# How did you choose between the A3 and the S3?



## UGA1988 (Jul 24, 2014)

What features made each of you decide the A3 or the S3 were right for you?


----------



## roblove (Apr 18, 2014)

I bought an S3 because I was looking to buy a sports sedan with significant power and a sport suspension. For me, the decision was never between the A3 and the S3 but the S3 and other peer-class vehicles such as the S4 and the M225i.


----------



## Cozotess18 (Apr 20, 2012)

I'm leaning towards the M235ix myself, but the S3 and new TT-S (when it's available next year) are contenders. An A3 isn't in the running since I own a Golf R and love the performance.


----------



## Evo-2-Quattro (Jul 9, 2014)

My wife wanted the S3, however we ended up purchasing the 2.0T A3 Prestige. I told her we'll install some springs, tune, intake and exhaust and it'll be just like having an S3. I also tried talking her into a 2015 Golf R, but she's not a fan of hatchbacks.


----------



## Boston7 (Apr 20, 2014)

roblove said:


> I bought an S3 because I was looking to buy a sports sedan with significant power and a sport suspension. For me, the decision was never between the A3 and the S3 but the S3 and other peer-class vehicles such as the S4 and the M225i.


Same for reasoning for me, but it was S3 vs. M225i, vs Golf RS7. I wanted 4 doors and there is no 4 door BMW 2 series. It was a very tough call for me, i.e. s3 vs rs7, like both.


----------



## HereTryThis (Feb 2, 2008)

Base S3 no options outside of paint. Why because decently equiped S line 2.0's were more pricy then the S3. Canada anyways lol. And i always wanted an S3:thumbup:


----------



## Tony_S3 (Sep 9, 2014)

I never considered the A3. S3 reminds me of a grown up polished EVO


----------



## WLV (Apr 23, 2014)

I'm getting an A3 shortly; probably a TDI.

Two weeks ago I did the Audi Sport Driving course at the Sonoma Raceway in N. Calif. We drove S4s, S5s, and the TTs--all at 90 mph one car length behind the pace car, around some pretty aggressive curves, with braking that almost always engaged the ABS. It was great.

However, I unfortunately can't drive that way on city streets or freeways. If I could drive more aggressively where I live, I'd consider an S3. But since most driving in the U.S. is rather tame, the A3 works for me.


----------



## GordV (Sep 28, 2014)

I didn't want to spend a lot of time (and take the risk) of non-warranty upgrades to an A3 and I do track events a couple of times a year in my car. So the upgraded engine internals, perf, and brakes made the S3 a reasonable price/light track compromise. Needing a sedan played a major part too. The A3 wasn't a serious contender; I thought about the S4, 335xi, and a few others, but the price, perf, weight, AWD made the S3 a good choice for me. I've been pretty happy with it other than a few Audi idiocies (no Homelink? no power seat memory settings? no pdf manuals? really?!? http://www.vwvortex.com/Anthony/Smilies/banghead.gif) 

5 years from now I see a Cayman S or similar in my future... We'll see...


----------



## Wiley337 (May 1, 2002)

UGA1988 said:


> What features made each of you decide the A3 or the S3 were right for you?


If you get all the options on an A3 the main things that are distinctly S3 are:



More stock power.
Magride option w/ 19 inch wheels.
Some cosmetics.

I really wanted 1. Less so on 2, but it is quite a nice option. And 3 is somewhat a bonus (I like the clean simple S3 badge, and logos on the car).

If you are not maxing out options, there are some tradeoffs. For example do you want more power, or Adv Tech Package? Or S3 Premium vs. A3 Prestige.


----------



## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

I am not sure if you are asking why we chose the A3 or the S3 over other cars or why we chose A3 or S3 over the other.

For case 1: Why A3/S3 over others

1) I want a German car
2) I want AWD
3) I want it to be compact (<180 inches long)

So, it came down to either A3/S3 vs. 2 series coupe...but I prefer sedan over coupe, so I chose the A3.


For case 2: Why A3 S-line over S3

All personal preferences...here we go...

