I haven't had a hot hatch for years - not since I sold my last RST sometime around 2004/2005. Since then I've had a string of shitty cheap cars before buying less shitty less cheap Lexus almost 9 years ago. Love it, best car I've ever owned. It's not fast, it's not fuel efficient and it's not cheap to tax. But I still love it.

However, it is coming towards the end of it's life - still (probably) got a couple years left in it, but last year it needed a whole bunch of stuff doing (mainly small bits; rad, thermostat, leaking power steering pipe, wheel bearing, exhaust part, washer jets packed up, boot spring mech broke, etc) and despite me spending maintaining pounds rather than modifying quids, it's only gonna end up needing more as we go on.

So, that got me looking at cars. My first thought was a B8 Audi S4, the 3L supercharged V6 one. You can pick these up, mileage depending, from between £12-£15k up to about £20k for 2012-2015 cars. Tax is cheaper than my Lexus, despite having over double the performance, but is still over £300 a year, the MPG isn't actually that much better than the Lexus and I figured parts won't be cheap for it. So that got me looking at A3 saloons. The 8V shape is lovely, nicer than the A4 IMO, and they do a 1.4L turbo with 150bhp, and 50-60mpg for £20 or £30 a year road tax. Get the S-Line model for the trim level, 7-sp auto box, mag suspension, blah blah. Similar pricing to the S4, but newer car (2014/16) and much less running costs. But then I noticed there's an S3 - same car, same toys and trim, but a 300bhp 2L turbo that does 0-60 in under 5 seconds and is £150 a year tax (once it's out of that 5 year additional tax period, which the 2017 ones I'm looking at would be by the time I'm ready to buy). But there's the rub - massive performance increase, but an MPG drop and tax increase (not to mention another £10k buying price increase).

My sensible head says buy the 1.4, and enjoy less expensive fuel/tax bills (which was the plan as I wanted to plough all my spare cash into mortgage overpayments) but the little devil on my shoulder says I've worked long enough to get a good paying job, I should have a quick car again, and it might be the last time I ever buy one as in ten years we'll all likely be in EV's for daily drivers anyway

Of course it's all academic at the moment as I'm a year or more away from buying something new (unless the Lexus pegs it in the mean time, and then I'd likely buy a shitbox runabout to tide me over).

 

If you can cope with the mpg I’d say go for the s3. My friend has one and uses it daily and it’s not as bad as he expected it to be but his commute is mostly motorways.
It’s a lovely car though and fast/fun enough when you want it to be.

I don’t know about you but if I went sensible I’d end up regretting it and wishing I’d got the S3. Worst case, if you did get the s3 and decide it was a bad choice it should be easy enough to move on and get the sensible option without losing a lot.

 

I did think that (about getting the S3 first, and then shifting it on should I decide it wasn't the right choice). My drive to work is mainly country back roads with a bit of town driving, which is one reason I thought the Quattro might be more fun than FWD (and I've been RWD for the last 9 years, which just handles nicer than FWD cars I had before that)

I would have thought that 300bhp and ~300lf/ft would be quicker than I need most of the time, since I've had 150bhp and I think 135lb/ft for the past decade

 

Sounds like your asking a question you already know the answer to but are looking for some validation....
If its not a financial drain go for the best performance you can. You don't have to drive everywhere at the red line but
it will.cost more, be prepared

 

Oh I don't deny I'm lusting after the S3, but ultimately I think (well, expect) the 1.4 will win. I would like the S3 though

 

id also have that lingering disappointment that i hadnt went for the best available in the range....the rs3...id always go for slightly older but higher spec.....

 

The way things are going , even look at USA dont know if you heard about recent announcements where the EPA want to ban the modified industry completely due to climate change , I would enjoy every last bit of performance you can - been saying it all along and am sure you guys know too that our petrol cars will be like horses - you will only see them on road every now and again being bought out by owners - am so glad I did London to Istanbul and back 4 times in a Focus Rs mk1 - as I don't think I will be able to do it again for a long time and who know what emission emergency ban they could bring in ie a lockdown because smog levels are too high - so id say get the loudest guzzliest car you can while you can - my two pence on it - im hitting 50 soon -- my dream is to ship the mk1 to New York and drive across USA for my 50th!

