Autocar Audi S3 Saloon review

[Jassyo06]

even compared to a lambo, the vents are ludicrously high lol

plus I think the fact they do not align with the passenger side vents accentuates their unusually high position further ....

Go and sit behind the wheel like l did mate and to be honest l did not have any issues with dash layout ok the 10-5" A1 VC in the dash looks lost as well as the graphics are reduced in size etc etc....My negatives on the interior are the style of stitching used on the dash/door armrests they look cheap and stuck on, high gloss black plastic in the gear lever area....dust/scratch magnet the terrible scratchy/hollow plastic rear door cards are unbelievably bad....in the 8v the difference in quality between the front and rear door cards are different but it is nominal in material quality used....My point is you can get use to a design and begin to like it .......but you'll never succumb to cheap materials.....no matter how well they put them together especially at this price point.....and the cheapness is here to stay for the 8y's lifespan,the BMW 1 series interior plastics are of 8v quality but the interior overall is just a bit understated....Your car no doubt is just as good but is a bit overstated in it's design.....l think the Germans are all in Cahoots with each other......in which direction each should take ....lol A closed shop as to speak.....

 

[Mr Freeze]

Covid-19 discussion is a volatile Topic as most people have now a lot of built up frustrations/anger on the subject....."Governments"....and l appreciate you've not been feeling great at all but no doubt you'll back to your own highly opinionated self soon....lol

Thanks for that lol

 

[RGBARGEE]

Ghastly dashboard


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What have I been saying, yet accused of being negative!!

 

[RGBARGEE]

Go and sit behind the wheel like l did mate and to be honest l did not have any issues with dash layout ok the 10-5" A1 VC in the dash looks lost as well as the graphics are reduced in size etc etc....My negatives on the interior are the style of stitching used on the dash/door armrests they look cheap and stuck on, high gloss black plastic in the gear lever area....dust/scratch magnet the terrible scratchy/hollow plastic rear door cards are unbelievably bad....in the 8v the difference in quality between the front and rear door cards are different but it is nominal in material quality used....My point is you can get use to a design and begin to like it .......but you'll never succumb to cheap materials.....no matter how well they put them together especially at this price point.....and the cheapness is here to stay for the 8y's lifespan,the BMW 1 series interior plastics are of 8v quality but the interior overall is just a bit understated....Your car no doubt is just as good but is a bit overstated in it's design.....l think the Germans are all in Cahoots with each other......in which direction each should take ....lol A closed shop as to speak.....

Absolutely what I’ve been saying. Very similar to the Q3 a definite backward step Audi and clear cost cutting. Wake up Audi.

 

[RGBARGEE]

I agree it should of been handled better the first time round . I 'am currently self isolating after testing positive for covid last Tuesday
it as totally floored me I wouldn't wish it on anybody .

Sorry to hear that. Sadly our duplicitous Government have let us down yet again. Hope you get better soon. My mother died alone (no visitors) on April 19th- now know as Cummings eye test day. He broke his own rules whilst we were forbidden to be with Mum. I will never forgive these Tory Bustards.

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Go and sit behind the wheel like l did mate and to be honest l did not have any issues with dash layout ok the 10-5" A1 VC in the dash looks lost as well as the graphics are reduced in size etc etc....My negatives on the interior are the style of stitching used on the dash/door armrests they look cheap and stuck on, high gloss black plastic in the gear lever area....dust/scratch magnet the terrible scratchy/hollow plastic rear door cards are unbelievably bad....in the 8v the difference in quality between the front and rear door cards are different but it is nominal in material quality used....My point is you can get use to a design and begin to like it .......but you'll never succumb to cheap materials.....no matter how well they put them together especially at this price point.....and the cheapness is here to stay for the 8y's lifespan,the BMW 1 series interior plastics are of 8v quality but the interior overall is just a bit understated....Your car no doubt is just as good but is a bit overstated in it's design.....l think the Germans are all in Cahoots with each other......in which direction each should take ....lol A closed shop as to speak.....