1) I don't need the extra power (for my use, the A3 2.0T is already overkill)...it is just a daily driver, I don't do tracks....
2) For cosmetic purposes, I got the S-line and the Canadian version gets very nice matte titanium wheels for the S-line
3) I prefer black optics > Chrome hex + black grille > full platinum grey grille....since black optics aint an option, the S-line grille actually looks better than the S3 grille to me....
4) Canadian S-line gets perforated FBSW whereas the S3 gets non-perforated FBSW (which I found weird...coz I found the perforation better)
5) I prefer a sporty but yet a bit more subtle car...so the A3 S-line suits me more as the quad pipe is really a bit too agressive for my taste.....but I like the S3 spoiler and the simpler S3 badging though....
6) It is all about optimizing money use.........I'd rather save the ~4k for my next car.....


----------



## lovei27 (Jul 13, 2014)

VWNCC said:


> I am not sure if you are asking why we chose the A3 or the S3 over other cars or why we chose A3 or S3 over the other.
> 
> For case 1: Why A3/S3 over others
> 
> ...



exactly why i went with fully optioned a3 but the price difference in a3 and s3 here is about 13 k lol australiaaaaaaaaaa thats why i went a3 s line as they look pretty similar


----------



## Bruticus (Aug 30, 2014)

My answer is fairly similar to the two above this post. In addition, I had gotten to drive an S3 prior to release and found the ride way too firm for my uses (even w/ the comfort setting). I drive for more than 100 miles at a time 2-3 times a week. I was willing to sacrifice some performance for a softer, more luxury car type of ride. That also another reason why I compromised with 18" wheels instead of 19s.


----------



## Xanlith (Apr 19, 2014)

Bruticus said:


> My answer is fairly similar to the two above this post. In addition, I had gotten to drive an S3 prior to release and found the ride way too firm for my uses (even w/ the comfort setting). I drive for more than 100 miles at a time 2-3 times a week. I was willing to sacrifice some performance for a softer, more luxury car type of ride. That also another reason why I compromised with 18" wheels instead of 19s.


Lol and I'm the opposite. I'm going S3 instead of A3 because the suspension in the A3 was too sloppy for my tastes.


----------



## UGA1988 (Jul 24, 2014)

Great answers, guys! 
I am trying to find out why you purchased an A3 vs an S3 only. No other cars are on my radar. 
Valid points on both sides for sure.


----------



## misaka (Feb 8, 2013)

For me it came down to 3 years of GTI leasing. It was very fun... but the roads here are horrible beyond belief. I had 6 tire replacements during those 3 years from blown tires and sidewall bubbles. Not to mention the ride wasn't as fun over those bumps. I had also tuned the GTI, which was also fun, but in the end, I realized that I personally never took advantage of it.

Obviously you won't get an S3 without sports suspension. I wanted something softer and more comfortable for my daily commute. I also wanted 1. Valet service to get the car serviced. Since I've gotten significantly busier, it's much harder for me to get out to get service done. I am also concerned about the crazy drivers around so I wanted top in class safety, along with collision avoidance features. So I ended up with the A3. (simply because the softer higher suspension, as roads and potholes are a nightmare) Cost would have been very similar for me.


----------



## gtitx1 (Oct 6, 2014)

I never considered an A3, it was S3 vs Mk7 R for me, decided the MMI, better warranty, service, etc, were worth the extra $$$


----------



## araemo (Dec 9, 2012)

gtitx1 said:


> I never considered an A3, it was S3 vs Mk7 R for me, decided the MMI, better warranty, service, etc, were worth the extra $$$


Better warranty? I can't easily look from my phone, but I thought vw had the longer power train warranty?


----------



## gtitx1 (Oct 6, 2014)

3/36 vs 4/48 in the us.


----------



## DennisMitchell (Oct 26, 2014)

That is the bumper to bumper warranty comparison. VW does have 5 year / 60,000 mi drivetrain warranty.


----------



## A3_yuppie (Jun 5, 2006)

With a 140 mile (round trip) commute 2 or 3 times a week, I just could not justify the additional cost of an S3 over an A3 as my daily driver. [For reference I ordered an A3 2.0T with Premium+, Sport Package (with suspension), and Convenience Package.] And at the time I ordered my A3 (early May) the S3 was not available for ordering yet.

On my commute between Orange County and San Diego the A3 is more than fast enough to get through even fairly dense traffic. While I occasionally see faster drivers I am not sure an S3 would let me keep up / overtake them anyway. If I had a shorter commute I might have spent the gas savings on an S3.

The only other car under consideration was the new GTI, but you cannot order one with Performance Pack yet. Would love the bigger brakes on that car though.


