# I Traded In My 2015 Golf R for a 2016 S3 (instead of RS3) Impressions and I did not get the 2018 RS3



## STI2GolfR (Aug 1, 2015)

*Update: I have sold the S3 after only a few weeks of ownership unfortunately. To make it short, I am too big of a guy for this car and should have realized it earlier and the S Sport seats were no good for my back. I am now happily in a 2018 S4. *


Hey everyone! I have had my 2015 Golf R now for a couple of years total (my father had it for awhile) and I actually had a 2018 RS3 on order that I recently cancelled. I wanted to share my impressions versus the Golf R, why I chose the S3 over the RS3, and I have some questions for you guys on how I can make this experience the best possible.

*Why did I chose the 2016 S3 over the 2018 RS3?*

The biggest reason being that I saved almost 27k buying a used, in excellent shape S3 with only 8900 miles on it versus the RS3.. Being a "single (girlfriend)" 29 year old making less a year than what the RS3 would have been, this was a better choice financially by a long shot for me.. It saddens me to lose out on the RS3, but depending on how well over time I like the S3, I may very well end up with the RS3 in the future or an RS4 since I am on the taller side (6'3 1/2"). 

The next reason I got the S3 over the RS3 is fuel economy.. I don't track my cars, just daily drive them to and from work every day.. I just like having a fast, fun to drive car for my commute.. 31mpg highway is pretty impressive for the S3 and I know you can get more than that on the highway!

Reason 3 was that the RS3 and the S3 I chose (I'll go into my options a little bit later) are pretty much the same car interior and looks wise.. almost even the same technology as well with the packages I got.

*Why I would have chosen the RS3 over the S3?*

1. The AMAZING sound of the RS3 5 cylinder. 
2. 400hp over 292 hp
3. More aggressive black optics package (diffuser and front grill in particular and fender flares on the front).
4. Bigger Brakes

*2015 Golf R VS S3 Impressions *

1. The interior on the R is not even in the same league as the S3. 
2. The exterior looks so much cleaner than the Golf R and I have never really been a big fan of hatch back looks.
3. The LED lighting (inside and outside) is far superior than the Golf R.
4. The engine feels smoother and the downshifts are not as jerky on the S3 VS the R.
5. The S Sports Seats hold you in so much better than the R seats.
6. Homelink on my S vs the R (none on the R).
7. Full LED headlights and Tailights right out of the box on my S3 VS R.
8. Real Aluminum Interior pieces on the S3 and fake carbon fiber on the R.
9. Full Panoramic Sunroof on the S3 vs no sunroof on the R.
10. Better Factory Wheels on the S3 VS R.
11. The R's suspension feels softer than the S3 (the S3 feels almost like I can feel every bump even in comfort mode) to the point where I was thinking that the new rims/tires I put on were mounted incorrectly or something.. 
12. The power feels the same on both.
13. The MMI screen is so much better and I love that you can hide it in the dash.
14. The Paint on the R VS S3 seems similar (my white metallic paint on the S3 has a lot of little black dots in it, does anyone know how to remove these? I'm thinking about taking it to a detailer). 
15. The R had sensors when you pulled in somewhere that came on automatically.. It seems the only way I can get these sensors to work on the S3 is by clicking the parking sensor button on the dash every time? They only come on automatically when you are backing up from my experience. 
16. The S3 has Bang Olfsen sound VS Fender and is on a whole another level than Fender in the R.
17. Spare Tire in the S3 vs None in the R. 
18. Ratcheting Armest in the S3 vs None in the R. 
19. The leather on the S3 is in a whole another league than the R. 
20. The R seems much louder than the S3 out of the box.
21. I'm averaging better MPG in the S3 vs R with even more spirited driving in the S3. 
22. The S3 does not have the silly fake blow off valve noise that the R had from the factory.
23. The R has better storage in the hatch than the Sedan trunk. 
24. The R has wipers that actually work unlike my S3 that pretty much sticks to the windshield and drags. 

Okay so you probably see that the S3 is on a whole another level than the R in my opinion and for the price I got the S3 with the options (38k) I think that this was a HUGE win.

Now onto some questions... You probably notice there are a few about the parking sensors, my wheels/tires I put on with the suspension, etc above.

