Starting to plan Car after S3

[PanamaS3]

What would be really nice in the next S3 (although it won't happen) is a slightly de-tuned 5 pot - think S4/RS4, S6/RS6. They could easily do it with the S3/RS3

you're right...thats never going to happen
what would be better I think is if they were to make the RS3 more extreme....as it is, many people question the added value of the RS over the S....I think this is where BMW gets it right in making the full M model way more special.....saying that they have now gone and covered the S base by doing softer M versions of everything.......so Audi....now its your turn to make the RS more hardcore!

 

[Jassyo06]

you're right...thats never going to happen
what would be better I think is if they were to make the RS3 more extreme....as it is, many people question the added value of the RS over the S....I think this is where BMW gets it right in making the full M model way more special.....saying that they have now gone and covered the S base by doing softer M versions of everything.......so Audi....now its your turn to make the RS more hardcore!

I think building a engine with 394 bhp is hardcore enough in a family hatchback starting at £46k mate BMW M Cars are indeed more hardcore especially the M2/3/4 not daily drivers! the M5/6 not so much.. . Again Audi won't change there exterior styling and l think that will affect sales in the future as they seem to be lagging behind but maybe that's always been the case, as they always rely on there nice interiors to seal the deal for punters

 

[PanamaS3]

I think building a engine with 394 bhp is hardcore enough in a family hatchback starting at £46k mate BMW M Cars are indeed more hardcore especially the M2/3/4 not daily drivers! the M5/6 not so much.. . Again Audi won't change there exterior styling and l think that will affect sales in the future as they seem to be lagging behind but maybe that's always been the case, as they always rely on there nice interiors to seal the deal for punters

yes it is a pretty hardcore engine.....and maybe Audi is getting closer on the driver involvement front which is good....but some flared arches/other decent bodywork differentiations between S3/RS3 would not go amiss in my opinion to make it the perfect line-up and a better sales proposition for those that want the more hardcore looking daily driver.....hoping this gets addressed in the "mega hot hatch war" that seems to be going on as as you say, others interiors seem to be improving and you can't stand still if you want to stay ahead

 

[Jassyo06]

yes it is a pretty hardcore engine.....and maybe Audi is getting closer on the driver involvement front which is good....but some flared arches/other decent bodywork differentiations between S3/RS3 would not go amiss in my opinion to make it the perfect line-up and a better sales proposition for those that want the more hardcore looking daily driver.....hoping this gets addressed in the "mega hot hatch war" that seems to be going on as as you say, others interiors seem to be improving and you can't stand still if you want to stay ahead

A big faux pa by Audi in my opinion is going fully touchscreen at least BMW/Mercedes give you 3 options, touchscreen, MMI dial and gesture control, Audi thinks adding haptic feedback on their screens is the answer, but in my opinion going solely touchscreen in a car is potentially dangerous on the move and aesthetically displeasing..... Going fully touchscreen will turn away a small percentage of punters, again giving all RS models all the same style seats and is all so boring and stinks of cost cutting, l mean why should a £165,000 R8 have the same seats as £40, 000 TT Audi's are really getting boring, l climb into my mum's A1 and feels more solid and far quieter than my car which is nearly double the price not including options why is this..... Because Audi haven't had the chance to interfere with the A1 yet since derv Gate so no real cost cutting implementation done yet until the new A1 tut tut

 

[PanamaS3]

A big faux pa by Audi in my opinion is going fully touchscreen at least BMW/Mercedes give you 3 options, touchscreen, MMI dial and gesture control, Audi thinks adding haptic feedback on their screens is the answer, but in my opinion going solely touchscreen in a car is potentially dangerous on the move and aesthetically displeasing..... Going fully touchscreen will turn away a small percentage of punters, again giving all RS models all the same style seats and is all so boring and stinks of cost cutting, l mean why should a £165,000 R8 have the same seats as £40, 000 TT Audi's are really getting boring, l climb into my mum's A1 and feels more solid and far quieter than my car which is nearly double the price not including options why is this..... Because Audi haven't had the chance to interfere with the A1 yet since derv Gate so no real cost cutting implementation done yet until the new A1 tut tut

if they are then I am initially put off by that.....I had an experience with the new XC60 for the weekend which was fully touch screen and I did not like it at all.....HOWEVER.....and here is where I/we sound like dinosaurs......the reason (I believe) for the touchscreen, or more so the lack of buttons, is because these new systems are all voice activated (which I learnt in the XC60).....definately something to get used to.....but that is the real advantage of these new systems I believe.....but me.....well I still like touching my knob(s) lol

