# S3 vs S4 vs S5



## jpccarguy (Mar 27, 2014)

Hello to All,

I need some advice & input. My wife picked up her new A6 this spring, and she is _in love_ with this car. i have been very impressed with the ride and the build quality, though it's a bit too big for me. I have a Cayman R for the track, but I'm now thinking about an S-car as a daily driver.

I've driven a GTI with dual-clutch (my wife's old car), and I know the S3 is the same engine with larger turbo. I would love to drive an S3 side by side with an S4 and an S5, but it's apparently going to be a long wait for the S3. I really like the supercharged 3 liter she has in the A6, and I don't like the turbo lag in the GTI. But the weight of both the S4 and the S5 really irritate me- they're both almost 2 ton cars, for Pete's sake. Since we have her A6, I don't need the room, and I think the S5 is gorgeous. I'm also a bit leery about getting an S3, as it's the first generation.

Any advice about what to do?

Cheers,

John


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## jsausley (Dec 2, 2011)

S3 is brand new, but it is NOT the same engine as the GTI that you already drove. Actually, no part of it is the same aside from the base block architecture.

The new S3 is a brand new engine based off of the engine in the new Golf R. To put it quite simply, it's a beast of an engine and will be easily capable of getting close if not reaching to that wonderful 400 AWHP mark with some mild modifications. 

On the other side of the coin, both the S4 and S5 with the supercharged V6 are nearing the end of their model cycle. If you're determined to buy this year, then you could still get one without feeling too worried about it, but the new B9 will most likely be coming in 2016. It's still all rumor at this point but the prevailing theory is that the 2016 B9 S4/S5 will come equipped with a twin turbo 3.0TFSI. This means you'll be getting A LOT more room for cheap modifications and most importantly, more torque. The supercharged V6 was a peach when it came out but it always had a very limited performance ceiling when compared to a turbocharged variant. Also, rumors say that the B9 will be significantly lighter (jury is out on what "significant" means). I've heard 150-200 lbs. due to more aluminum, reinforced steel and some carbon fiber.

So really it's a decision of whether you want to get the S3 now (well, in 6 months) or an S4/S5 now that will be old tech in about 2 years. 

If it were my money, I'd keep the Cayman S until it's time for the B9. But I couldn't fault you for going to the S3. Just remember that it's MQB and is therefore not real Quattro (Haldex-based system instead), and being that you have a Cayman S, I assume you do track days so you'd probably be able to feel the limitations of the chassis pretty easily. 

Note: Haldex limitations can be somewhat overcome, but it requires a Competition controller (which will probably be quite some time before released for the new MQB cars) and some suspension/tire fine tuning.

Source: Also in the market for an Audi, so I've done a lot of research. I wanted either an S5 or RS5 but am considering waiting for official numbers from the B9 S5. This would be a replacement for my '12 Golf R.

*EDIT* Sorry, Cayman R. Nice. What is your daily?


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