Audi S3 – quite fast!

Riding home yesterday evening on the motorbike the last few miles is along a windy B road. There’s a twee village along the way and inevitably there’s some old duffer in a Daewoo trundling along at 22 mph braking for every corner and yesterday was no different.

Except this time there was a 63 plate S3 between me and the dawdler. There are a few straights where I/we could’ve got by but despite having being on the bike it was one of those evenings where I simply CBA so I stuck with it until said dawdler turned off.

I have to say at this point the S3 simply disappeared. There was a puff of smoke out of the 4 exhausts and it just cleared off. I had kind of expected to breeze past it (as one does on an R1) but not this time.

Sadly a mile or so up the road the S3 had to slow down for another dawdler but even so I was impressed by its turn of speed and cornering ability – a really quick car.

Hmmm £30k…

my friend just picked up a new one (he’s had a few A3/S3s and just ditched his Cayman for the new S3), I can confirm that it is very very quick indeed 😯

Chris Harris of Pistonheads wrote a review on it. I think he was taken aback from what he was expecting.

Edit: http://www.pistonheads.com/roadtests/doc.asp?c=2&i=29784

New Golf R looks very nice indeed too, very slightly quicker.

One came past me last night at a hell of a rate, wasn’t hanging around either….

I had a bit of a ding-dong with an older S3 on the M40 – I was in a vRS.

Admittedly I backed out when I felt things were becoming silly (which doesn’t take too much now I’m past 30), but it didn’t seem to be mind-numbingly quick.

I was on the sliproad behind him as we both pulled off anyway…

Edit – cracking review there. It’s suddenly a lot more interesting.

but it didn’t seem to be mind-numbingly quick

are there many corners on the m40?

Read that Chris Harris review the other day with interest…

Although older- I borrowed a S3 1.8T for a long weekend from Manchester to Edinburgh. Zero fuss (even soul?), just did it very rapidly.

When its engine was remapped it transformed the engine too which gave it some life/soul. If I had the money I’d definitely consider a newer S3 as a day to day car.

They are amazing cars, especially the newest evolution.

The key to deploying the power is without doubt the 4wd in the twisties it’s developed so well over the many years they’ve used it.

I prefer the newer understated looks of the S3 over the Golf R and it would be interesting to see how they compared head to head on a track.

S3, £30k (probably £35k when you add in a few options), nice, but for around half that or less you could get a second hand B5 or B7 RS4 Avant that’s been well looked after and would leave the S3 for absolute dust (even with a full load of bikes, dogs or a wardrobe in the back). Plus with the RS4 you wouldn’t have to worry about the depreciation?

Good I’m glad it’s a proppa fast car I feel better now 🙂

Plus with the RS4 you wouldn’t have to worry about the depreciation?

No, just the bills, based on a friends experience 🙂

Rs4s aren’t that’s bad to run as long as the brakes have been done and the DRC hasn’t disintegrated. I had a 2009 S3 which was quite rapid. It had a shocking ride with the dcc though , esp at slow speeds. I loved my RS4 and would have another B7 in a heartbeat. 4 up, 4 bikes and 2 surfskis on the roof passing stuff in 6th with no fuss. Amazing cars and great on the track too although that was an expensive tyre day !

No, just the bills, based on a friends experience

You’d have to really go some at the garage to match the depreciation on a new S3 – around £15k in the first three years?

are there many corners on the m40?

Well, there’s this rather tight one joining it: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Denham/@51.5593026,-0.5281267,17z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x48766e5873ef52d9:0xd64521e0661c39ce

I had a 51 plate S3 and loved it to pieces, still wish I’d kept it. However, shortly after I got it a mate bought an S reg S4 and by christ that was quick.

I’ve always fancied an RS4 Avant, one day Rodney…..

An S3 took out a cyclist on a road near to me this weekend. As great a car it is, it only takes a lapse of concentration by the idiot behind to wheel and someone’s dead.

I know I won’t be popular posting that but it’s on my mind a lot and I thought I’d post just to balance the conversation out. By all means carry on talking about fast cars…

And the award for most pointless post of the year goes to…………..

Any car with an idiot behind the wheel is dangerous – are you posting the above on all car threads?

traildog

A woman in a tiny car almost took us out last night. Then a bloke in a Peugeot Boxer camper van almost smeared STw’er mrcrhrispy over the kerb. All within a few miles.

Neither were driving a S3.

I personally think it was mrchrispy they were after though 😯

These models produce very high cornering speeds & most driver’s can not process unexpected road data quickly enough drive within their limits/control.. enough said 😉

agreed brilliant cars – please don’t flame me. I’m both car and cycling advocate where appropriate to journey/usage 🙂

These models produce very high cornering speeds & most driver’s can not process unexpected road data quickly enough drive within their limits/control.. enough said

But people like that WILL have accidents sooner rather than later.

People with high end/decentish performance cars tend to bimble everywhere I’ve noticed. After a while the high fuel consumption and/or the almost stressful nature of speeding everywhere just gets too much.

Hence owners default to ‘knowing’ what their car can do and drive happy.

Not driven the S3 but we did get a new Golf R for LHS junior a few weeks back and the few times she has let me drive it I have to say it is pretty eye-watering. Extremely smooth power delivery and sounds great. Not sure it would be a match for my old Focus RS500 though.

And the award for most pointless post of the year goes to…………..

