Leejgilb
Registered User
Just taken delivery of my brand fire new S3 and thought I'd share a write up and piccys with you. Enjoy !!!
THE WRITE UP
It was probably one of the most difficult car buying decisions Ive ever had to make. Selling my beloved TT for something else - simply for practical reasons.
So I knew I needed five seats; that was objection of this particular exercise. I also wanted something that ticked the box that had been left open from my TT. Namely; Quattro. I really missed Quattro since having it as my trusty friend in the guise of a MK1 TT 225. Although the front-wheel drive MK2 is an absolute stunner of a drive, I always felt that it missed that beautiful rail-road cornering ability I was so used to. A stunner in that if I had to choose between a brand new MK1 or a brand new MK2, I would choose the MK2. Its styling, performance and head-turning ability made my ownership of the car the best to date and I never regretted buying one for a second.
So with this in mind and the fact that I simply cannot buy a car that has less power than my previous, I considered other cars for a short time. To be honest I was looking at other things with no real intention to buy as I am well and truly sold by the Audi brand. Theres probably nothing Audi make that I wouldnt own. Not something I can say about any other manufacturer. I looked at the VW Scirocco but couldnt like the dashboard, no matter how good the exterior looked. I looked at the 3-series coupe but since the recent styling changes, Ive not drooled over it like I did during the previous 3-series. That plus, to get the performance figures I wanted, Id need to go for a minimum six-pot which all carry hefty tax and economy figures. An A4 Cabriolet was on the cards too, but I only wanted the 3.0TDI Quattro and I just couldnt find a manual younger than a year old. The only car I really considered was an A5 3.0TDi Quattro. But they were simply out of my budget due to the chronic residual values effect on my monthlies.
The only car that ticked all the boxes and got me smiling then was the S3. Id have the five seats, Quattro, more power and of course it came in Sprint Blue ! Whilst chatting to my dealer during a routine clutch replacement
I ended up agreeing to an extended test drive in her shiny new black S3. So the following weekend I turned up driving licence in hand and limbered up for a right good spanking and off I went.
So how did the test drive go? Well within ten minutes of returning I was signing an order and deciding whether to go for BOSE or not
I did go for BOSE and I also felt that given that were indeed in the 21st century Bluetooth was also going to be added as was the Interior Light Pack. Order placed
5 weeks of nail biting and the odd sleepless night
.Shes here!!
Handover was perfect as always; a few signatures, a cup of coffee and a bounce through the showroom to my waiting chariot. First thing I did was to pair my phone to the BT; piece of cake, took all of two minutes. Then I selected disc 1 of MJs Greatest Hits (still in mourning) and adjusted the EQ until the Billie Jean bass line actually began to hurt and then...well I fired up the Quattro of course !
My route home was pre-planned to take in the odd chicane, (sorry island :busted_cop: ) and seeing as I was still scanning the interior I took it steady with only the odd squirt of the throttle. Home to collect the Nikon and back out to my designated picture taking spot in the Worcestershire countryside. Well you all saw the result of that. If you havent look at the bottom of this post :thumb: I strapped the Nikon in the boot, pulled the seat-belt tight and cracked my knuckles. This was the moment I had been waiting for
The S3 performs to an outstanding level through the twisties. I really can say without any hesitation that the precision turn-in and grip through corners is better than the TT. I certainly had much more confidence with the car and not once did I have the feeling that I was drifting. The TT had me guessing a few times as to where I should be pointing the steering wheel. This was not present in the S3. The pull though is better than I had expected. It just seems to keep on going although I've not pushed over 4000 revs...much.....well maybe once.
Although there are now 265 raging horses instead of 200, power delivery is in a completely different place and where a TT would leave an S3 on take off, the S3 has another more brutal surge of power around 3500 revs and another tickle at about 5000. This extra shunt coupled with the Quattro system keeps the S3 accelerating and really does put a smile on my face. But its that turn-in and follow through that really bring the S3 into its own. A simply stunning drive. Not better than the TT and not worse, Just a different taste. Youve got your Carling drinkers and your Carlsberg drinkers. Both lager, both get you pi$$ed, but they taste different. Some drinkers drink both. Some stay loyal to their nectar. I drink both; the TT and the S3.