----------



## gamegenie (Aug 24, 2014)

Lets see. For me.

A3 is nearly $10K less than the S3
A3 is geared towards luxury/comfort where as the S3 is just sport
A3 doesn't sit low to the ground like the 25mm lower suspension S3 so there's less risk of under body damage like I've read a few S3 owners have already.
A3 gets better fuel economy than the S3
A3 temperature gauge > S3 booster gauge


----------



## gtitx1 (Oct 6, 2014)

I'm glad you like the A3 more, but if you have ever driven am s3 with magride in comfort, the suspension is pretty darn comfortable. The S3 isn't just about sport. Is a comfortable daily driver that also happens to be very quick when you want, and very smooth and civilized when you don't.


----------



## Bruticus (Aug 30, 2014)

gtitx1 said:


> I'm glad you like the A3 more, but if you have ever driven am s3 with magride in comfort, the suspension is pretty darn comfortable. The S3 isn't just about sport. Is a comfortable daily driver that also happens to be very quick when you want, and very smooth and civilized when you don't.


I drove an S3 with magride in comfort mode for 3 days and several hours each day and found: a) comfort mode is not really significantly better and b) it's still less comfortable than the A3. That doesn't mean I think the S3 sucks, it's just not the right car for me. In a few years I won't be driving as much and I'll be more tolerant to a stiff suspension. I could even see a Cayman or 911 fitting that role nicely.


----------



## DennisMitchell (Oct 26, 2014)

*My reasons*

I went with the S3 for the following reasons:

Had an 2011 A4. Interior too similar to Q5. Needed something difference. Loved the Audi A3/S3 exterior and interior design.

A3 was interesting but to get paddle shifters, you needed to get sport package. Worried that sport suspension would be too harsh ride all the time. Don't like black optics or blacked out grill. 

S3 comes standard with paddle shifters and flat bottom wheel. Cool. Front grille on S3 beautiful. I love the grey metallic and chrome accents. Quad exhaust and exhaust sounds a plus. Magnetic ride option sealed the deal so I could drive in comfort, or go into semi-street racer mode. A fully loaded A3 vs S3 wasn't that huge price difference. 

Those are my reasons. As long as we all chose Audi's, we are made the right choices.


----------



## rabbitgtibbar (Apr 29, 2002)

WLV said:


> I'm getting an A3 shortly; probably a TDI.
> 
> Two weeks ago I did the Audi Sport Driving course at the Sonoma Raceway in N. Calif. We drove S4s, S5s, and the TTs--all at 90 mph one car length behind the pace car, around some pretty aggressive curves, *with braking that almost always engaged the ABS*. It was great.
> 
> However, I unfortunately can't drive that way on city streets or freeways. If I could drive more aggressively where I live, I'd consider an S3. But since most driving in the U.S. is rather tame, the A3 works for me.



You were braking too hard.


----------



## DennisMitchell (Oct 26, 2014)

Bruticus said:


> I drove an S3 with magride in comfort mode for 3 days and several hours each day and found: a) comfort mode is not really significantly better and b) it's still less comfortable than the A3. That doesn't mean I think the S3 sucks, it's just not the right car for me. In a few years I won't be driving as much and I'll be more tolerant to a stiff suspension. I could even see a Cayman or 911 fitting that role nicely.


Did the A3 have sport suspension?


----------



## Bruticus (Aug 30, 2014)

DennisMitchell said:


> Did the A3 have sport suspension?


No, but I would expect the A3's ride comfort with the sport suspension would be much more similar to the S3. The European forums seem to suggest the difference between the two options on the A3 are pronounced. It may even be worse than the S3 with magride but that's just a guess.


----------



## IHIERBal (Sep 26, 2014)

I went with the S3 for because I wanted to get into more of a luxury vehicle. At the same time coming from a Mazdaspeed3 that was tuned to almost 300 whp I didn't want a big loss in HP to get that luxury. My main choices were between the S4 and S3. I leaned towards the S4 so I could order the manual version, but decided with the S3 because I didn't need the extra room of the S4 and the better gas mileage of the S3 was a plus. Also the fact that the S4 body should be updated in the coming years so the new body S4 will probably be my next car.


----------



## WLV (Apr 23, 2014)

rabbitgtibbar said:


> You were braking too hard.