1. I noticed the S3 has a red paint spot on the headlight. How do I remove this paint without damaging the plastic headlight sense? 
2. The White metallic paint has black dots all throughout.. I'm assuming some kind of dirt. Anything I can use to remove?
3. What exhaust sounds the deepest for the S3? I had the AWE switch path on the R and thought it was "Ok" but it definitely droned a lot .. I'm assuming because you delete the mid Resonator. I want high quality to fix the non existing sound on the S3, lol. Any ideas? Most of the videos I hear of Miltek, AWE, etc sound pretty raspy and not deep.. but I know it is not the same in person.
4. With being under warranty on the S3 and wanting close to the RS3 power (I was going to be happy keeping the RS3 stock because it had the great sound with the sports exhaust and 400hp which is plenty for me) what is my option for the most reliable tuning company? I'm assuming APR or Unitronic? Which will be more inexpensive? 
5. What is the point of the extra buttons for the rear tail lights and optional LED tai lights (Looks like a fog light button and a rain button on the dash)?
6. Has anyone had an experience doing just a downpipe with cat mated to the stock exhaust and been really happy with the sound compared to stock? If not, what about a downpipe catted with a s3 resonator factory delete? 
7. Is there any intake that will make it so you can hear the turbo without having to get a silly blow off valve? 
8. Going back to the question about installing wheels on the car.. I already had Michelin AS3+ Tires 245/35/19 with HRE FF01 wheels waiting for the RS3 so I used them here. They are just standard 19x8.5 +47 .. That would not pose any rubbing on this car with stock suspension, correct? Is there any way I could have mounted these incorrectly? They look flush.. It just feels like it rides harsher and I've never gotten that out of these wheels before. I could just be crazy since I installed them.. lol who knows.









Finally, is there anything else I should know about this S3 that you found out later that you wish you would have known or thought about? Any advice on this new ride would be greatly appreciated.

Here is my car with my new HRE wheels and my options are as follows:

LED lighting package
Tech package
B&O Sound
Homelink
Black Out Performance Package
Red Brake Calipers


----------



## keninblaine (Nov 11, 2016)

Interesting and useful observations. Thanks. Note: the way you worded your item 1 in the list could be interpreted as meaning the interior of the R is better. I don't think you meant that.


----------



## STI2GolfR (Aug 1, 2015)

keninblaine said:


> Interesting and useful observations. Thanks. Note: the way you worded your item 1 in the list could be interpreted as meaning the interior of the R is better. I don't think you meant that.


Thank you i meant to say the s3 blows the Rs interior out of the water. I got it fixed!


----------



## keninblaine (Nov 11, 2016)

What model year is your S3? I presume it doesn't have virtual cockpit. Nice looking car BTW. I have my eyes on a used loaded 17 S3 just in case I change my mind on the RS3.


----------



## STI2GolfR (Aug 1, 2015)

keninblaine said:


> What model year is your S3? I presume it doesn't have virtual cockpit. Nice looking car BTW. I have my eyes on a used loaded 17 S3 just in case I change my mind on the RS3.


Hey it's a 2016 no virtual cockpit. I ordered the rs3 with that option but mainly for B&O sound. Used S3 was just better for my situation but if i had the extra 27k i would have gotten the Rs3


----------



## callmecue (May 18, 2007)

*Regarding question 7, not sure an intake will solve your "hear the turbo better" issue, but this might:*

http://www.goapr.com/products/turbo_muffler_delete_ea888_g3_ihi.html


----------



## 27turbocars (Jun 26, 2016)

STI2GOLFR,

I think that you made the right decision. Most of us would love a RS3 in the garage but most of us also manage a budget and want our money to stretch and make sense. I also considered the RS3 for the obvious reasons(more power, better sounds, better brakes) but the price was a decisive factor. 

I have a 2016 S3 with a full APR Stage 2 and I absolutely love the power and torque (377hp/403 lb-tq). I purchased the ST=40 BBK kit although if I had to do it again I would have kept the stock brakes. At the end of the day, I think that I tried my best to match the RS3 performance with the Stage II and the Big Brake kit and that saved me from going over the top on spending a whole lot more on a RS3 which it didn't make financial sense.


----------



## mtbarr64 (Feb 21, 2017)

How are you getting 31 mpg? 

I average 21-23 on my 2017 S3 Quattro and no matter how I drive it does not improve.

Granted AC on 100% of the time in our Vegas Summer.

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk


----------



## mtbarr64 (Feb 21, 2017)

keninblaine said:


> What model year is your S3? I presume it doesn't have virtual cockpit. Nice looking car BTW. I have my eyes on a used loaded 17 S3 just in case I change my mind on the RS3.


You want a good deal on a 2017 S3 I just bought in June with less than 2000 miles on it?

I came over from the A3 TDI as part of the dieselgate and can't stand low mpg.... just not what I expected.

Seriously considering just trading in for a BMW 328d Xdrive at a loss.

Prestige, Quattro, Navarro Blue, Red calipers, dynamic blackout, 19" tires. Did not get the sports seats.

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk


----------



## willoc (Jul 21, 2015)

Sounds like you need to clay bar the paint. For what it's worth I have a 2015 glacier white and no black dots in the paint. I've never needed to clay bar it. But previous owner could have driven through some road tar or depending where you live may have some contaminants raining down on it...good luck


----------



## 27turbocars (Jun 26, 2016)

mtbarr64 said:


> How are you getting 31 mpg?
> 
> I average 21-23 on my 2017 S3 Quattro and no matter how I drive it does not improve.
> 
> ...


Yep. Same here, I hardly get 20mpg flat in the desrt heat with A/C (city driving with some spirited
moments)


----------



## willoc (Jul 21, 2015)

I think the EPA ratings were adjusted downwards in 16/17 model years. 28 mpg on highway is about the best you can expect. It's not too bad though.