 

Problem with audi S3s though is they're to common.... Look around you next time you stop at a red light... If there's 8 other cars beside you I bet at least 6 of them are young lads revving the tits off their S3s...

 

Can't be that common - I didn't know they existed until I was flicking through Autotrader and discovered it. I've never seen one out on the road - that said, looking at how subtle the car is, looks wise, I probably wouldn't know if I had.

Pretty sure I don't want the RS3 - I'd only be buying it for the badge status, and I'm not about that. I certainly don't want older just to get higher spec - much rather have something newer. If I was to go S3 I'd be looking around 2017 (if I went for the 1.4 then I might go for the pre-facelift and go 2015/2016, just because I actually prefer the pre-facelift to look at)

 

It really is insanity. The EPA need serious action taken against them, and hopefully the US public do not stand for their bullshit.

 

Really? I see them all the time up here, they're very common with the younger generation, i dont know if because audi do attractive credit deals?
Obviously the RS has more power than the S , im sure its a 2.5 L 370bhp car and is a match for my C63 rather than 2.0 295 bhp that isnt.
theyre quite easliy tuneable to , that's what I'm about

 

Very common down here, see loads around.

 

Can't say I've noticed any - but then they're quite understated looking (almost identical to the S-Line models, bar maybe the wheels, but those are options anyway) and I haven't really been looking. A3 saloons are definitely less common round my way than A4 saloons, that's for sure. Do see the A3 hatches though. TBF, I send most of my time looking at railway tracks, and (hopefully) there aren't too many cars on there

Yes, the RS3 is more powerful: 2.5L 5pot turbo, 400bhp and officially half a second quicker to 60. Around 10mpg less and the same tax, but add another 10-15 grand on the purchase price. Tbh, it's not a car I'm in the market for - I'm having a hard time justifying the possibility of buying the S3 which is more than what I need. I'm more about comfort and quiet than I am roaring exhausts, pops and bangs But equally, it's been a long time since I had a quick car, I think it might be nice to have one again.

It's a shame the 1.8L Quattro is so underpowered: 180-ish bhp and under 200lb of torque and dearer tax - if it was a good middle of the road model, say 240/250 brake and torque, 5.x to 60 and still pulled in 40mpg I'd be all over it.

 

Suppose it's just where you are. Barely see any Lexus like mine where I am (there is one that is local to me I see most days), but travel an hour away to East London and you see them everywhere.

But common doesn't bother me, I don't need to be different. I'll just be happy finding something I like

 

When I bought my last daily I looked at the S3 and Golf R both are nice cars if a little understated but that’s the attraction for many.

 

By all accounts the Golf R is supposed to be the better car. But I just prefer the look at the A/S3 saloon overall.

 

Part of the appeal of the S models for me is the fact they blend in a bit and are slightly understated.
I like the fact they are relatively quick but don’t attract anywhere near as much attention which makes them better to use daily I think.

 

Be better if they still made 50/60mpg when not being ragged Then they'd be ideal for daily use. Wonder if they can be mapped for two stage boost?

 

Stay away from the 1.4 engine.

It's stressed, and the turbo is not strong.

The S4 B8 is a superb engine, but it's thirsty as is supercharged, heavy and 4wd.

The S3 is a very good car. Best 4 cylinder engine there is. 8 injectors, water cooled exhaust manifold makes it good on fuel and very very tuneable.

Have a look at the Golf GTi. These are an awesome car, handle better than an S3, and are very frugal being lighter and 2wd. Same engine but smaller turbo. They tune to over 300bhp with just a map and are generally very reliable.

Rick

 

Im going to ignore everthing you've mentioned ( the oldskool forum way )


And say, spend the money, get a MK2 focus RS, enjoy it, be happy , and tell the youngens in 30years time how great it was, when all they can drive is G-wizz wanabes

 

So he wants quiet, comfy, cheap tax and decent performance.....hate to say it, buy a Tesla ? lol

 

I've never been in a tesla yet.... Would like a shot of one but I don't think they're for me.... Are decent performance ones under 30 grand yet?