 

[PanamaS3]

A big faux pa by Audi in my opinion is going fully touchscreen at least BMW/Mercedes give you 3 options, touchscreen, MMI dial and gesture control, Audi thinks adding haptic feedback on their screens is the answer, but in my opinion going solely touchscreen in a car is potentially dangerous on the move and aesthetically displeasing..... Going fully touchscreen will turn away a small percentage of punters, again giving all RS models all the same style seats and is all so boring and stinks of cost cutting, l mean why should a £165,000 R8 have the same seats as £40, 000 TT Audi's are really getting boring, l climb into my mum's A1 and feels more solid and far quieter than my car which is nearly double the price not including options why is this..... Because Audi haven't had the chance to interfere with the A1 yet since derv Gate so no real cost cutting implementation done yet until the new A1 tut tut

totally agree with you on the seats.....one big turn off for me on the RS3 is driving position and the seats.....if I can stretch to it, the TTRS is a waaaaaaay nicer place to sit, drive and be in.....

 

[Snake Pliskin]

totally agree with you on the seats.....one big turn off for me on the RS3 is driving position and the seats.....if I can stretch to it, the TTRS is a waaaaaaay nicer place to sit, drive and be in.....

I have to totally disagree.

My wife has a TT and getting in & out is a total pain in the ****

The door door sills are massive as are the doors. This is all fine if you have enough room to FULLY open the door but if not, you have to push the seat back to get out & then it doesn’t go back far enough & squeezing out in a tight car park or garage is awful .... give me my short RS3 front doors anyday.

Driving position is higher I admit in the RS3 / S3 & I do enjoy having the TT seat down low - but I don’t mind the driving position in the 3 & have got used to it.

Super sport seats in the RS3 are better (more supportive) & TT super sport seats are too narrow albeit look better lol

TT does feel more modern inside & out though ... so many + & - for each car

 

[PanamaS3]

I have to totally disagree.

My wife has a TT and getting in & out is a total pain in the ****

The door door sills are massive as are the doors. This is all fine if you have enough room to FULLY open the door but if not, you have to push the seat back to get out & then it doesn’t go back far enough & squeezing out in a tight car park or garage is awful .... give me my short RS3 front doors anyday.

Driving position is higher I admit in the RS3 / S3 & I do enjoy having the TT seat down low - but I don’t mind the driving position in the 3 & have got used to it.

Super sport seats in the RS3 are better (more supportive) & TT super sport seats are too narrow albeit look better lol

TT does feel more modern inside & out though ... so many + & - for each car

hmmmmm.....definitely a big consideration...and thanks for the much more detailed owners perspective
thankfully I should have the seat right back all the time anyway.....and I always try to find big spaces/no columns etc to fowl the door opening....but I do find the offset S/RS seat position slightly annoying and definitely don't like my head/hair (whats left) rubbing on the liner.....have yet to sit in RS with SS seats and no pano openmouth

 

[Audi Bairn]

What about a X3 m340i 355 ponies and has beaten the SQ5 in almost every aspect and its a looker as far as SUV's go

Starting at £51k +

I actually think the SQ5 looks better though

 

[Audi Bairn]

hmmmmm.....definitely a big consideration...and thanks for the much more detailed owners perspective
thankfully I should have the seat right back all the time anyway.....and I always try to find big spaces/no columns etc to fowl the door opening....but I do find the offset S/RS seat position slightly annoying and definitely don't like my head/hair (whats left) rubbing on the liner.....have yet to sit in RS with SS seats and no pano openmouth

Admittedly I'm no giant, but the headroom in the TT is surprisingly good. My wife doesn't have the seat all the way to the floor either and I only adjust it back and forth to suit.
I agree with @Snake Pliskin about the doors (which was the same in my A5 Coupe) as it's tighter if parked next to something or if you have the car garaged.