----------



## a4000 (Apr 23, 2009)

I don't do a lot of highway driving but routinely do 23-27mpg off highway in my 17.


----------



## -LoneStar- (Aug 5, 2015)

Thanks for that nice comparison. I always like to hear from people who have actually owned the products they are comparing rather then regurgitating things they've heard or read about each of them. 

With that being said I would be interested to see the response from the R owners of this forum if you posted that comparison there. For what ever reason they always seem to get a little defensive when the S3 Vs R debate happens, I think the number one thing R owners say is that the R is more "Raw" feeling and that it "handles better". I suppose I'll give them the raw win while I've never driven one, but I won't give them the handles better one. Road and Track did their Lightening Lap with the R and S3 and the S3 beat it by a decent amount of time. I don't remember the exact time but it was a decisive amount. 

Like you did, my wife and I go back and forth on the RS3. The S3 is the wife's car, but were deciding if the RS3 is really worth the premium. Right now I'm leaning towards NO. The S3 is great and she loves it. I don't know how much your really gaining with the RS3. Like you mentioned the motor is fantastic but that's the only thing we would take advantage of. The brakes wouldn't be worth it as we don't track the car. The Virtual Cockpit is sweet but not a necessity. The wheels are terrible and would need to go. The more I type this out the more I'm convinced its just not worth it. With that being said I guess I shouldn't write it off until I drive it. 

As for tunes you could check out JB1/JB4. Its a nice "piggy back" that keeps you under the radar. I suppose its not as good as a true tune but its pretty close. To this day I have not heard of ANYONE denied a warranty claim while using the JB1/JB4. I have heard of others denied even after removing their tunes. 

Anyway with regards to the black spots I would also suggest you try clay bar on it. I would also try the clay bar on the red paint on the headlight. You could also try a product like this that removes iron and other contaminants. https://smile.amazon.com/Sonax-5132...id=1501616333&sr=8-1&keywords=fallout+cleaner


----------



## The Wiry Irishman (Apr 14, 2016)

I'm regards to tuning I'd just go APR since you live like 15 minutes away from an APR dealer. I'm not even sure if there's a unitronic dealer in the state, so you'd have to mail them your ECU. In terms of reliability, I've been very happy with APR on my current car - 150,000 tuned miles and it's been 95,000 since the last time I had to get any sort of service not related to wear parts. To be honest, though, I don't think there would be a real reliability difference between any of the major tuners. Especially at the stage 1/2 level, they're all basically doing the same thing.


----------



## STI2GolfR (Aug 1, 2015)

callmecue said:


> http://www.goapr.com/products/turbo_muffler_delete_ea888_g3_ihi.html


I have watched videos and no one has wrote home about this mod really doing much of anything for the time spent. It might make a tad bit more noise, but overall no one has been impressed with it. Thank you for the suggestion though.. I was really hoping a downpipe and intake would make the turbo more noticeable. I'm definitely not doing a blow off valve. 



27turbocars said:


> STI2GOLFR,
> 
> I think that you made the right decision. Most of us would love a RS3 in the garage but most of us also manage a budget and want our money to stretch and make sense. I also considered the RS3 for the obvious reasons(more power, better sounds, better brakes) but the price was a decisive factor.
> 
> I have a 2016 S3 with a full APR Stage 2 and I absolutely love the power and torque (377hp/403 lb-tq). I purchased the ST=40 BBK kit although if I had to do it again I would have kept the stock brakes. At the end of the day, I think that I tried my best to match the RS3 performance with the Stage II and the Big Brake kit and that saved me from going over the top on spending a whole lot more on a RS3 which it didn't make financial sense.


It is definitely a tough decision for sure but I saved 27k and really do not feel like being strapped for cash all of the time for a car. I've done it in the past with this Evo 8 I had and I can't do it again. I am leaning towards going with the APR Stage 2 like yourself.. I am just worried about reliability and cannot take it to the dealer if anything messes up. I would be fine fixing small things but I definitely obviously wouldn't want to do a whole new engine rebuild. Then again, I don't really hear about these engines blowing up and with the driving I do, I highly doubt it would unless there was some kind of manufacturer defect in the engine. Thanks for your thoughts on this though.. I'm really trying to find a good exhaust combination that will give me good sounds .. I know it won't ever be an RS3 sound wise, but I want to at least have a nice deep tone with not much drone. I'm thinking either Miltek or AWE with the APR catted downpipe. Thoughts?



mtbarr64 said:


> How are you getting 31 mpg?
> 
> I average 21-23 on my 2017 S3 Quattro and no matter how I drive it does not improve.
> 
> ...


Hey I'm just going off of the EPA MPG ratings on Google. It says 23/31 for this car. It seems like I'm getting really good gas mileage but then again I'm using driving in individual mode with comfort engine and not a lot of spirited driving. 



willoc said:


> Sounds like you need to clay bar the paint. For what it's worth I have a 2015 glacier white and no black dots in the paint. I've never needed to clay bar it. But previous owner could have driven through some road tar or depending where you live may have some contaminants raining down on it...good luck


Good idea, I will definitely look into this as I have never done it! Thank you



27turbocars said:


> Yep. Same here, I hardly get 20mpg flat in the desrt heat with A/C (city driving with some spirited
> moments)


It says on my dash that I am averaging 26.4 MPG and that is a mix of highway and city driving currently. 



willoc said:


> I think the EPA ratings were adjusted downwards in 16/17 model years. 28 mpg on highway is about the best you can expect. It's not too bad though.


