) As much as I absolutely loved the engine (and boy what an engine that Turbocharged 3.0L flat 6 is) and the happy back end, the interior felt cheap and general quality was no where near to what I was used to in the Audi Interiors and I think the price reflected this. Out of the 1 and 2 series I much preferred the 2's coupe styling and generally just looked the better car. Aslo where I live RWD is pretty much useless.
- Audi S3 FL Saloon - This was Panther Black fully loaded (SuperSports, MMI, Pan Roof, Virtual Cockpit S-Tronic etc). Firstly I have to say what they've done to the gearbox in the facelift is a miracle, ive been in a friends 15Plate S3 saloon and it is so much more jumpier (doesnt know what gear to pick half the time). Was really impressed with how much smoother the power delivery and the throttle response was as well compared to the pre-FL. Comfortablity was great as it had the mag suspension as standard with the 19" alloys as well as the Supersport seats. Overall I really did like the Saloon as a whole package but its still missing something special.... like a 5pot.
- Audi RS3 8V- Nardo Grey with almost all options. Ever since these cars started production back at the beginning of 2015 ive said I wanted one. So come the test drive this really was like
.
Now having test driven the previous version and being in a few TTRS' i was already suited to the noise that came from a 5 pot... and as this had the Sports Exhaust as well, I knew it was going to be a fun 30 minute test drive. Off we go, first thing I notice is how much better everything is from its 8P brother also named 'Understeer', I know this is an obvious statement but it really has taken the 8P's worst bits and really improved on those, good that they listen to the consumers I suppose. I was truly shocked at how efficient the car felt below 4500 RPM in terms of fuel consumption and how capable of a daily driver it was. It only takes 2 minutes from the dealership to reach the A11 at Fourwentways. Time was 1:30PM so there was no traffic, perfect time to test the performance of the car
WOW is all i could say as I came off the slip road to merge, this thing is an absolute pocket rocket and the sound beyond 4500 is an absolute treat. The route I went on also had some really nice backroads which really did test the suspension and not once did I feel uncomfortable or tense.... okay maybe a tiny bit when i threw the car over the brow of a hill, but even so the grip on this car was crazy (Im used to the quattro in my TT but this things another level) and with it being a RARE dry day in the UK, it meant I really could enjoy the car. We get back to the dealership and I was pretty much ready to sign pen and paper and started to talk about what deals we could put together, they then tell me that the car had sold literally the day before, so I was pretty bummed to say the least.
Eever since ive been keeping my eye open and looking at what the prices are doing. Im trying to not go overkill on my deposit as im trying to save for other things as well. Ive seen a coupe lurking about but none that have the options that I want which explains the price of some of them. Do I wait for the RS3 Saloon to test drive as I really did like the saloon, or do I just go sod it and get the Sportback.
Sorry for the long thread but i am just so confused as what to do... hoping you 'non-biased' guys and gals
can help me make a decision.
Cheers,
J
