gmuelheims14

First time poster here hoping to get a few questions answered about the S3.

I just got back from the Audi dealership and took the S3 with magnetic ride control out for a test drive. I've been looking for a fun sporty sedan and after lurking through various forums, decided that the S3 would be a great place to start. Needless to say, I absolutely loved the car! The thing is an absolute monster to drive through corners and off the line! I also liked the subtle but refined styling on the outside with the simple and functional interior and media cluster.

Anyhow... I was hoping to have a few questions answered from those of you who are a bit more seasoned than I am with Audi's, as this will be my first.

1. Are the S Sport seats powered and does the Nappa leather feel a whole lot different than the standard I/S seats?
2. What options do you wish you had gotten or wish you hadn't gotten?
3. What do you love most about the S3?
4. What do you wish was different about the S3?

Thanks again for your responses, looking forward to hearing from you all!

Cheers!

salvadorik

Hello there and welcome to the forum! I sure can't call myself a seasoned Audi driver but I can certainly share my experience and an opinion developed based on that very experience.

1. I really don't know about if S Sport seats coming to US market will have powered or manual adjustment. I heard mixed responses on that. Perhaps others have better knowledge here. As far as the quality of S Sport seats leather vs standard sport seats S Sport seats are a lot better in terms feel and support that they provide especially side bolstering. S Sport seats package also add additional leather on center console and on the door trim. I would get this option.
2. I actually got a fully loaded S3 only without S Sport seats and this is the option that I wish I had gotten but there was none at the time I bought my car. I am having a hard time saying what options I wish I had not gotten however. All of them are good. Advanced tech package is kinda the option that is least important for me but that said ACC is awesome. On the stop and go traffic it makes my commute a lot more comfortable. Lane keep assist is honestly a useless feature. I don't use this feature at all.
3. I love this small 2.0 engine and a fast shift DSG tranny (only when it works properly). Also I love the styling both exterior and interior. MMI nav plus is awesome and it is a major improvement over the enform system that I had on Lexus.
4. This is a good question. This car has flaws. Despite what PR said about S3 8V it has some good flaws. Number 1 - S3 has this annoying lag when you initially accelerate from a complete stop or when you drive slow and want to accelerate fast. I suspect it is the way DSG is programmed and honestly after a NA engine coupled with a regular auto tranny, I am talking my previous Lexus, this lag is really annoying. Number 2 - S3 has a somewhat bouncy suspension setup. For my taste it definitely needs to be upgraded. The car has a more body roll than what I initially expected from an S Audi. And finally the steering might not be to your liking if you came from a well weighted steering car. S3's steering is devoid of any feel whatsoever and sometimes it acts odd. Make sure to test drive on the freeway and get a good feel of the steering.

This all that I can say at this moment. I am sure you will hear other comments. Good luck with your choice.

mikele

It will be five weeks this coming Friday since I took delivery on my US spec S3 Prestige and I am still in love with the car. I wanted a very well equipped, sporty, fast, great handling daily driver and I feel Audi delivered it to me. I added the performance pkg (magnetic ride control, 19-inch wheels with summer tires). The only options I did not select were the Advanced Technology pkg and the rear air bags. I skipped the Adv. Tech pkg because I felt it would be like having a nanny in the car on a 24/7 basis. I've given the car some good exercise and it has done very well in its workouts!

1. The seats are 12 or 14 way powered. With the bolstering and adjustable supports. I've found them excellent and very kind to my occasionally bad back. I think they would need to go up a notch if I were going to drive the car in competition. The US spec S3 does not have an option beyond what I am referring to. The leather is very nice and good quality.

2. See above. I wouldn't change my option choices if I were reordering.

3. It's a great ride and I think it delivers excellent value. The CLA 250 is mediocre at best and the AMG version is horribly overpriced and under equipped. Equipped comparably to my S3, it would cost about $10,000 more. I did seriously consider a M235i and liked it a lot, but I needed four doors, it would have cost another $3500-4500 (with xdrive and comparable equipment) and no dealers within 75 miles of my indicated any willingness to move from MSRP.

The B&O sound and the MMI Plus system are excellent and quite easy to learn.

4. Negatives: Lack of storage compartments, a phone dialer that does not have the ability to recognize programmed in PINs and extensions in your contacts, no memory function for the seats and ... I find it unreal Audi supplies a 30-pin connector for Apple mobile devices and expects you to spend either $60 for a lightning connector cable or $30 for an adapter. 30 pin devices haven't been manufactured in three years and you buy a car of this expense and they cheap you on this? It bugged me enough to contact Audi of America who was very good about it and provided the lightning cable at no cost to me. Some reviews say the cabin is rather stark and not plush enough. I disagree completely. It's a nice clean and uncluttered look. Only once did I have an issue with a delay in the tranny kicking down when I nailed the accelerator. My understanding is this is a combination of programming and the engineering. There are some driving techniques which can avoid that issue. You should't have to, but it can be done. I have read it results from the structural design of the DSG. R, 2, 4 and 6 are run by one clutch and 1, 3 and 5 by the other and that is what creates the issue and the gap if you nail it from a standing start and aren't using launch control. Not that it's bothered me. but then again, I'm probably an old fart compared to most of you guys!

So, all-in-all, not huge complaints, just annoyances. Sometimes when I read complaints about the car I feel like I want to remind people they did not buy an S8 or a Porsche. Overall, Audi did an excellent job of delivering performance and value and I am determined to move up to an S5 or Porsche Cayman when my warranty is up.

My dealer has been great and resolved all my issues immediately and at no cost.

Hope I 've helped!

ahyeah

4. Car could be a tad larger for baby seats. A manual option would keep me in the car long term. If you have a current iPhone model, Siri doesn't work with the MMI. Seats don't go as low as I'd want.

Despite these complaints, it's a lot of car for the money and is super easy to drive.

drober30

Responses in Blue. Couldn't post unless I typed something down here.

gmuelheims14

Thanks everyone for your responses. I'm planning on putting in an order for a 2015 Monsoon Grey Prestige Edition S3 this Friday. Planning on adding the quilted S Sport seats. A number of dealerships that I have talked to within the state have said that the S Sport seats do in fact come powered. The waiting is going to suck, but I'm so excited to get this car in!

Sthree21

Good Choice you are going to love it!!

Zigaroo

Don't expect memory seats, as the "3" series don't have it, you would need to go to A4/S4 to get it. That was the breaking point which made us go to A4 with sport package.

Kevin70

I have and have had memory seats in other vehicles and in no way see that as a deal breaker when purchasing a S3. Way overrated. It takes like 5 seconds to adjust when needed.


Unless she's 5'1" and your 7'2" memory sets are a minor consideration.

Squalo

The quilted seats have power lumbar adjustment. That's it. All other adjustments are manual. The dealers you are talking to are uninformed.