 I didn't see this anywhere, do you have a link for it? Google is still showing 23/31 for the 2016 at least. 



a4000 said:


> I don't do a lot of highway driving but routinely do 23-27mpg off highway in my 17.


 That's good to hear. I'm currently getting 26.4 MPG with a mix of highway and city. 



-LoneStar- said:


> Thanks for that nice comparison. I always like to hear from people who have actually owned the products they are comparing rather then regurgitating things they've heard or read about each of them.
> 
> With that being said I would be interested to see the response from the R owners of this forum if you posted that comparison there. For what ever reason they always seem to get a little defensive when the S3 Vs R debate happens, I think the number one thing R owners say is that the R is more "Raw" feeling and that it "handles better". I suppose I'll give them the raw win while I've never driven one, but I won't give them the handles better one. Road and Track did their Lightening Lap with the R and S3 and the S3 beat it by a decent amount of time. I don't remember the exact time but it was a decisive amount.
> 
> ...


These are really good thoughts and I appreciate them as well. I will say that the R definitely feels more "Raw" now that I think of it. I don't think there is any difference really as far as the pickup or the handling though. I am thinking that I might take back my statement about the seats being better in the S3. They feel like they hold me in better than the R seats but the R seats were not as stiff on my back. Every drive I've had in the S3 so far my lower back has been hurting. I'm not sure if it is just how the seats are designed, if they are just too stiff, or if I have them adjusted wrong. Keep in mind that I would have had the same problem in the RS3 since I have the sport seats and they are the same on both cars. I am also about 6'3 1/2" and a muscular build at 230lbs. I am long legged so the car just barely fits me. This means that I have to have the seat adjusted all the way down and I can't have it tilt up in the front either. Honestly an S4 would have suited my build better but for the price of this S3 and everything you get with it, I couldn't pass it up. I love the way it looks, the amenities and the way it drives.. I just need some more power since I've been used to this power for over 2 years with the R. My BMW 135i had the JB4 on it and I really wasn't that impressed so I would prefer to go with something like APR. I just need to do more research on the reliability since it is my daily driver and I don't track the car. I might "floor" the car a couple times a day or none at all depending on my mood. I think the the clay bar is going to be the way to go with the black spots. Were you suggesting the fallout cleaner for the headlight paint or the actual car paint? Thank you for your thoughts and please post how it goes when you drive the RS3 in that thread. My next car might end up being the S4 and not even the RS3 due to my build, lol. 



The Wiry Irishman said:


> I'm regards to tuning I'd just go APR since you live like 15 minutes away from an APR dealer. I'm not even sure if there's a unitronic dealer in the state, so you'd have to mail them your ECU. In terms of reliability, I've been very happy with APR on my current car - 150,000 tuned miles and it's been 95,000 since the last time I had to get any sort of service not related to wear parts. To be honest, though, I don't think there would be a real reliability difference between any of the major tuners. Especially at the stage 1/2 level, they're all basically doing the same thing.


Thanks buddy for your thoughts, I appreciate it. That's good to know that you have that many miles on an APR car.. I forgot yours was APR. With my driving, I shouldn't have too many problems if I go this route. Would you recommend doing their intercooler with the Stage 2? I'm not sure it is going to be worth the hassle for me personally with all of the work involved, but I could be wrong. I don't want to skimp out on any upgrade and prefer to do everything right the first time. Do you have any experiences with exhaust brands? I'm trying to debate between them and from what it seems like it is either AWE or Miltek or maybe even Armyitrix but that one gets super loud and might not be great for daily driving. Let me know. Thanks.


----------



## The Wiry Irishman (Apr 14, 2016)

STI2GolfR said:


> Thanks buddy for your thoughts, I appreciate it. That's good to know that you have that many miles on an APR car.. I forgot yours was APR. With my driving, I shouldn't have too many problems if I go this route. Would you recommend doing their intercooler with the Stage 2? I'm not sure it is going to be worth the hassle for me personally with all of the work involved, but I could be wrong. I don't want to skimp out on any upgrade and prefer to do everything right the first time. Do you have any experiences with exhaust brands? I'm trying to debate between them and from what it seems like it is either AWE or Miltek or maybe even Armyitrix but that one gets super loud and might not be great for daily driving. Let me know. Thanks.


I honestly don't know about the intercooler. I know back when my car was stage 2 it would heat soak and feel slower than stock any time it was 90+ outside. But the R and S3 have nicer intercoolers, and my car is pre-MQB, too. No idea if the current S3 one has the headroom for another 100HP without heat soak. My advice would be to just go stage 2 and if you notice heat soak, get a new intercooler. If not, don't worry about it.