Any car with an idiot behind the wheel is dangerous – are you posting the above on all car threads?

I dunno, I’d really enjoy driving a fast car, but part of the reason I don’t own one is because I know it would encourage me to drive like a bell end. Same reason I don’t own a motorbike.

Chris Harris absolutely slated the new RS3. The S3 seems a better judged car. Golf R looks good too what I’m looking forward too is the new Cupra R which will have the same under pinnings as both but even more more power (and a shit interior!)

I wasn’t inferring a particular type of driver, Hora – “most driver’s can not process unexpected road data quick enough” full stop.

I’d really enjoy driving a fast car, but part of the reason I don’t own one is because I know it would encourage me to drive like a bell end. Same reason I don’t own a motorbike.

I think probably I’d say the same thing. I have a heavy right foot but after a while you do calm down. When you hop out of bed in the morning, you naturally default to driving within your ability on the day. i.e. tired.

S3, £30k (probably £35k when you add in a few options), nice, but for around half that or less you could get a second hand B5 or B7 RS4 Avant that’s been well looked after and would leave the S3 for absolute dust (even with a full load of bikes, dogs or a wardrobe in the back). Plus with the RS4 you wouldn’t have to worry about the depreciation?

Some people just want a new car though (and don’t need/want something as big as an RS4). I can’t quite see the logic in buying a new Hyundai town car when for the same money I bought a 260bhp BMW estate loaded with toys but everyone is different!

As for leaving an S3 for dust, you need to look at the stats for the new S3. Its stupidly quick. I know 0-60 times aren’t everything but I think the B7 RS4 and S3 are identical. I think an older RS4 would struggle to shake an S3 – no way in the world would it ‘leave it for dust’.

That said, I’d love an older RS4 but the running costs would scare me. A mate had a B5 RS4 a few years back and I seem to remember a service at Audi once costing him £2k.

My mate had an RS4 and the biggest problem he had was people trying to nick it. He had his house broken into twice once while he was in, and they were just looking for the keys.

He got rid in the end and bought a 911, apparently nobody wants to nick them!

Armed robberies require a driver and 2+ people to carry out the raid.

I wasn’t inferring a particular type of driver, Hora – “most driver’s can not process unexpected road data quick enough” full stop.

I suppose. I once drove a chipped STI Impreza, its the only car that scared me. Its pickup, the way it held speed and pulled were mind-boggling (to me).

Any car with an idiot behind the wheel is dangerous – are you posting the above on all car threads?

Hardly a pointless post to remind anyone that cars kill. The family of the dead person certainly won’t think it pointless. Those reminds is what makes you are good driver – learn rather than abuse.

And no I am not posting it on all car threads and I clearly stated (if you can read?) that this is just on my mind at the moment because it’s just happened and the car happened to be an S3.

But if you must I will continue. The trouble with cars like this is that they are just too good. At normal speeds you feel like you are not moving. I enjoyed it when I downgraded my car, because now its a more involving experience on a normal road. Add in the cost of running them, the tyres, brakes etc all cost a fortune even though you are stuck in the same traffic gams and speed limits as ever other car.

So yes, like everyone else I love the idea of these cars, but I’d never own one (although I don’t have any car now). Sure, carry on talking about them, it’s fun.

I quite fancy a polo R when they become available.
Golfs / s3 size cars are a bit bigger than I need or really want.

A “ding dong” on a motorway in cars that fly through 150mph in the time it takes to go down the slip road and move through to the fast lane… .

Illegal in seconds in the UK

The trouble with cars like this is that they are just too good. At normal speeds you feel like you are not moving. I enjoyed it when I downgraded my car, because now its a more involving experience on a normal road.

Very true. A friend has just bought a M335 tourer and is actually a little worried by it. He’s had motorbikes and quick cars in the past, but it’s the perceived lack of effort it takes 100mph and staying there that’s scared him.

In a similar vein, I used to own a 205 GTi (1.6) which was an absolute B-road pocket rocket. However, in comparison to the above Beamer, stiff suspension, no power steering and the wind whistling through the gaps in the bodywork made it a very involving drive that you needed to be totally focussed on. It also revved at 4.5k while sitting at 80, which made motorway drives either expensive or slow.

I think an older RS4 would struggle to shake an S3 – no way in the world would it ‘leave it for dust’.

Looking at the 0-60’s they are very similar (although the S3 does have a snazzy launch controller rather than human operator to help achieve this). 0-60 (or 0-62) has never really reflected real world performance though and I expect the in gear times (30-70, 0-100) etc will tell a slightly different story, particularly as speeds increase. Don’t forget that the RS4’s, even the early B5 versions are genuine 180mph cars.

180mph cars in a country with a 70mph national speed limit. If insurance companies can fit black boxes to newly qualified drivers’ cars they can do it to all cars.

My comment stands. I still don’t think there’d be an awful lot in it.

I’m not joining in on the debate about drivers being able to drive quickly, I CBA’d.

However I have a mate who bought one of the very first S3’s and he still has it and loves it as much now as he’s ever done. Always Audi serviced, done 204k and in a retro kinda way it just looks right.
He’s had a sucession of fast cars, R32’s, RX7’s, etc. and bought a 60 plate S3 too but sold it and kept his old one.

I kinda admire him for that.

6k I saw a b5 rs4 avant for the other day. £460 insurance cheaper that a 205gti oddly