 

A lot of them seem to be 30+ still.

But some of the videos etc on carwow, in the real world, the launch, rolling acceleration and most notably instant throttle response do seem impressive with some of them

At higher speeds they do tail off but realistically in the UK, almost no users will be up around those speeds anyway

I've never driven one myself but would like to. As the market gets bigger prices will fall. Some of them are hideous looking like the model 3, but the model S is a nice looking car.

One huge caveat would be actually working on the damn thing. No idea what parts availability etc is like for them

 

Lol at Fil

you know, I had considered the Tesla. Some of them are rapid as fuck, and as far as EV’s go, they do lead them. But for me, the battery and charging technology just isn’t there yet. Two main things are 1) I have no where to charge it at home and 2) when I run out of juice in a petrol car I can invariably give it 400 miles of range in 90 seconds and get that fill up within a couple miles of where I am. Right now, EV tech just isn’t there yet.

But they are impressive as fuck

 

I think the same, Its not practical enough for me. Especially living in an upper flat in a 4 in a block....
Ive raced one once, not sure if his bottle went over 100 or his car was running out of puff....
One thing I've noticed is that they don't seem to suffer wheelspin issues and seem to get the power down well at launch while I just sit there smoking my back tyres. .

 

I primarily drive most places fairly reserved and less than half throttle - partly because my car doesn't really do much more on full throttle than it does on half throttle, apart from drink more fuel - so a more "normal" car like the 1.4 TFSi makes more sense. But I do like to press on now and again, so the worry is pushing a 1.4T to 90/100 of its capability as opposed to pushing the S3 engine to 75/80% of its capability. On the other hand, seems a bit daft to have a car like the S3 and spend most to the time driving it like the 1.4...

The B8 S4 was the one that originally made me think of looking at Audi's after my Lexus - I remember changing a screen on one a bunch of years ago, no idea what it was but saw the "V6T" badges and talked to the owner who said it's actually a supercharged 3.0 V6 rather than turbo as the badges suggest (I knew they'd done the 2.7 bi-turbo before, my mate has one, and then the NA V8's). That's when I discovered there was such a thing as an S3 (and RS3) as I'm well out of the loop (hence not knowing they're really popular, and incredibly stolen which might put a stop to getting one if the insurance is going to be silly)

I didn't know the S3 engine had 8 injectors though - so it's better than an RS500 then

 

My daily is a 2015 Audi S4 and it's the best daily car I've had, surprisingly good on fuel even with a remap.

Road tax is around £280

With stage 2 it's sub 4 second 0-60 time

The later cars with the "CREC" engine have a clutched supercharger to aid fuel economy as well as extra injectors to help with the carbon build up you get from direct injection engines.

 

I know the Revo guy in the above vid, Kev Hall.

 

That is some impressive shit - the difference was night and day.

Stop making me rethink getting the supercharged V6 S4

 

That was a big difference.... I would imagine that's only a couple of hundred quid for the upgrade?

 

They showed it on screen as a £1200 for the software upgrade, plus £1800 for an exhaust, £330 for an uprated rear ARB and £3272 for a big brake upgrade

Not bad work when a 15 second OBD upgrade costs £1200

 

I missed that on my little phone screen.... Surely the arb and bigger brake upgrade isn't entirely nessesary as the S cars have bigger brakes anyway....?
The previous owner of my C63 spent 1200 on a software upgrade but that included the auto transmission as well.
I wouldn't say it feels any different to the last C63 I had though....

 

What they don't tell you on there is that the S4 being supercharged needed a different pulley& belt hence the price for the upgrade. Revo for a normal turbo car is around £400

 

Stage one just stops the ecu bypassing boost at higher revs, they came restricted from the factory to make sure the RS was faster.

 

I can't work out why the ecu upgrade is £1200 then

 

Me either, mine cost a shade under £2k for stage 2 engine and box tune, oil and filter change, crank pulley, K&N filter, high grip belt, modified air box, high flow intake pipe and set up on dyno.

 

The S3 is a very good car. Best 4 cylinder engine there is. 8 injectors, water cooled exhaust manifold makes it good on fuel and very very tuneable.


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