 

[wab172uk]

Starting at £51k +

I actually think the SQ5 looks better though

I think the SQ5 looks utter boring. The X3 to me looks way better. And give it w while and you'll get a far bigger discount on the X3 than you will the SQ5.

The X3 M40i is one of the cars on my shortlist for my next car. Thought, I'd probably go down the route of 12-18 month old. I've never owned a BMW, and never wanted to. But if I go down the SUV route, I'd the new X3 over any of it's rivals. Never like previous generations of X3, but this one has got my attention.

 

[wab172uk]

I think building a engine with 394 bhp is hardcore enough in a family hatchback starting at £46k mate BMW M Cars are indeed more hardcore especially the M2/3/4 not daily drivers! the M5/6 not so much.. . Again Audi won't change there exterior styling and l think that will affect sales in the future as they seem to be lagging behind but maybe that's always been the case, as they always rely on there nice interiors to seal the deal for punters

While I would agree Audi exterior styling is on the side of caution, I hope they don't go down the same way as BMW. For me the RS6 looks mean but still quite subtle. The new RS4 looks less mean than the RS5, but still has the boxed arches.

I do think they could have beefed up the RS3 though. It does look too subtle, to the point of looking just like a 2.0TDI.

But I suppose part of the appeal of Audi is that they can just blend in. The BMW M2 & M3 are all "Look at me" with there body kits, which while looking very aggressive, look a little vulgar (to me) and trying too hard. They also get the attention of the unwashed. Even if the unwashed have hearts of gold !!

Audi certainly failed with the styling of the RS3. And I agree with comments regarding seats

 

[Audi Bairn]

I think the SQ5 looks utter boring. The X3 to me looks way better. And give it w while and you'll get a far bigger discount on the X3 than you will the SQ5.

The X3 M40i is one of the cars on my shortlist for my next car. Thought, I'd probably go down the route of 12-18 month old. I've never owned a BMW, and never wanted to. But if I go down the SUV route, I'd the new X3 over any of it's rivals. Never like previous generations of X3, but this one has got my attention.

Each to their own, I just don't like the Beemer styling on many (not all) of their models.

 

[Audi Bairn]

While I would agree Audi exterior styling is on the side of caution, I hope they don't go down the same way as BMW. For me the RS6 looks mean but still quite subtle. The new RS4 looks less mean than the RS5, but still has the boxed arches.

I do think they could have beefed up the RS3 though. It does look too subtle, to the point of looking just like a 2.0TDI.

But I suppose part of the appeal of Audi is that they can just blend in. The BMW M2 & M3 are all "Look at me" with there body kits, which while looking very aggressive, look a little vulgar (to me) and trying too hard. They also get the attention of the unwashed. Even if the unwashed have hearts of gold !!

Audi certainly failed with the styling of the RS3. And I agree with comments regarding seats

Agreed, I also think the current S3 could've been beefed up slightly more too.
You've summed up the BMW styling well imho - too many unnecessary scoops / overly-busy front and rear diffusers etc

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Admittedly I'm no giant, but the headroom in the TT is surprisingly good. My wife doesn't have the seat all the way to the floor either and I only adjust it back and forth to suit.
I agree with @Snake Pliskin about the doors (which was the same in my A5 Coupe) as it's tighter if parked next to something or if you have the car garaged.

@PanamaS3

As @Audi Bairn also mentions - I too had an S5 and the doors were pretty huge on that too but the seat went back further (as more leg room in the back) and the door sills were not as wide.

If you look at the styling of a TT the door line is ultra wide and doors are really think - that is the styling - it looks really cool but just makes the sills pretty huge.

