gulfstorm
09-24-2014, 09:49 AM
Just wanted to share my experience of the new 2015 S3 that was able to take out on an "extended" testdrive at Glenmore Audi.
I currently drive 2012 A3 Sline manual but looking to upgrade to something a little more focused.
My first impressions of the car were that it had a great driving position, supportive seats (the demo did not have the super sport seat option), and top notch fit and finish.
Earlier this month I drove a base cayman and m235i as a point of reference. Much better quality of materials in the s3, and I would say on par with the cayman. As expected, the transmission left me wishing I had a dual clutch and not a manual . Crisp shifts on up shift and in S mode, the car predicts gears very well.
I felt the engine was very strong and pulled all the way to the redline with ease and being a 4cylinder it revs up very quick. I honestly did not notice much difference in straight line performance compared to my A3 which has stage 1 APR. The turbo lag seemed non existing.
The chassis is where the car is night and day compared to what I drive currently. Very neutral cornering and couldn't really induce and understeer but did feel the back pulling the car around the corners thanks to the new haldex system. This demo had the analogue dampers which were definitely on the firm side of things. Drive select allowed you to adjust throttle, transmission and steering response as with all other audis that have this option.
All in all very impressed with the car as a whole but the transmission and the chassis stood out the most. I am still waiting on the Golf R (doubt there will be a demo) before making my decision.
Just of note that his vehicle is about 53k out of the door which is pretty much loaded
Cheers!
I currently drive 2012 A3 Sline manual but looking to upgrade to something a little more focused.
My first impressions of the car were that it had a great driving position, supportive seats (the demo did not have the super sport seat option), and top notch fit and finish.
Earlier this month I drove a base cayman and m235i as a point of reference. Much better quality of materials in the s3, and I would say on par with the cayman. As expected, the transmission left me wishing I had a dual clutch and not a manual . Crisp shifts on up shift and in S mode, the car predicts gears very well.
I felt the engine was very strong and pulled all the way to the redline with ease and being a 4cylinder it revs up very quick. I honestly did not notice much difference in straight line performance compared to my A3 which has stage 1 APR. The turbo lag seemed non existing.
The chassis is where the car is night and day compared to what I drive currently. Very neutral cornering and couldn't really induce and understeer but did feel the back pulling the car around the corners thanks to the new haldex system. This demo had the analogue dampers which were definitely on the firm side of things. Drive select allowed you to adjust throttle, transmission and steering response as with all other audis that have this option.
All in all very impressed with the car as a whole but the transmission and the chassis stood out the most. I am still waiting on the Golf R (doubt there will be a demo) before making my decision.
Just of note that his vehicle is about 53k out of the door which is pretty much loaded
Cheers!