No I wasn't braking too hard. That's how we were told to brake. We all questioned the instructor at first, but he assured us that's what he wanted. We were on a track, not on the road.


----------



## Bruticus (Aug 30, 2014)

WLV said:


> No I wasn't braking too hard. That's how we were told to brake. We all questioned the instructor at first, but he assured us that's what he wanted. We were on a track, not on the road.


Yeah, that sounds right. ABS is a great advantage on the track, that's why Formula 1 banned it.


----------



## DennisMitchell (Oct 26, 2014)

Bruticus said:


> No, but I would expect the A3's ride comfort with the sport suspension would be much more similar to the S3. The European forums seem to suggest the difference between the two options on the A3 are pronounced. It may even be worse than the S3 with magride but that's just a guess.


This is why I didn't go with A3 with sports suspension. The S3 with MagRide allows one to go from A3 comfort (non sport) to A3 sports suspension (no effect of suspension height), with the option of auto mode providing something in the middle. When you hit a bump, the MagRide kicks in and goes dynamically from comfort to sport and isolates the motion. 

I say all of this while waiting for delivery to confirm that I made the correct choice.


----------



## rabbitgtibbar (Apr 29, 2002)

The best braking (read: shortest stopping distances) will be achieved right at the limit of the tires' adhesion. Arbitrarily, let's say that is a 10. Now, most folks will have a really hard time even getting to a 6 or 7 in a straight line (let's not even factor in braking while also asking the tires to deal with turning forces, Google "friction circle"), as our brains have a hard time comprehending the stopping forces beyond that. You think you're really stomping on the pedal, but don't realize you've got quite a bit more left. Some really good street drivers might get to an 8. Professional racers can get to a 9 or even like 9.5. The top pro drivers can probably get close to 9.9 every once in a while. ABS in a street car allows the driver to get a repeatable 8 every single time. Wet, dry, turning, trunk full of mulch...mash the pedal to the floor and you'll get a whole lot of braking force, and the ability to still steer the car (if the front wheels are locked up, you have all the tires' available adhesion going to braking, leaving none for turning). The best possible braking in a car with ABS is achieved at the point right before ABS would kick in, but most folks can't balance at that point so, "Mash the pedal and let ABS kick in," is not only safer, but likely produced better braking than your skill level could have achieved otherwise.

ABS on an F1 car would be so finely tuned for every track, day, tire compound, weather, humidity, etc that all the driver would have to do is stomp on the pedal and he/she would get a 10 every single time. It's banned for the same reason traction and launch control are, namely that it would make an already boring sport even more boring.

Oh, I'm sorry, you *like* the 200mph parade that is the current iteration of F1?


----------



## cgpublic (Aug 8, 2014)

*Best Option At Price Point*

I stepped out of leased BMW 335xi that I was hoping to purchase, needed a car, and wanted to spend less than I was paying for the E90 (56K, Premium, Sport, Navigation), roughly $580 per month on a 36 month/36K lease.

The A3 was the best option in my price range, roughly 32K, $350 per month, no money down, 30K miles. My other option was a Mazda 3 GT, which although cheaper and better optioned in certain areas, was more expensive to insure, and ultimately was just too much of an overall adjustment in comparison to the E90. The other issue with Mazda is that you have to deal with a Mazda dealer, who are nightmares personified.

Wrapping things up at 4000 miles, very pleased with the car, excellent exterior design/proportions + suspension/build quality, no issues to date, love the interior ergonomics, cockpit gauges/MID/MMI, stock radio/speakers, shifter, pana sunroof and Xenon/LEDs. To be honest, I really don't miss the power of the BMW, although I do miss the hydraulic steering.

I did test drive the S3, and as expected the limits of the car are set higher, and you can drive the car harder. I'm getting a bit too old to drive like a maniac, and the BMW is better for that type of thing anyway, as other drivers will despise you with greater conviction. On that note, the S3 is not really in the same class as the E90, and quite frankly, it's not an option for me at that price price, i.e., anything about $500 per month. Someone posted they were quoted $800 per month, and other are posting $700+ per month. That's crazy money.

I'd love to get back into a LCI 328xi F30 with the new engines/added power (around 270/80 HP) along with a SW fix/adjustment for the steering, at about $425 per month.