If you don't garage your car or have a garage with loads of room its fine - but we have a new build garage so the space either side is quite limited.

Headroom in the TT is superb no probs there at all, as you can lower the seat ultra low

 

[New S4 Man]

why are merc interiors so gopping? So so tacky.

 

[PanamaS3]

why are merc interiors so gopping? So so tacky.

Benz = bling lol

 

[Simonb1975]

I think the SQ5 looks utter boring. The X3 to me looks way better. And give it w while and you'll get a far bigger discount on the X3 than you will the SQ5.

The X3 M40i is one of the cars on my shortlist for my next car. Thought, I'd probably go down the route of 12-18 month old. I've never owned a BMW, and never wanted to. But if I go down the SUV route, I'd the new X3 over any of it's rivals. Never like previous generations of X3, but this one has got my attention.

The X3 certainly has more presence. The SQ5 suffers from looking too much like an Sline Q5 and that crappy rear bumper arrangement !! If I'd have to pick between the 2 then price + options would be a big consideration. Who am I kidding, the X3 M thingy would take it this time.

Made me laugh when watching the Carwow comparison between the X3 and Q5. He thought the new X3 had a slightly higher build quality inside. I could hear the pitch forks being sharpened here

Still i guess the X3 M thingy and the SQ5 both offer different takes.

 

[PanamaS3]

and that crappy rear bumper arrangement !!

THAT!.....the little things....right there! Couldn't agree more. When I see those horrible shaped (sculpted!) exhaust holes and can clearly see the round exhaust behind it I barf....most MB's have them too....horrible things
New X3 looks properly like a smaller version of X5....does look good....not seen one on the road though yet....other than exhausts do love the SQ5 still

 

[Jassyo06]

THAT!.....the little things....right there! Couldn't agree more. When I see those horrible shaped (sculpted!) exhaust holes and can clearly see the round exhaust behind it I barf....most MB's have them too....horrible things
New X3 looks properly like a smaller version of X5....does look good....not seen one on the road though yet....other than exhausts do love the SQ5 still

Well l was in the new X3 a few months back loved it, it's also as big as the current X5 now, it's a class car if you're after a Premium SUV also on the topic of the Q5/SQ5 exhausts there isn't even a opening through the bumper it's a blank. ... Not like Mercedes
TT's seats= ingress and egress of the car is a tall order indeed but l loved driving both the roadster diesel and the TTRS roadster, would l buy one,no there not worth the money Audi ask for them over and above the S3/ convertible

 

[PanamaS3]

SQ5 exhausts there isn't even a opening through the bumper it's a blank. ... Not like Mercedes

......both are unacceptable! lol....but yes at least Benz has a pipe there

would l buy one,no there not worth the money Audi ask for them over and above the S3/ convertible

....I am warming to the idea that they are worth it on the basis that you get more of what you want rather than compromising

 

[KenL]

What about a X3 m340i 355 ponies and has beaten the SQ5 in almost every aspect and its a looker as far as SUV's go

No such thing as an SUV that is a looker to me. All hideous and pointless to me!

 

[Jassyo06]

No such thing as an SUV that is a looker to me. All hideous and pointless to me!

Ah well..... @KenL ye can't please everyone

 

[4K]

The new G20 M340i is Due out in 2019 / 2020 also.

If that comes in xDrive, that will be a good contender for me over the drop dead boring S3.

 

[4K]

No such thing as an SUV that is a looker to me. All hideous and pointless to me!

Agreed.

They're reserved for the soccer mums with their 1 child to add to their fashion accessory list along with the Louis Vuitt0n handbagzzzz

 

[Simonb1975]

Lots of cars could be considered pointless. Like for instance a large car with only 2 doors (A5 etc). Personally i like the higher seating position and better road presence.

 

[Jassyo06]

If that comes in xDrive, that will be a good contender for me over the drop dead boring S3.

I definitely don't find my current S3 Boring to drive mate, my last one yes l did, facelift car far better to drive in every way, its even a bit faster

 

[KenL]

Lots of cars could be considered pointless. Like for instance a large car with only 2 doors (A5 etc). Personally i like the higher seating position and better road presence.

2 door A5 is for styling. 2 doors look better.

When you mention road presence, that is one reason I detest the likes of Range Rovers. Owners use the ridiculous size to intimidate other road users.

 

[Jassyo06]

2 door A5 is for styling. 2 doors look better.

When you mention road presence, that is one reason I detest the likes of Range Rovers. Owners use the ridiculous size to intimidate other road users.

Speaking of intimidating looking cars l think this one smokes the range rover, it's a 640d m-sport its massive and its my boys car at the moment but l don't like them

 

[BarryG79]

Speaking of intimidating looking cars l think this one smokes the range rover, it's a 640d m-sport its massive and its my boys car at the moment but l don't like them View attachment 153142

I won’t tell my dad then he has one of these too in Carbon Black, cracking colour that goes blue in the sun!

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[Jassyo06]

I won’t tell my dad then he has one of these too in Carbon Black, cracking colour that goes blue in the sun!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well in that case l meant..... Cough cough!!!!! l don't like the X6 in white with black alloys lol

 

[Tom.H]

Agreed.

They're reserved for the soccer mums with their 1 child to add to their fashion accessory list along with the Louis Vuitt0n handbagzzzz

Hey, nothing wrong with owning Louis Vuitton lol

I agree with what you're saying though, the times I see somebody (usually female) in an SUV manoeuvring into a space as if they're driving a 40ft artic, it's hilarious.

 

[Simonb1975]

2 door A5 is for styling. 2 doors look better.

When you mention road presence, that is one reason I detest the likes of Range Rovers. Owners use the ridiculous size to intimidate other road users.

I'm taking more Tiguan / Q5 size. Range Rovers are a little too much i agree there.

Agreed.

They're reserved for the soccer mums with their 1 child to add to their fashion accessory list along with the Louis Vuitt0n handbagzzzz

Maybe SUV's are the new I Phone then !

 

[TYb]

Speaking of intimidating looking cars l think this one smokes the range rover, it's a 640d m-sport its massive and its my boys car at the moment but l don't like them View attachment 153142

x4, X6 are hideous looking cars and crap at being 4x4’s. Some Range Rovers can be a bit blingy but they are outstanding at what they do, whether motorway miles or going off road.

 

[NevMan]

Lots of cars could be considered pointless. Like for instance a large car with only 2 doors (A5 etc). Personally i like the higher seating position and better road presence.

Agree completely, each to their own


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[Jassyo06]

x4, X6 are hideous looking cars and **** at being 4x4’s. Some Range Rovers can be a bit blingy but they are outstanding at what they do, whether motorway miles or going off road.

I quite like the X4 and mate they sell very well and have good residuals so a ideal SUV on a pcp deal

 

[TYb]

I quite like the X4 and mate they sell very well and have good residuals so a ideal SUV on a pcp deal

Noooooo the Merc equivalents are nasty as well. Be boring if we all liked the same though so I won’t judge you on this one ;-)

I saw/heard an Abarth 124 spider yesterday, sounded very very nice.

 

[NevMan]

I quite like the X4 and mate they sell very well and have good residuals so a ideal SUV on a pcp deal

They are nice (X4), but every time I have tried (3 times now) can never get decent PCP deals out of BMW, clearly don’t have the touch. Audi smash them by some distance every time. Maybe next time, as quite fancy a M X4 or X3 one day (after my current brand new Q5


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[TYb]

They are nice (X4), but every time I have tried (3 times now) can never get decent PCP deals out of BMW, clearly don’t have the touch. Audi smash them by some distance every time. Maybe next time, as quite fancy a M X4 or X3 one day (after my current brand new Q5


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I like the X3/X5 just don’t like the coupe shape SUV’s, just look like cars on stilts.

 

[wab172uk]

I like the X3/X5 just don’t like the coupe shape SUV’s, just look like cars on stilts.

Yeah, I get the X3 and X5. But don't get the X4 & X6.