Interior time. Everything in the cockpit is a very familiar sight. The dash IMO looks better in the TT; especially with that third centre air vent. The S3 has just two and its amazing how something so small can make such a difference. But I can live with it. The dash is a different material also but all this is overshadowed by that white DIS display. This is something Id not really thought twice about. I knew I was getting it but didnt realise how stunning it looks at night and the addition of the Lap Time page I the menu made me chuckle (something present on most S cars apparently). Not sure Ill use that everyday but hey.
The leather seats seem far softer and slightly more comfortable too. Its made all the more comfortable with the beautifully stitched steering wheel staring at you with its glimmering S3 motif at its base. One thing I cant make my mind up about is the armrest. Very comfortable leather top, foldable and adjustable and great for storing things. But when youre pushing on and up and down through the gears it just gets in the way. Im left with the only option of pushing it out of the way until Ive calmed down enough to enjoy a tranquil cruise. In other words its up and down more than Jordans knickers at the moment. Which brings me neatly to the back seats () .
There is an awesome amount of room considering this is one of the smaller Audis on the market; an A3. I really didnt expect to have so much leg room in the back of a small hatchback. Im not saying its an A8 but compared to similar vehicles in its sector it really is quite spacious. Plenty of room to get Jordan in anyway.
So all in all I reckon its a damn good car. Sure there are less expensive cars out there offering similar packages. But they are not Audi and as far as I am concerned none of them came close when it came down to signing an order. So there we go, my long overdue write up of the new addition to my family; my Sprint Blue Audi S3. Do I miss the TT ? Yes, like I'd miss oxygen if it wasn't so abundant
Have I made a mistake ? No way ! I love this car !!! 
Well I like it anyway .
Here's my pics:
THE WRITE UP
It was probably one of the most difficult car buying decisions Ive ever had to make. Selling my beloved TT for something else - simply for practical reasons.
So I knew I needed five seats; that was objection of this particular exercise. I also wanted something that ticked the box that had been left open from my TT. Namely; Quattro. I really missed Quattro since having it as my trusty friend in the guise of a MK1 TT 225. Although the front-wheel drive MK2 is an absolute stunner of a drive, I always felt that it missed that beautiful rail-road cornering ability I was so used to. A stunner in that if I had to choose between a brand new MK1 or a brand new MK2, I would choose the MK2. Its styling, performance and head-turning ability made my ownership of the car the best to date and I never regretted buying one for a second.
So with this in mind and the fact that I simply cannot buy a car that has less power than my previous, I considered other cars for a short time. To be honest I was looking at other things with no real intention to buy as I am well and truly sold by the Audi brand. Theres probably nothing Audi make that I wouldnt own. Not something I can say about any other manufacturer. I looked at the VW Scirocco but couldnt like the dashboard, no matter how good the exterior looked. I looked at the 3-series coupe but since the recent styling changes, Ive not drooled over it like I did during the previous 3-series. That plus, to get the performance figures I wanted, Id need to go for a minimum six-pot which all carry hefty tax and economy figures. An A4 Cabriolet was on the cards too, but I only wanted the 3.0TDI Quattro and I just couldnt find a manual younger than a year old. The only car I really considered was an A5 3.0TDi Quattro. But they were simply out of my budget due to the chronic residual values effect on my monthlies.
The only car that ticked all the boxes and got me smiling then was the S3. Id have the five seats, Quattro, more power and of course it came in Sprint Blue ! Whilst chatting to my dealer during a routine clutch replacement
I ended up agreeing to an extended test drive in her shiny new black S3. So the following weekend I turned up driving licence in hand and limbered up for a right good spanking and off I went.So how did the test drive go? Well within ten minutes of returning I was signing an order and deciding whether to go for BOSE or not
I did go for BOSE and I also felt that given that were indeed in the 21st century Bluetooth was also going to be added as was the Interior Light Pack. Order placed
5 weeks of nail biting and the odd sleepless night
.Shes here!!
