Overdraft

...what everyone cross shopped against their S3 and what ultimately drove the decision to buy/ lease this one over another?

CHCCubs

BMW M240i
Mercedes CLA 45 AMG
Audi TTS
Chevy Camaro SS (V8)
Ford Mustang GT (V8)

After owning BMW's for several years I fully expected I would end up in a 2 series before I started test driving the cars above. The S3 and TT surprised me as I didn't think I would enjoy them as much as I did (going into it I thought the whole FWD based AWD wouldn't be any good). Ended up loving the acceleration and handling of the Audis and in the end didn't think the price premium of the TTS over the S3 was justified so I went with S3 and love the car (had it about a month and a half now).

Civuck

The two finalists for me were actually the S3 and the A4.

A top spec A4 is roughly the same price as a top spec S3.

With that in mind, ultimately I felt the performance advantage of the S3 far out-weighed the A4's advantages for me.

​​​

Flying Scotsman

CLA 45 AMG.......no back seat room, terrible suspension

Lexus IS350 AWD....not engaging to drive, front grill is not my cup of tea

Jag XE V6.....great suspension, too big, weird interior display

VWR......IMO a better handling car to drive than the S3 but not as well finished as the S3 and I prefer sedan styling over a hatchback

-hef-

i actually didnt cross shop brands at all. i had 2014 SQ5 and got rid of it to get a Wrangler Hard Rock so i could goof around off-road with some friends. i missed the fit and finish of my Audi and didnt want 2 car payments, so i started researching which car i wanted to replace my Jeep with. i wanted German. i dont like BMW/Merc/VW as much as Audi and i dont want to spend the coin on a Porsche. the perfect vehicle for me would have been an SQ3, but since it doesnt exist and the RSQ3 isnt available in the States, i looked at the Audi sedans (i thought the Q3 was under-powered). i am single so anything bigger than an A4/S4 would be impractical. i drove the following new models: A3, A4, and S3 (what happened to the S4???). the A3 and A4 didnt have the get up and go i was looking for, so it was an easy choice for me. i sat and waited for a black S3 with nothing more than the tech package and B&O. it took patience to wait for one to hit the lots with only those items on it. i didnt put an order in bc no one would talk price on an order. the dealers i spoke to wanted MSRP or very near MSRP. waiting for one to hit the lot gave me a little more wiggle room to negotiate price.

markN1689

i looked at the cla45 and 235m and alpha 4c.

it wasn't really a hard decision though. i used to have a b5 s4 and it was the best experience i've ever had with a car. the s3 reminded me a lot of the b5. its basically the same car just updated with modern technology

TJSpS3

I looked at and drove the BMW M235i, the Mazda 6/CX-5,9, and the Subaru WRX. I live in the Northeast, and really prefer to have AWD.

I have purchased mostly all BMWs the last 15 years or so since purchasing the first year of the A4 quattro (1996). I really liked that A4, but it fell apart with all sorts of problems, and I vowed not to buy another audi because of it (that and getting absolutely destroyed on resale value). Well, I saw a 2017 S3 last November, and I thought it was pretty cool, so I went to the dealer and drove one. Wow, I was surprised how it felt, the magnetic ride, the tech in the car, etc. I liked it a lot. I also drove an older S4 (2014) and while there was definitely more power, I did not like the ride feel and handling so much as the S3.

I think after driving the M235xi, I probably would have ended up with it, if not for the lack of 4 doors and usable space in the car to haul around other people. I also liked the 340xi, but my other garage queen car is an 2016 F80 M3, and they are quite similar. I think the subaru and mazda cars were not ever really in the equation after driving/looking at them because they either felt generic, blah, unexciting, or just cheap (subaru).

I had to order my S3, and I'm currently waiting for it to be built and shipped. I should have it by the end of Feb, beginning of March, and I am really looking forward to it.

Vancity88

I was only looking at Golf R. BMW 2-series was also my option but the interior was very similar to my old 2001 BMW 330ci, so I just didn't bother test driving the car.

As for the Golf R, it is bery similar to S3. BecuaseI was coming for a Golf MK6 (for 5.5 years), Golf R was repetitive for me. The only reason that I was thinking about this pirchase for a week or so was Golf R's Manual transmissionand nothing else.

Now I'm happy with the S3, although I miss manual shifting a lot ...