Back before the RS3 was announced and was thinking about Stage 3+ S3, I was pretty sure I had my exhaust choices narrowed down to AWE and Armytrix. Check out the pricing for the Armytrix - that might make your decision for you. Honestly, though, I'd just recommend listening to Youtube videos of every major exhaust with a pair of good headphones and go with whatever one sounds best to you. There may be some secondary considerations, like cat quality (if you care) and if you want to retain the use of the exhaust flaps. The R/S3 also sounds great with a non-resonated downpipe and stock catback, that's another option.


----------



## -LoneStar- (Aug 5, 2015)

STI2GolfR said:


> These are really good thoughts and I appreciate them as well. I will say that the R definitely feels more "Raw" now that I think of it. I don't think there is any difference really as far as the pickup or the handling though. I am thinking that I might take back my statement about the seats being better in the S3. They feel like they hold me in better than the R seats but the R seats were not as stiff on my back. Every drive I've had in the S3 so far my lower back has been hurting. I'm not sure if it is just how the seats are designed, if they are just too stiff, or if I have them adjusted wrong. Keep in mind that I would have had the same problem in the RS3 since I have the sport seats and they are the same on both cars. I am also about 6'3 1/2" and a muscular build at 230lbs. I am long legged so the car just barely fits me. This means that I have to have the seat adjusted all the way down and I can't have it tilt up in the front either. Honestly an S4 would have suited my build better but for the price of this S3 and everything you get with it, I couldn't pass it up. I love the way it looks, the amenities and the way it drives.. I just need some more power since I've been used to this power for over 2 years with the R. My BMW 135i had the JB4 on it and I really wasn't that impressed so I would prefer to go with something like APR. I just need to do more research on the reliability since it is my daily driver and I don't track the car. I might "floor" the car a couple times a day or none at all depending on my mood. I think the the clay bar is going to be the way to go with the black spots. Were you suggesting the fallout cleaner for the headlight paint or the actual car paint? Thank you for your thoughts and please post how it goes when you drive the RS3 in that thread. My next car might end up being the S4 and not even the RS3 due to my build, lol.


I've heard the seats in the R are comfortable. They do look nice too. We have the standard seats in our S3. I did have a loaner S3 with the sport seats and one thing I remember is that they were narrow. I'm 6'2 185ish and it was a little snug. Not uncomfortable but a little snug non the less. 

A lot of people have been happy with APR. I have nothing against them. I just threw JB1/4 out there since you don't have to worry about flashing the car back to stock if you take it in for warranty. I don't know if you've seen it but on the R forums here there is a whole thread on them. People seem to be happy with them and they are also putting up some nice times. 

You can use that fall out cleaner on the paint and the lights. The place that usually needs it most is the trunk and rear bumper. That's where most of these particles imbed themselves. The cleaner will turn purple to show that its getting rid of the contaminants. 

I'll throw you a zinger as well. When the S5 sportback came out we went to drive it. I'm still not 100% sold on the front nose of the car but I will say it looks better in person then in photos. Love the interior and its certainly more plush then the S3. If you've been in the S4 then you know what I'm talking about. The S5 sportback was pretty nice. The power delivery down low was fantastic. It felt more like a positive displacement supercharger then then a turbo. Very responsive. The v6 sounded good too. The 8 speed auto seemed to be just as quick and good as the S tronic dual clutch. The ride was very nice and the handling although not as nimble as the S3 was very good too. Problem with those is that they are RS3 money.....


----------



## willoc (Jul 21, 2015)

www.fueleconomy.gov shows official EPA ratings. 2015 model year was 23/31 and 2017 is 21/28 (much more accurate - far as I know engine and tuning calibration should be exactly the same between the model years...)


----------



## radbaldguy (Feb 23, 2016)

Great responses so far. I noticed nobody had yet replied to these two questions:



STI2GolfR said:


> 1. I noticed the S3 has a red paint spot on the headlight. How do I remove this paint without damaging the plastic headlight sense?


I have a black dot on my '15 S3; it looks like a little spot of paint, about the diameter of a pencil eraser (probably not quite that big). Maybe this is the same thing you're talking about (but different color). I'm not sure what it is or why it's there. I've thought a few times about how I might remove it but haven't wanted to try anything for fear of scratching or otherwise harming the lens. Does anybody else have this?



STI2GolfR said:


> 5. What is the point of the extra buttons for the rear tail lights and optional LED tai lights (Looks like a fog light button and a rain button on the dash)?


The buttons are odd -- I haven't found them to be very helpful. Here's what they do:

*Fog button:* When you turn sharply (or use your turn signal) your headlights activate a side-beam that shines off to the side a bit making it easier to see around a corner at night. The "fog-light" button activates these on both sides without turning. They point downward-ish but they're not a true fog light and I haven't found them to be very useful in fog or heavy snow driving conditions.

*Rain button:* In normal mode, your rear LED tail lights light up a sort of ring around the outside of the light housing; there's a part in the middle that isn't illuminated. The rain light button illuminates part of the middle area for reasons that aren't clear to me. One might think that it makes you more visible from the rear in poor weather conditions but I don't think it really has much of a meaningful effect. With that said, I can't really see the rear of my car when I'm driving, so maybe it does actually help?