Yeah I guess so. Its just with the driver vents being made such a feature and so prominent. I like symmetry and those vents where they are unbalances the look to me - but I get your point that it is one part of the interior design. The points you make on the quality of materials are indeed concerning and was typically an area where the extra money spent on an Audi could be seen (& felt). I know when I looked at the previous A class that is exactly how I felt about that car, the materials and plastics were very poor compared to Audi and an immediate put off, so I never got to test drive stage as just sitting in the car was enough to put me off. I do have to say that one of the things that took me back stepping into a Merc for the first time this time, was a genuine wow at the interior and the materials used. That aint bull**** it was how I felt - I even made comment to it in my early review saying it felt very audi-esque in that respect. It does feel premium and well put together and if I spend £50k on a car I do expect a degree of high quality - even if the A class and A3 are effectively low down the pecking order - to us, we do expect quality as it is what we have been used to. All the car brands have hiked the prices up too, so there should be no excuse for this drop off. You may also be right though, that it is something we may have to adjust our expectations to, as I know I will never be buying a car over £50k. I still think a Golf GTI is one of the most sensible cars to buy that ticks all the boxes but I haven't quite reached that point of sensible-ness to do that deed yet lol

 

[RGBARGEE]

I still think a Golf GTI is one of the most sensible cars to buy that ticks all the boxes but I haven't quite reached that point of sensible-ness to do that deed yet lol

. Not sure about the new mk 9 Gti, it seems to have similar dashboard and trim issues to the 8Y A3/S3. Have had many Golf Gti over the years in the family. Mk2,3,4,5,6.. Favourite was G600TGE a Mk 2 3 door 16v, lovely car, wish I hadn't sold it in 2016.

 

[Snake Pliskin]

. Not sure about the new mk 9 Gti, it seems to have similar dashboard and trim issues to the 8Y A3/S3. Have had many Golf Gti over the years in the family. Mk2,3,4,5,6.. Favourite was G600TGE a Mk 2 3 door 16v, lovely car, wish I hadn't sold it in 2016.

Yeah I know - probably not as good now as they were.
Some great GTI's previously though as you note.

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Now this is a nice looking Audi with a great profile

nice proper 'Audi' interior too ...

 

[RGBARGEE]

Now this is a nice looking Audi with a great profile

Indeed. Had a 58 plate quattro for 3 years, with loads of bits, great car designed by a former Alfa Romeo designer I believe. Quality of the B8 was faultless. Hard to believe the same basic shape (now B9) has been going for 13 years.

 

[8YARWY]

Yeah I guess so. Its just with the driver vents being made such a feature and so prominent. I like symmetry and those vents where they are unbalances the look to me - but I get your point that it is one part of the interior design. The points you make on the quality of materials are indeed concerning and was typically an area where the extra money spent on an Audi could be seen (& felt). I know when I looked at the previous A class that is exactly how I felt about that car, the materials and plastics were very poor compared to Audi and an immediate put off, so I never got to test drive stage as just sitting in the car was enough to put me off. I do have to say that one of the things that took me back stepping into a Merc for the first time this time, was a genuine wow at the interior and the materials used. That aint bull**** it was how I felt - I even made comment to it in my early review saying it felt very audi-esque in that respect. It does feel premium and well put together and if I spend £50k on a car I do expect a degree of high quality - even if the A class and A3 are effectively low down the pecking order - to us, we do expect quality as it is what we have been used to. All the car brands have hiked the prices up too, so there should be no excuse for this drop off. You may also be right though, that it is something we may have to adjust our expectations to, as I know I will never be buying a car over £50k. I still think a Golf GTI is one of the most sensible cars to buy that ticks all the boxes but I haven't quite reached that point of sensible-ness to do that deed yet lol

But would you pay 41k for one with a few decent options ?


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[Snake Pliskin]

View attachment 211447
But would you pay 41k for one with a few decent options ?


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Jesus is that how much they are now
Hmm maybe I will retract that comment then
My god, prices have indeed shot up - NO I would not pay £40k for a Golf GTI.
I'd probably go down the road of a heavily discounted Golf R first ... like the one you had (briefly lol) that was very nice

 

[RGBARGEE]

Jesus is that how much they are now
Hmm maybe I will retract that comment then
My god, prices have indeed shot up - NO I would not pay £40k for a Golf GTI.
I'd probably go down the road of a heavily discounted Golf R first ... like the one you had (briefly lol) that was very nice

VW seem to be more 'exclusive' in the UK than Audi.

 

[Snake Pliskin]

VW seem to be more 'exclusive' in the UK than Audi.

What VW perceived as a higher quality marque than Audi ... really ?

 

[RGBARGEE]

What VW perceived as a higher quality marque than Audi ... really ?

Exclusive , definition.. expensive and of a high quality, and therefore only for people who are rich or of a high social class:
an exclusive area/hotel/shop
The estate agent described the houses as "an exclusive development of detached executive homes with views of the river".

