New S3 vs R32

Sabine!

Prangs her M5 then serves me beer later the same day - what a woman! :)
 
Oops I know what I meant to write!!! Yes unfair advantage to the manual S3. DSG is not the ideal gearbox to have on a track... Which is why VAG probably supplied the DSG R32 for comparision, wouldn't look very good if it was as quick or quicker than the S3 now would it...
 
I did see a few comparison tests between the S3 and the R32 and on the track the S3 is much faster than the R32 (regardless of its gearbox).

Autobild tested them at Contidrom:
S3 -71.5 sec
R32 (Manual) - 72.5 sec

And when Auto Zeitung tested them:
S3 - 1 min 45.9 sec
R32 (Manual) - 1 min 47.8 sec
 
Their was a another german magazine which tested the new S3 with the current crop of hot hatches (BMW 130i, focus ST, Mazda 3MP, Opel VXR & R32), with the new S3 coming in 3rd :(

However it did pose the fastest lap time there by nearly 1 second, R32 2nd, 130i 5th !

And the 130i won overall.

So what gives its clear the S3 is probably the quickest round the track (which it never was, due to crap brakes etc). Though its still slated by the UK mags, which leaves me to the conclusion that its price tag is the main negative
 
JasonM said:
Their was a another german magazine which tested the new S3 with the current crop of hot hatches (BMW 130i, focus ST, Mazda 3MP, Opel VXR & R32), with the new S3 coming in 3rd :(

However it did pose the fastest lap time there by nearly 1 second, R32 2nd, 130i 5th !
Click to expand...

Yes, that test was made by Autobild.de and the 130i won overall, but the S3 was the fastest accelerating hot hatch and also the quickest on the track . These are the laptimes:

1. Audi S3 - 71.59 sec
2. VW R32 - 72.51 sec
3. Mazda 3 MPS - 72.62 sec
4. Opel Astra OPC - 73.08 sec
5. BMW 130i - 73.22 sec
6. Focus ST - 74.46 sec
 
Well, we can see it like this: If you want the fastest hot hatch around you should reach deeper into your pocket.

What you pay for is what you get :)
 
True,but fools and their money etc...
The fact the S3 is £8K dearer,minimum,than most of the other cars in that comparison cannot be ignored,unless the buyer truly does have money to burn.
Christ,for the price of an S3 you could buy the Mazda/Ford/Vauxhall,a track-only car and a trailer !
There's a Caterham super sprint on autotrader for £7K,with a 220bhp engine.

So Mazda/VXR/ST + Caterham + trailer for less than an S3.

Maybe some people don't want a track-only car though,in which case stop bragging about the lap times one's car does...
 
Irish said:
Eh I for one was finding the lap time comparisons pretty interesting thanks..
Click to expand...

I'm just pointing out that using laptimes as the justification for buying a car that is massively more expensive than a fair proportion of the competition is,for 99% of owners,completely meaningless.

It doesn't even mean it's the best road car.
As with the bike world,fastest on track doesn't automatically mean best on road.
Indeed,it can mean exactly the opposite.
Anything too 'track-focused' can quickly become a right pain in the butt on the road.
 
bowfer said:
True,but fools and their money etc...
The fact the S3 is £8K dearer,minimum,than most of the other cars in that comparison cannot be ignored,unless the buyer truly does have money to burn.
Click to expand...

So based upon your theory someone who buys an Audi S3 does a foolish thing.
But i see that you have an Audi A3 2.0 TDI, and based upon your theory you did a stupid thing because for way less money you could have bought a diesel Mazda 3 with similar power which also has 4 wheels, electric windows and a steering wheel. So, why didn't you buy one ? And with the rest of the money you could have bought 2 second hand motorbikes and 2 trailers ?!

You see, with the S3 and the Mazda 3 MPS is exactly the same thing. They look similar at a first glance, but if you look closer you will see that the S3 is a much more refined car, it has better materials, better build quality, it is faster, it has 4x4, etc. Meanwhile the Mazda is all about figures because they must be stupid to put a 260 BHP engine with 380 Nm on a FWD car.

So in the end, the Mazda is cheap because it doesn't deserve more.
And like i said, what you pay for is what you get.
 
aiculedtzu said:
So based upon your theory someone who buys an Audi S3 does a foolish thing.
But i see that you have an Audi A3 2.0 TDI, and based upon your theory you did a stupid thing because for way less money you could have bought a diesel Mazda 3 with similar power which also has 4 wheels, electric windows and a steering wheel. So, why didn't you buy one ? And with the rest of the money you could have bought 2 second hand motorbikes and 2 trailers ?!

You see, with the S3 and the Mazda 3 MPS is exactly the same thing. They look similar at a first glance, but if you look closer you will see that the S3 is a much more refined car, it has better materials, better build quality, it is faster, it has 4x4, etc. Meanwhile the Mazda is all about figures because they must be stupid to put a 260 BHP engine with 380 Nm on a FWD car.

So in the end, the Mazda is cheap because it doesn't deserve more.
And like i said, what you pay for is what you get.
Click to expand...

I didn't buy my Audi.
It's a company car.
If it were my own money,you wouldn't see me anywhere NEAR an Audi showroom.
I don't believe any of them are worth the money.
 
Just based on some of your other comments I really have to ask the question.

"you wouldn't see me anywhere NEAR an Audi showroom" - then WHAT have you wasted your time posting up to nearly 2,000 posts on an Audi website then??

I just understand why anyone would do that!?
 
Irish said:
Just based on some of your other comments I really have to ask the question.

"you wouldn't see me anywhere NEAR an Audi showroom" - then WHAT have you wasted your time posting up to nearly 2,000 posts on an Audi website then??

I just understand why anyone would do that!?
Click to expand...


I fail to see what's so difficult to grasp.

I'll try putting it more simply though.

What I said was,if I was SPENDING MY OWN MONEY,I wouldn't buy an Audi.
I probably wouldn't spend £20+K on any car though,if it were my own money.

As it was,I was 'spending' my employers' money.
He gives me a budget of £25K(ish),so it is in my interests to spend up to that amount.
I don't gain anything if I go for a cheaper car.

I wanted a 159,but they weren't available at the start of '05.
I also thought about the new Lexus diesel,same problem.
I stupidly ignored BMW because of prejudice.
So I chose an A3 sportback,assuming it would at least be as reliable as the A4 I had for 3 years previous,and have been driving it for 20 indifferent months,in between regular visits to the dealer.

I am therefore entitled to post on here,wouldn't you say ?

I don't recall any rules saying;

A/ The car should be yours
B/ You should like the car
 
I see you are quite an Alfa man. For almost 4 years i had a gorgeous Alfa 147. Great car, i miss her a lot.

Regarding the Alfa 159 and the Lexus (that you would have bought), both are premium brands so they are not exactly cheap and i bet you can find much cheaper alternatives (like a Mondeo which basically does the same job). But the truth is that small things often make a big difference, so that's why some people don't mind to pay extra money for those differences.

Cheers
 
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