Overall, after toying with those buttons a few times to see what they did and try them out, I haven't used them since.

Once you're settled into your car a bit, check out the VCDS threads. There are a few cool changes you can make to tweak functionality.


----------



## jbed (Apr 18, 2016)

Try Iron X for the black specks. 

I have the sound enhancing resonator delete - I love it but it has some drone in sixth gear going about 3k rpm. Other wise it's a nice bass-y sound enhancement. But it's always louder - sounds awesome in Dynamic (dsg )

I'm about to drop a JB1 or Dinantronics Sport Piggyback tune on mine. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## soulflyer (Feb 18, 2012)

*Just test drove an RS3...*

I posted this on Audizine as well... 


First let me give a shout out to Mark Motors of Ottawa for inviting me to drive their demo car. They have 3 RS3 available on their lot...

Nick the (very friendly and helpful) sales guy contacted me 2 days ago and asked me if I want to drive the new RS3. We agreed for 11am today. He knows I am tracking my S3 so we went straight for my 'test loop' around the airport of Ottawa. 
To make it short, I was not really impressed. Its a nice car and it is more refined than my S3 but it is definitely not 20k CAD more refined. Here in Canada the RS3 is 80k CAD with taxes in. 

Here some details:

I liked (compared to my S3):

- The engine sound is awesome, you can hear the turbo spool up much better.
- Of the line the car is much more responsive, I did not feel that lag a lot of people including me complained
- I took a few 90° right turns with speeds up to 90kmh (55mph) and there is less body roll. However my stock S3 takes the same corners at the same speed and I did not feel any difference in-turn in, same tendency to understeer. 
- The car had Mag ride and 19" wheels and it felt less harsh than my S3 on 18"s.
- Virtual Cockpit is neat...
- The brakes look definitely a bit more capable.... but I can't say since I did not track the car and I did don't know if they finally added cooling ducts into the wheelhouse to cool the brakes calipers. 

What I did not like

- its the same interior... still hard plastic in the lower parts of the doors, nothing new under the sun, if not for the Alcantara steering wheel and the VC it could have been my car....
- It comes with the Super Sport seats which are manual and don't provide enough side support... they are useless if you track your car. 
- After the eng oil hit 90° I did about 5-7 0-100kmh runs during the test drive. I did not feel much of a difference in acceleration compared to my S3 (stock). I expected a lot more of an increase in acceleration... ... I know above 120kmh there will be a significant difference but for public roads... meh...
- not available in Sepang blue!!!!! Or any custom color Canada... 

In conclusion:
I am aware this is very subjective but I thought I share the experience. 
As stated, in my opinion its not worth the 20k CAD price tag compared to the S3 and for 80k CAD I would not buy the RS3 anyway because me personally I would get a 997.2 C4S with PDK...


----------



## keninblaine (Nov 11, 2016)

soulflyer said:


> In conclusion:
> I am aware this is very subjective but I thought I share the experience.
> As stated, in my opinion its not worth the 20k CAD price tag compared to the S3 and for 80k CAD I would not buy the RS3 anyway because me personally I would get a 997.2 C4S with PDK...


Thanks for your observations. I'm a little confused by your last sentence where you say for $80k CAD you would not buy the RS3 but would opt for a C4S. Most used 997.2 C4S's are north of $120k US. Just seems like an unusual comparison.


----------



## soulflyer (Feb 18, 2012)

keninblaine said:


> Thanks for your observations. I'm a little confused by your last sentence where you say for $80k CAD you would not buy the RS3 but would opt for a C4S. Most used 997.2 C4S's are north of $120k US. Just seems like an unusual comparison.


Sorry for the confusion. This pertains to Canada. There is a 2010 C4S with 61k km for 79800CAD available right now.
Autotrader.CA


----------



## STI2GolfR (Aug 1, 2015)

The Wiry Irishman said:


> I honestly don't know about the intercooler. I know back when my car was stage 2 it would heat soak and feel slower than stock any time it was 90+ outside. But the R and S3 have nicer intercoolers, and my car is pre-MQB, too. No idea if the current S3 one has the headroom for another 100HP without heat soak. My advice would be to just go stage 2 and if you notice heat soak, get a new intercooler. If not, don't worry about it.
> 
> Back before the RS3 was announced and was thinking about Stage 3+ S3, I was pretty sure I had my exhaust choices narrowed down to AWE and Armytrix. Check out the pricing for the Armytrix - that might make your decision for you. Honestly, though, I'd just recommend listening to Youtube videos of every major exhaust with a pair of good headphones and go with whatever one sounds best to you. There may be some secondary considerations, like cat quality (if you care) and if you want to retain the use of the exhaust flaps. The R/S3 also sounds great with a non-resonated downpipe and stock catback, that's another option.