I reckon there are more Audi A3 around than VW Golfs these days, certainly around the SW.

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Exclusive , definition.. expensive and of a high quality, and therefore only for people who are rich or of a high social class:
an exclusive area/hotel/shop
The estate agent described the houses as "an exclusive development of detached executive homes with views of the river".

I reckon there are more Audi A3 around than VW Golfs these days, certainly around the SW.

Hmm I'm not convinced on that one ... I would always see Audi as more exclusive than a VW.

 

[foofoo]

VW seem to be more 'exclusive' in the UK than Audi.

Cobblers

 

[RGBARGEE]

Cobblers

They are all just posh Skodas these days ;-)

 

[8YARWY]

Jesus is that how much they are now
Hmm maybe I will retract that comment then
My god, prices have indeed shot up - NO I would not pay £40k for a Golf GTI.
I'd probably go down the road of a heavily discounted Golf R first ... like the one you had (briefly lol) that was very nice

Imagine how much the 330 Golf R will be when launched with a few choice options

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[RGBARGEE]

Imagine how much the 330 Golf R will be when launched with a few choice options
View attachment 211448


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We all know why new cars are getting so expensive don’t we!

 

[Snake Pliskin]

We all know why new cars are getting so expensive don’t we!

no .... why is that ?

please elaborate

 

[Terminator x]

I blame covid on it too, if only we had stayed in the EU

TX.

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[Jassyo06]

Add a extended leather pack,Exclusive paint,close part of my part brain off that knows about the cheap rear door card issue,lower the APR....and l would go for this....

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[Jassyo06]

I blame covid on it too, if only we had stayed in the EU

TX.

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Flu virus is what it is ???? but also is an excuse to increase the cost of all consumer products, also a reason to not get a pay rise,reason to not be offered overtime even if the company your employed with is extremely busy,make you feel insecure about the future,pass new laws quickly through the **** hole, frighten you to stay in your home...back in the day....They just dropped Propaganda leaflets...from the air

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Add a extended leather pack,Exclusive paint,close part of my part brain off that knows about the cheap rear door card issue,lower the APR....and l would go for this....

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In that colour (or exclusive), with those alloys, interior issues aside, that does look pretty tasty ..... but at what price ?

 

[dbm]

Currently the S3 is probably a non-starter for me personally. I might be interested in a Golf R if it has proper torque vectoring as is rumoured.

@Snake Pliskin - how have you found the A45S? Is the agility good, that is what I would want in a next car.

 

[Dubjam]

Currently the S3 is probably a non-starter for me personally. I might be interested in a Golf R if it has proper torque vectoring as is rumoured.

@Snake Pliskin - how have you found the A45S? Is the agility good, that is what I would want in a next car.

Torque vectoring, I used to enjoy following the Evo boys on the track with their AYC, just waiting for the their talent to be washed out when the AYC hit its peak..then my lowly Impreza would pass unscathed..

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Currently the S3 is probably a non-starter for me personally. I might be interested in a Golf R if it has proper torque vectoring as is rumoured.

@Snake Pliskin - how have you found the A45S? Is the agility good, that is what I would want in a next car.

The handling is much better on the 45 than the RS3 which I found to be very bouncy (and I had mag ride).
I only have the standard suspension but its a good balance and feels very composed / planted / nimble and most owners do comment on this.
You can opt for the adjustable suspension which gives you a softer and firmer setting, so even more adjustability.
The down side is that it sounds no where near as good as the RS3, but no 4 pot will match a 5 cylinder will it.
The Golf R was always praised for excellent handling but again lacking sound.
I would consider a Golf R though, but again all depends on price.
The way things are going, people will be paying close to what I paid for my 45 for an S3 or Golf R which is nuts.

 

[dbm]

Torque vectoring, I used to enjoy following the Evo boys on the track with their AYC, just waiting for the their talent to be washed out when the AYC hit its peak..then my lowly Impreza would pass unscathed..

I had an Impreza before my first S3. It was a lovely car at the time and the agility was excellent. A very different AWD setup to the Haldex, however, and seems to be less and less popular given the focus on efficiency. Haldex needs torque vectoring just to claw-back in comparison.

 

[Dubjam]

I had an Impreza before my first S3. It was a lovely car at the time and the agility was excellent. A very different AWD setup to the Haldex, however, and seems to be less and less popular given the focus on efficiency. Haldex needs torque vectoring just to claw-back in comparison.

