A45 amg or s3
 

I had my mind made up to buy a s3 (2015-2017) but now been looking at 2016 a45 amg facelift model
which one would you choose

I bought an 2018 A45 AMG a few months ago , and love it , can't compere it against an S3 as haven't driven one

That new A45 S seems a beast, I know you’re not talking that new but... saw the botb drag races and it owned an RS3 then did the new RS4 even!

Can you not just test drive both?

Only thing I don’t like about these modern cars is the massive wheels & low profile tyres. My mate has a 2017 S3 and it’s a pain down the B roads dodging potholes, just seems really crashy and harsh to me. I’m so used to just soaking it all up in the impreza.

Need to wait for dealers to reopen in scotland to test drive
i read a test drive on the a45 with 19” wheels reviewer said to stick with 18”

I have test driven both as a friend owned both (and now an RS3). S3 does not compare to the A45 in my view, its more comparable to the A35. A45 is quicker, handles better, brakes better and I think is a nicer overall car, although I do really like the fit and finish in the S3 and I also like the look of the saloon S3 better than the A45. A45 gearbox wasn't as nice as his RS3 box though, just felt a little snatchy and delayed at times. On a side note I was massively disappointed in how nose-heavy his RS3 feels compared to his A45.

i was set on s3 till i noticed a a45 going by with roof spoiler and think it looks better than the s3

My mate had the full upgrade pack on his, so spoiler, canards etc, I've just always been a fan of saloons more than hatches, but both are very nice looking cars. At the end of the day, looks aside, the A45 would get my money.

Yes it can be delayed , throttle response and gearbox if running in comfort mode , if you turn it up to sport , or sport + it's a lot better , I wanted one with race mode , so LSD's front and rear , and it sharpens everything up , gear change and throttle response is spot on then , makes a big difference

I was making my comparison from a stock car, but he actually had the car remapped and had new software for the gearbox which helped loads. If I remember correctly he changed the downpipe and some other bolt ons and was running in the region of 450bhp, it was an absolute weapon then!

My car is completely standard , just mentioned it as if you adjust the settings on the twist knob behind the gearstick , it's night and day different with throttle response and gearbox speeds.

I'm tempted to go down that route with mine , 440-450 is very easy to achieve on a standard car , with a turbo change they are getting over 500 on a standard engine !

It could be, we did a couple of launches in it so I thought it must've been in sport + but I could be wrong. His car was savage after having the work done, i'm sure he ran a low 11 second in it but you could daily it like it was completely bone stock.

I have gone from 430 hp jdm sti to an A45 AMG MY16 face lift. And I think its great. I work for Audi, just didn’t want an RS3 or S3 they have there issues as well.

from this

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sco...73756fca4.jpeg
To this

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sco...bcc9ec461.jpeg

when I got mine back when they first came out I test drove Golf R and S3, both of which left me a little underwhelmed, I then drove the 45 and I was sold, just had that extra guts I was looking for, I then popped on a RennTech remap box which peaked at around 406 to 412 it was a demon, wish id never sold it now.... Im eyeing up the 45s as we speak, just need to convince myself I need it, what scuppered me was I went in a Tesla Model 3 perfoamnce with the new firmware 0-60 2.8 seconds and it was like being on a rollercoaster when they catapult you, but crappy inside though and not much to look at, but these days for the miles I do maybe electric is what I should do.....

So in short my list is

A45S
Tesla Model S
if im nutty then

X3M
or new M3 /M4 4wd time will tell....

Dealers open up fully this week up here so hopefully get out a drive in one
was going to buy a 2017 wrx sti but i had to forge my old hatch so don't fancy that again

Factor in this Zip :)

https://www.rteu.de/en/shop/r455-per...ckage-176-a45/

I think when I did the normal ECU plug in box I messaged Luke at Renntech Germany and got it for around 700 quid, obviously the package above is the full shooting match :)

How long ago did you get it for that price? I just looked at the CLA45 tuning box and they want $1780!

**** tuning boxes!!! :D

Get a remap. MB don't care about mods in my experience.

My gearbox kept shatting itself in my a45 which turned out to be common.
this then put you in the hands of the merc dealer network.
they make i.m. look helpful.
Glad to see the back of it and never again

I emailed them in Germany or used Facebook I think and asked if they could do anything on the price Luke who has something to do with it, maybe even runs that area gave me the price

worth a shot Anon if your wanting one, uses 4 connectors all pretty easy to do

Cheers Shaun I have DMS Automotive on my doorstep who are supposed to be highly rated for tuning. However the 2 year AMG warranty will be void if I get it remapped which is the only reason i'd consider a tuning box.

OK thanks just wondered if you had contacts there as that's quite a price difference!

I was looking at both, test drove both, along g with golf Rs and ended up with an M140i worth a mention.

Best bang for buck is 140 in my view I had the 440 with Mperformance pack and remap 365bhp but I don’t get on with RWD too twitchy and when it’s wet awful so I chipped it in for a civic type-R which was awesome, but now driving an oil burner X3 3.0D

Rwd is only for real men, girls and the unskilled buy 4wd
as for fwd,they are reserved for bandits of the bottom

LOL

I test drove an M240i and wasn't that impressed with it plus rwd in the wet wasn't for me - Clarkson aquaplaning one against the golf will always stick in my mind with the M135/235/140/240. Admittedly the 140/240 can make silly power with a remap and more than the a45/cla45 but I prefer the extra grip of awd.

Yeah, DMS are ok.

A remap on these cars is not really going to cause any issues imo and like I said, MB appear to not worry about mods. But..... I understand the warranty thing if that's important. :)

Cheers yeah the warranty was the only reason I bought from a dealership and paid the premium for doing so. I'm going to skip the tuning box and wait until the 2 years is up - if the car has been faultless then i'll keep it and remap it at DMS or if I get any issues in the 2 years i'll use the warranty to fix and then get rid and get something else.

Tad slow those A45S :lol1:

Model S performance will walk all over it, if you are into 0-60 times.

Hell even the Model 3 performance is a darn sight faster.

Don't forget the practicality :thumb:

LOL yeah because they are in the same price bracket - NOT

Can pick up a low mileage A45 for £20k now but a model s performance is over £40k with over 100k miles :lol1: