Personal opinion I know but I didn't get on with my old s3, it was a lovely car to drive etc but didn't get me that excited, found the same with my old e46 m3, lovely daily drive but lacked that buzz.

There are little tricks to helps with the gearbox - a small piece of aluminum takes up a lot of slack - makes the launch control even better with the gearbox

http://store.034motorsport.com/trans...a5-s5-rs5.html

Just missing the flat cap and dog then !

I will challenge anyone to come have a drive with me if you think audi's are boring !

or take out the rs7 or new s1

<------

The new S1 does look like fun (looks great too).
The RS7?


Meh.

the S1 was massive fun - surprisingly rear wheel biased for a small 4wd car

before you Meh the RS7, try and get a drive in one or even as a passenger - it is a missile with a soundtrack that is amazing

I've seen two RS7s; massive presence and of course they are quick but as usual, they seem to forget that a fun performance car doesn't just go fast.

I never thought there would be life after getting rid of the scoob.i have been scooby mad for about 11 years.with over 700 bhp,Ap brakes and every suspension mod available i thought nothing would even come close.i was gutted when she sold untill the week after when i bought an audi rs3.the audi is just way way superior.the quality the handling the brakes and that dsg gearbox is just unbelievable.when people say you will be back in a scoob in no time.haha not a chance.the audi is by far the better choice.

Cheaper to run I'd imagine anyway

Subaru still makes the only four pot motor that sounds good.

Owned a Black Edition 2011 S3, Auto Stronic, TFSI very nice car.

Its not about track performance - everyone slates the RS5 for the M3 on the track - and they are right - but as a day to day car, so much more fun

+1 been there done it - but with Audi I keep coming back - I suppose it is horses for courses

You settled into it now then, glad you like it, I bet you feel really grown up now lol.
We'll have to meet up and have a race, you're sport back vs my avant :D

And WHY are they so much more fun?

The engine is so far forwards, it almost pushes the headlights out. As with 95% of modern Audis. An RS5 more fun than an M3?

Errrrrmmm, no.

Another thing with the DSG box that may just be a van thing with the courtesy van (albeit about £40Ks worth) - the selector lights and writing (P, R, N, D, etc) are on the WRONG side of the lever so you can't even see them - completely and utterly retarded.

Fun is not always about arse out driving - have you driven both?

Do you look at the lever - once I know were they are its easy! Mine are easy to see anyway.

Good job mines Longitudinal engine

Nope, just a current S4, an RS3 and an older S3 (last shape) so not exactly the same but all has a DSG box.

No fun isn't always about ar5e out driving it's about many other things such as engine noise - the S4 isn't bad, the RS3 sounds okay, the current S3 is pretty "white goods" - it's about steering; I have not driven a modern Audi with good steering (I have't tried an R8). It's about brakes - every recent Audi I've tried has snatchy, grabby stoppers. It's about the interior - yep Audi's look okay but they're fussy and look closely and there's a lot of faux chrome in there.

Why am I appearing to anti Audi? My Dad had three uR Quattros, the last of which was a full Treser conversion. They were great at the time. So Audi's continual trotting out of understeery, dull to drive cars dressed up as "sporty" really annoy me. And the vast majority are poorly executed FWD. A bit like Alfa - used to be great, now almost all rebadged GM tat.

Audi does come up with a few decent cars - the R8 is great, the B7 RS4 was brilliant, the new S1 looks a hoot and I seriously like the Q3 RS (!) but for every good car there's many cr4p cars riding on a very very old heritage.

I just don't think the majority are what an enthusiast would choose - yep they may have mega bhp, accelerate very fast thanks partly to AWD but to many of us, that just isn't what a performance car is solely about.

Even the mighty but fallen Subaru is a far better enthusiasts choice IMO - proper 4WD, nice warbly boxer engine sat way further back and much more grin factor.

Busta - isn't yours a 1.8TSFI? Not really up there with the driving greats.

Xline - nope.

Nope it's a 2.0tfsi with. 60/40 split, and where did I say it's up there with the gods? (It's a bloody family car form someone who's not rich and snobby). Pistonheads would suit you to a T :thumb:
I'm merely laughing at you anti everything apart from your m135i and the odd think this or that car is 'OK' to Merritt your comments.

I remember when you were arguing that your 335d SE touring was faster than a C350 :lol1:

They used to say the all bmw drivers were cocks until they turned to audis, now I think they are starting to make their way back lol.
Don't you agree matty?

Blimey, you're one of those oddballs that really holds a grudge aren't you?

Oh I just did a very quick comparison on good old fastest laps.

The 335d IS faster than the C350 you complete goon.

335d to 100 - 13.4. C350 - 14. Faster 1/4 too. Does quoting FACTS make me a cock? Does enjoying driving do the same? Does questioning a brand that thinks it's so "sporty" make me a ripe target for childish insults?

The OP clearly has a budget and is considering an S3 - me (and others) are just giving some other options. I should think a new STI is worth a look, the Golf R and a few others. All very good cars. But they do all lack a six pot engine. Or even a five pot of the old RS3.

:lol: and there he goes again.
No grudges here fella :thumb: just comedy.

Damn me and my use of hard facts… ;) :loll:

It's just the way you get on you're high horse and come across like a snob :thumb:

I was winding you up about the 335 and 350 and yet you searched 'again' :lol1:

Guilty as charged. As always...

I love it mate.never thought id say that about any other car than the scoob.i fitted some milltek secondary decat pipes and a panel filter last week.just need to get a day off work now for the first remap.

And so it begins. :lol1:

Haha.i know i know.i wasnt gunna mess with this one.just drive it an enjoy it.not a chance.itl be running 500 horse this time next year.:D

:lol: old habits never die :thumb:

I've flirted with the idea of an S3 many times. Does seem a shame that the newer ones don't have the flared arches like the old ones, but then I guess they needed to make it a bit mundane with the coming of the RS3 that was never about when the old flared arch S3 was current.

I would love an S3 at some point, ever since I had a Subaru I admired the flexibility of the then 1.8T and it was a nice engine in our vRS. I would say that I experienced far more oversteer in my M3 or GTR than understeer in any of the vRS, GTI or A8. As road cars, power oversteer is a daily event in a powerful RWD or rear biased AWD driven enthusiastically, but power understeer is not as frequent in AWD or FWD. I haven't driven a BMW that has any appreciable steering feel beyond its competitors, seems another journalistic myth to me, and not one I would want enough to put up with one wheel drive and something that feels like you are accelerating on ice when it rains despite a mediocre engine.

I just don't find the polarity between the driving experience of German cars. They are all competent, but Porsche aside, not that complete as performance cars, more like a posh Zafira Turbo.

I know you've had all sorts of quick cars but in this case John, you're talking complete bollox. Or simply can't drive a RWD and so have to use the 4wd safety get to get your kicks.

Lol,
The question is, what can get round a track with twisty bits in the fastest, be it fwd, rwd or awd?
Whichever that car be, it gets my vote. (Only the cars related to this thread)