The Haldex is massively inferior to the Subaru AWD system from a performance perspective, but as you say, tractor like efficiency and operation is not popular anymore and will become less so moving forward.

I think my Type R Impreza STI only managed 21mpg when on a spirited drive, but my later JDM STI Blobeye, returned a much more reasonable 32+ish. Both cars massively better than an R or S3 in terms of driving experience, and quality of that experience...but without the creature comforts and refinements,.

Still..they were both bombproof!

 

[dbm]

Still..they were both bombproof!

Actually, the engine of my T-Reg car blew up...

It wasn’t my fault - a friend with a non-turbo Impreza had his engine fail in exactly the same way. Apparently one of the cylinders in the block had a design weakness.

 

[Dubjam]

Actually, the engine of my T-Reg car blew up...

It wasn’t my fault - a friend with a non-turbo Impreza had his engine fail in exactly the same way. Apparently one of the cylinders in the block had a design weakness.

Only the later newage uk spec 2.5 had the popular know issue, the earlier ones if looked after were robust as heck.

Ive never owned a UK spec Impreza as the JDM twinscroll 2.0l setups were infinitely better. The chocolate piston 2.5 was a disgrace to the badge.

 

[Mr Freeze]

The Haldex is massively inferior to the Subaru AWD system from a performance perspective, but as you say, tractor like efficiency and operation is not popular anymore and will become less so moving forward.

I think my Type R Impreza STI only managed 21mpg when on a spirited drive, but my later JDM STI Blobeye, returned a much more reasonable 32+ish. Both cars massively better than an R or S3 in terms of driving experience, and quality of that experience...but without the creature comforts and refinements,.

Still..they were both bombproof!

I had a Type R Impreza STI years back never had an issue what it . I then moved on to a Evo 6 TME another great car and probably the better car out the two .But i preferred the Impreza in all honesty

 

[Dubjam]

I had a Type R Impreza STI years back never had an issue what it . I then moved on to a Evo 6 TME another great car and probably the better car out the two .But i preferred the Impreza in all honesty

I had an EVO 8MR, and despite it being quicker and more aggressive and pretty darn breathaking, I always came back to the Blobeye Impreza and preferred it, the twinscroll setup was virtually lag free, and it sounded like an F1 car on full song (no burble though as the JDM came with equal length headers) and it was just more pleasant to drive on a day to day basis.

My Type R was scarily quick, literally a go cart for the road.

 

[Jassyo06]

In that colour (or exclusive), with those alloys, interior issues aside, that does look pretty tasty ..... but at what price ?

Need you ask....lol Tango Red never looks like that in the metal

 

[Jassyo06]

Now this is a nice looking Audi with a great profile

nice proper 'Audi' interior too ...

With a huge price tag....RS5,cant fault that interior apart from that cheap microfiber.....wrapped around the steering wheel

 

[Mr Freeze]

I had an EVO 8MR, and despite it being quicker and more aggressive and pretty darn breathaking, I always came back to the Blobeye Impreza and preferred it, the twinscroll setup was virtually lag free, and it sounded like an F1 car on full song (no burble though as the JDM came with equal length headers) and it was just more pleasant to drive on a day to day basis.

My Type R was scarily quick, literally a go cart for the road.

I came close to buying a grey Evo 8 MR a few years back always fancied one . My problem with the Evo it just wasn't as pleasant to drive as the Impreza plus you can't beat the burble .

Both great cars and happy I had the chance the own both .

 

[Terminator x]

I came close to buying a grey Evo 8 MR a few years back always fancied one . My problem with the Evo it just wasn't as pleasant to drive as the Impreza plus you can't beat the burble .

Both great cars and happy I had the chance the own both .

The 9GT was on my list for years, loved that version! By the time I could afford it I'd moved on to Audi

TX.

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[Mr Freeze]

The 9GT was on my list for years, loved that version! By the time I could afford it I'd moved on to Audi

TX.

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That is usually the case when I passed my test back in 99 and being 19 at the time I wanted a Mk 3 fiesta Rs Turbo in white and couldn't afford one .
I ended up getting a Renault 5 Gt Turbo instead but it had a fight with a telegraph pole and lost

 

[RGBARGEE]

With a huge price tag....RS5,cant fault that interior apart from that cheap microfiber.....wrapped around the steering wheel

No microfibre around the standard audi sport version PFL.


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