Hey I got all of the parts ordered for the S3 (full APR intake, intercooler, downpipe). The only problem is.. like we discussed.. The S3 was just too small for me and after driving it for a few weeks this thing absolutely DESTROYED my back and I had to take a huge loss on it and get a brand new S4. 



-LoneStar- said:


> I've heard the seats in the R are comfortable. They do look nice too. We have the standard seats in our S3. I did have a loaner S3 with the sport seats and one thing I remember is that they were narrow. I'm 6'2 185ish and it was a little snug. Not uncomfortable but a little snug non the less.
> 
> A lot of people have been happy with APR. I have nothing against them. I just threw JB1/4 out there since you don't have to worry about flashing the car back to stock if you take it in for warranty. I don't know if you've seen it but on the R forums here there is a whole thread on them. People seem to be happy with them and they are also putting up some nice times.
> 
> ...





willoc said:


> www.fueleconomy.gov shows official EPA ratings. 2015 model year was 23/31 and 2017 is 21/28 (much more accurate - far as I know engine and tuning calibration should be exactly the same between the model years...)


Hey thanks for your thoughts again.. I have been very busy lately and am just able to get to all of this now. I actually just got back from a trip to Chicago (4 hours away) where I picked up a brand new 2018 Audi S4 with Black Optics package!! The S3 absolutely killed my back and was just too tight for me unfortunately.. I looked into my options locally and test drove the S4 since you suggested the S5 sportback (same car basically) and I fell in love with it almost immediately. I went with the prestige model so I could have all of the bells and whistles on this one. I lost my butt on it but it is going to be worth it in the long run for the sake of my back and it already feels more enjoyable with this 3.0L V6 Turbo. If I just drive it in individual with the engine set to comfort it already has a lot more pickup than the S3/Golf R. Those cars were both turds in comfort/individual with comfort engine around town and felt like Prius cars. They would come alive of course in Sport mode/Dynamic but that's not practical for my daily commutes so I love the extra tq of this new engine! I feel like I'm going to be happy power wise since it does 0-60 in around 4.2-4.3 according to the reviewers. I might just add an exhaust but it already sounds MEAN. I'm not WOWED by the looks of the S4 .. it definitely looks like a grown up sports car sedan but I love the tech, comfort, power, it is butter smooth with the ZF 8 speed, luxury, etc... I can always make it look even meaner on the outside. The black optics does help. I did take off the front license plate and bracket, but it appears there is another bracket like underneath the bumper as well. I'm not sure if this is removable or not? I already took off the license plate and the plastic front plate with the 2 torx screws. But anyways this car really rocks! It was a lot more $$$ than I planned on spending but I'm going to actually keep this car for many years.. Now I need to sell all of these new S3 APR parts and my wheels that won't really fit the S4. 



radbaldguy said:


> Great responses so far. I noticed nobody had yet replied to these two questions:
> 
> 
> I have a black dot on my '15 S3; it looks like a little spot of paint, about the diameter of a pencil eraser (probably not quite that big). Maybe this is the same thing you're talking about (but different color). I'm not sure what it is or why it's there. I've thought a few times about how I might remove it but haven't wanted to try anything for fear of scratching or otherwise harming the lens. Does anybody else have this?
> ...


Thanks for the post and thoughts on this stuff! Please see above.. I traded in the S3 I had for like 3 weeks :/. 



jbed said:


> Try Iron X for the black specks.
> 
> I have the sound enhancing resonator delete - I love it but it has some drone in sixth gear going about 3k rpm. Other wise it's a nice bass-y sound enhancement. But it's always louder - sounds awesome in Dynamic (dsg )
> 
> ...





soulflyer said:


> I posted this on Audizine as well...
> 
> 
> First let me give a shout out to Mark Motors of Ottawa for inviting me to drive their demo car. They have 3 RS3 available on their lot...
> ...


This is a great observation and I'm really glad I cancelled my order on the RS3. I would not have been comfortable with my build in the car. The S4 is pretty similar in the fact that it is fast but doesn't feel that fast since it is soooooo smooth. Then again, I haven't really romped on it since it is brand new and I'm breaking it in a bit before I get too crazy . I love the Virtual Cockpit and tech on my S4 but it's on a different level than the RS3 since that's still using the last gen interior mainly over my new S4.


----------



## brennok (Jun 5, 2007)

-LoneStar- said:


> With that being said I would be interested to see the response from the R owners of this forum if you posted that comparison there. For what ever reason they always seem to get a little defensive when the S3 Vs R debate happens, I think the number one thing R owners say is that the R is more "Raw" feeling and that it "handles better". I suppose I'll give them the raw win while I've never driven one, but I won't give them the handles better one. Road and Track did their Lightening Lap with the R and S3 and the S3 beat it by a decent amount of time. I don't remember the exact time but it was a decisive amount.


I shopped the S3 while waiting for the Golf R. I opted to wait 6-8 months for a 16 Golf R for a number of reasons.

I found the S3 cramped inside compared to the Golf R. This same issue for me pretty much rules out the RS3 as an option which is disappointing. In the S3 my head hits the ceiling and my shoulder is pressed against the B pillar. I couldn't get comfortable when driving the S3 even though I prefer the S3 seats and wish VW offered them as an upgrade. 