----------



## rabbitgtibbar (Apr 29, 2002)

cgpublic said:


> I stepped out of leased BMW 335xi that I was hoping to purchase, needed a car, and wanted to spend less than I was paying for the E90 (56K, Premium, Sport, Navigation), roughly $580 per month on a 36 month/36K lease.
> 
> The A3 was the best option in my price range, *roughly 32K, $350 per month, no money down, 30K miles.* My other option was a Mazda 3 GT, which although cheaper and better optioned in certain areas, was more expensive to insure, and ultimately was just too much of an overall adjustment in comparison to the E90. The other issue with Mazda is that you have to deal with a Mazda dealer, who are nightmares personified.
> 
> ...



I have to imagine you are comparing you leasing to them buying. Because if you're getting a $0 down, 0% 7+ year loan, I'd like that bank's number.


----------



## Bruticus (Aug 30, 2014)

rabbitgtibbar said:


> Oh, I'm sorry, you *like* the 200mph parade that is the current iteration of F1?


----------



## GLI_M3 (Jun 10, 2003)

A3 is my wife's car..........this is her 4th A3. It has the right combination of handling, performance, mileage, trunk space et al as her DD. We both use my Cayman for more sporty driving and weekend 'fun' excursions (on our 3rd Cayman---previously an 08 Cayman S, 2012 Cayman R). She has had, in the past by the way, a B5 S4, E46M3, 04 Mini S............I add this in the event someone reads too much into it being my wife's car .


----------



## rabbitgtibbar (Apr 29, 2002)

Bruticus said:


>



The engineer/apsie in me *loves* modern F1 racing. He also likes robots and fast food.

The person who longs for the F1 racing of the 70's and 80's would rather watch two drivers square off - one in a *tiny* 1000hp turbo 4, the other in a big V12 - pitting skill against skill in me can barely stay awake. He also likes seeing how long he can take to give her just *one* orgasm and making pasta from scratch.

/I'd love for the SCCA to revive the CanAm series.
//Or the FIA to revive Group B.


----------



## Tony_S3 (Sep 9, 2014)

rabbitgtibbar said:


> Oh, I'm sorry, you *like* the 200mph parade that is the current iteration of F1?


I love F1. Why the need to belittle someone who likes f1?


----------



## rabbitgtibbar (Apr 29, 2002)

Oh look, a comedian.


----------



## Tony_S3 (Sep 9, 2014)

rabbitgtibbar said:


> The engineer/apsie in me *loves* modern F1 racing. He also likes robots and fast food.
> 
> The person who longs for the F1 racing of the 70's and 80's would rather watch two drivers square off - one in a *tiny* 1000hp turbo 4, the other in a big V12 - pitting skill against skill in me can barely stay awake. He also likes seeing how long he can take to give her just *one* orgasm and making pasta from scratch.
> 
> ...


You realize that current f1 cars would mop the floor with those dinosaur cars that you've mentioned? You think you can hop in a current F1 and be competitive? I think that soccer and baseball is boring. But I don't knock the folks who do like it. I respect their space. Guess I'm different. There were boring races in the 70's and 80's as well. Just like there's been exiting races this year. It's just that folks tend to stick with what they enjoyed during their youth, they think everything was better then (the generation before your did the same thing). You end up getting stuck in time. It happens with music. I have friends that only listen to music from their high school and college days. They are stuck time.


----------



## rabbitgtibbar (Apr 29, 2002)

It's long established that your *only* metric for "better" is "faster".

I do truly pity your lovers.

/most track records were set in 2004, btw


----------



## m_bolc (Oct 19, 2008)

Taxes made the decision easy for me. I paid $29.9k for my 1.2TFSI, and the S3 is about $70k. I can only afford the 1.2T haha.


----------



## Tony_S3 (Sep 9, 2014)

rabbitgtibbar said:


> It's long established that your *only* metric for "better" is "faster".


Who said that was my only metric? 



rabbitgtibbar said:


> I do truly pity your lovers.


And I pity you for being stuck in time.



rabbitgtibbar said:


> most track records were set in 2004, btw


2004 isn't the 70s, 80's and 90's.. You know? the era in which you brag about and are stuck in. The 2004 cars are closer to today's cars. So you're kind of invalidating your own point.


----------



## barho (Jun 16, 2014)

Got a good deal on CPO A3 and the S3 was just a bit too much price wise. That, and I figured once the 6yr/100K warranty is up (or perhaps sooner) I can tune it to 300HP. It will be like buying a new car


----------