Handover was perfect as always; a few signatures, a cup of coffee and a bounce through the showroom to my waiting chariot. First thing I did was to pair my phone to the BT; piece of cake, took all of two minutes. Then I selected disc 1 of MJs Greatest Hits (still in mourning) and adjusted the EQ until the Billie Jean bass line actually began to hurt and then...well I fired up the Quattro of course !
My route home was pre-planned to take in the odd chicane, (sorry island :busted_cop: ) and seeing as I was still scanning the interior I took it steady with only the odd squirt of the throttle. Home to collect the Nikon and back out to my designated picture taking spot in the Worcestershire countryside. Well you all saw the result of that. If you havent look at the bottom of this post :thumb: I strapped the Nikon in the boot, pulled the seat-belt tight and cracked my knuckles. This was the moment I had been waiting for
The S3 performs to an outstanding level through the twisties. I really can say without any hesitation that the precision turn-in and grip through corners is better than the TT. I certainly had much more confidence with the car and not once did I have the feeling that I was drifting. The TT had me guessing a few times as to where I should be pointing the steering wheel. This was not present in the S3. The pull though is better than I had expected. It just seems to keep on going although I've not pushed over 4000 revs...much.....well maybe once.
Although there are now 265 raging horses instead of 200, power delivery is in a completely different place and where a TT would leave an S3 on take off, the S3 has another more brutal surge of power around 3500 revs and another tickle at about 5000. This extra shunt coupled with the Quattro system keeps the S3 accelerating and really does put a smile on my face. But its that turn-in and follow through that really bring the S3 into its own. A simply stunning drive. Not better than the TT and not worse, Just a different taste. Youve got your Carling drinkers and your Carlsberg drinkers. Both lager, both get you pi$$ed, but they taste different. Some drinkers drink both. Some stay loyal to their nectar. I drink both; the TT and the S3.
Interior time. Everything in the cockpit is a very familiar sight. The dash IMO looks better in the TT; especially with that third centre air vent. The S3 has just two and its amazing how something so small can make such a difference. But I can live with it. The dash is a different material also but all this is overshadowed by that white DIS display. This is something Id not really thought twice about. I knew I was getting it but didnt realise how stunning it looks at night and the addition of the Lap Time page I the menu made me chuckle (something present on most S cars apparently). Not sure Ill use that everyday but hey.
The leather seats seem far softer and slightly more comfortable too. Its made all the more comfortable with the beautifully stitched steering wheel staring at you with its glimmering S3 motif at its base. One thing I cant make my mind up about is the armrest. Very comfortable leather top, foldable and adjustable and great for storing things. But when youre pushing on and up and down through the gears it just gets in the way. Im left with the only option of pushing it out of the way until Ive calmed down enough to enjoy a tranquil cruise. In other words its up and down more than Jordans knickers at the moment. Which brings me neatly to the back seats (
) . There is an awesome amount of room considering this is one of the smaller Audis on the market; an A3. I really didnt expect to have so much leg room in the back of a small hatchback. Im not saying its an A8 but compared to similar vehicles in its sector it really is quite spacious. Plenty of room to get Jordan in anyway.
So all in all I reckon its a damn good car. Sure there are less expensive cars out there offering similar packages. But they are not Audi and as far as I am concerned none of them came close when it came down to signing an order. So there we go, my long overdue write up of the new addition to my family; my Sprint Blue Audi S3. Do I miss the TT ? Yes, like I'd miss oxygen if it wasn't so abundant
Have I made a mistake ? No way ! I love this car !!! Well I like it anyway .
Here's my pics:
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I did find this emotion called wacko for you though !
If you have BOSE you'd understand.
