steig

Go for the S3

Timgo2003

I am lucky, I did not have to make this choice. There is no S3 cab. here. But I do love the A3. For everyday driving it has great performance and a very smooth ride.

ober

A 2006 jetta that I've had for almost 7 years. So either of these cars is going to be a massive upgrade. The struggle I have is I absolutely don't need the s3. I take a train into work most days so I don't even really use it going to work. I just really love the look of the s3.

soonerfan

Buy the S3. You deserve it! Life is short! If you buy the A3, you'll always WISH you had bought the S3 if you don't.

nate

Figure out if you can deal with 25mpg on 91 octane gas. It's definitely a lower car, too. Sits down, especially with the mirrors folded in it, it's nice and compact. Other than the mileage, the S3 is a no-brainer and ridiculously fun... just, super fun to drive and is extremely well appointed. There's power to spare, every time I want to do something in traffic or on the highway, I can do it -- pass quickly, cruise with radar maintaining distance, pretty much anything is effortless. I had four people in the car on friday night, and there was literally nobody on the toll road... so, I had it going very fast, very easily. It was incredibly solid and stable going nearly 140mph (!) but I backed off pretty quickly. Such a rush!

I can highly recommend the LED headlight upgrade, too. When you're going around a corner, or turn your blinker on to turn when going slow, it'll turn on side lights that light up the whole corner. It's little things like that. When you put it in reverse, it lowers the volume on the stereo until you're moving forward again. It's a great vehicle.

arU4ic

That is the truth for sure.

ober

Thank you all for the responses. I don't need too much more convincing to go for the S3. However there are a few other considerations I need to think about.

I live in Canada as of right one there is only one s3 available in my province. So limited options. I suppose i could have one ordered but not sure whats involved there. Other factor is the price, its listed now for around 53k. What makes this worse is sales tax here is enormous (13%) so right out of the gate that car is 60k. There are more options when looking to go back a year (2015) to the 2.0 a3 all in the 35k ish range with basically no mileage. Other thing I may consider is a lease on the s3 then see what the landscape is like 3 years from now. Going in this weekend to the dealership so just trying to feel out all the options.

mroberte

Here is my 2 cents.

I have an A3 2.0T and am actually happy with it. I originally wanted the diesel because this car sole purpose was to be a daily driver and gas mileage was a HUGE deal to me. But I then got into the Quattro and MAN what a huge difference from the 1.8 and Diesel. I never considered the S3 mainly because of price since I really wanted the A5.

But now I feel like I made the "smarter" choice. The A3 is better on gas mileage, more comfortable on your daily drive and your insurance will be cheaper too.

As for the performance, there are many options out there to get you near S3 territory. I just bought the Burgermotors JB1 and that gets you nearly or as fast as the S3 without ruining your gas mileage.

Now which version of A3 you should get is the better question... the Sline will make you look like an S3, but comfort wise, I think premium plus or prestige is the best bet. Definitely get the Sport package as the seats alone make a world of difference from the flat, slippery base seats. The thing I really wish I had is the active lane departure and auto distance control especially on a commute which is Prestige level (whatever the equivalent is in Canada). You will also find a better deal overall with the A3 since they are plentiful compared to the S3. Make sure they include AudiCare in whichever car you decide on and look for Certified Pre Owned (the demo models) which will get you far more warranty and get rid of the initial "off the lot" depreciation.

I just can't get myself to pay 50K+ for a "base" entry car. I've so far spent a total of $34K to have a "better" S3 fighter as far as handling and engine performance... But then again I'm just incredibly cheap :-P