I also prefer hatchbacks to sedans. If the 2 door S3 was an option here, assuming it had more space for the driver, I might not have waited.

I found the DSG to have a delay compared to the R32 I was used to and also compared to the Golf R. When I initially went to drive off the lot in the S3, I thought the parking brake was on since when I pressed the accelerator nothing happened at first. I have never experienced the jerkiness the OP complained about in any DSG I have driven either. 

I use my Aux in on a daily basis and iirc this required buying an adapter. I also couldn't find anything that supported the price jump over the Golf R. The S3 was I believe 8k more than the Golf R I bought similarly equipped. It was also marked down as a 2015 and the 16s were out.

Most reviews I read comparing the cars seemed to opt for the Golf R, at least back when I was shopping them, but I never look at lap times so no idea on those comparisons.


----------



## STI2GolfR (Aug 1, 2015)

brennok said:


> I shopped the S3 while waiting for the Golf R. I opted to wait 6-8 months for a 16 Golf R for a number of reasons.
> 
> I found the S3 cramped inside compared to the Golf R. This same issue for me pretty much rules out the RS3 as an option which is disappointing. In the S3 my head hits the ceiling and my shoulder is pressed against the B pillar. I couldn't get comfortable when driving the S3 even though I prefer the S3 seats and wish VW offered them as an upgrade.
> 
> ...


Check my updated post before this one. While the S3 felt more luxurious inside and I liked the looks better of it, I sold the S3 after only owning it less than 3 weeks and opted for an S4. My Golf R fit me much better and my hair hit the ceiling even on the lowest setting with the S Sport seats. The S Sport Seats in my opinion would have caused me to sell the Golf R if they were an option that I got unfortunately.. for my frame they were very uncomfortable for a daily driver. I had an RS3 on order and I'm very glad I didn't get it now that I had this experience with pretty much the same "bones" of a car in the S3.


----------



## -LoneStar- (Aug 5, 2015)

STI2GolfR said:


> Hey I got all of the parts ordered for the S3 (full APR intake, intercooler, downpipe). The only problem is.. like we discussed.. The S3 was just too small for me and after driving it for a few weeks this thing absolutely DESTROYED my back and I had to take a huge loss on it and get a brand new S4.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Glad you got what you wanted (or what your back needed) and got the S4. Like you mentioned its pretty much identical to the S5 Sportback I drove. I agree with everything you said about it. It literally does everything well. Its a very balanced car that should satisfy the needs and wants of a large crowd. Really wonder what aftermarket systems will be available in the near future for it. As you said it sounds mean stock so it will only sound better with some type of aftermarket unit. Enjoy the new car!


----------



## Nortdort (Mar 6, 2013)

STI2GolfR said:


> Check my updated post before this one. While the S3 felt more luxurious inside and I liked the looks better of it, I sold the S3 after only owning it less than 3 weeks and opted for an S4. My Golf R fit me much better and my hair hit the ceiling even on the lowest setting with the S Sport seats. The S Sport Seats in my opinion would have caused me to sell the Golf R if they were an option that I got unfortunately.. for my frame they were very uncomfortable for a daily driver. I had an RS3 on order and I'm very glad I didn't get it now that I had this experience with pretty much the same "bones" of a car in the S3.



Thanks for this thread! My current car is a 2015 Golf R and was looking to upgrade to the RS3. But like you I really couldn't get a comfortable seating position when I borrowed my friends S3 for a weekend. Just something about the seats/roof line that I just couldn't figure out. Also the interior, while nicer than the Golf R, wasn't "blow my socks off" nicer so I started looking at other options.

I also test drove an S4 and holy heck man, I was blown away. It definitely felt quicker in dynamic than my Golf R and the interior materials were top notch. I could get a comfortable seating position in a few mins and driving in comfort was butter smooth. I didn't initially consider the car because I had test drove a BMW 340i and it just felt incredibly dull and expected the S4 to be the same, but this S4 was a whole nother level. 

I have yet to cancel my RS3 order, but am pretty sure I am going to move onto an S4 or S5 sportback. I really do like the hatch of the sportback (have a big thing for hatches) but deals can be had on the S4 vs. much harder to get deals on the sportback.

I dunno, its weird, I think the RS3 is just lacking some character or that "special" something to push it over the edge for me. I really wanted to love it and be amped for it like I was when I got my Golf R, but its just missing something. 

So time will tell, but thanks for all the input to the thread!


----------



## brennok (Jun 5, 2007)

I actually considered a S4 while waiting for the Golf R. It was another marked down last year model, and I think if it wasn't for the exterior size I would have pulled the trigger. I just don't enjoy driving large vehicles after back to back hatchbacks. This makes everything feel large as a result also.


----------



## Kingcone (Nov 1, 2006)

Also went to A3 Quattro gas model from TDI. Also disappointed in mileage.

Send me an email if looking for new TDI [email protected]

My dealer in Cleveland has one with 14 miles for sale $10k off.


----------

