dval44

Apologies if this is asked somewhere else or belongs somewhere else. I am new to Audi (from BMW) and new to AW, and I really appreciate any and all ideas for my upcoming purchase!

Due to ice/snow, I am moving to Audi, and have a budget of approximately $60k-85k. The way I see it, I can order a brand new RS3 with precisely the build/specs I would like, or else I could go for a used RS7 or RS5 with low mileage. I'm having a bit of trouble deciding since I just went to the Audi dealership to test drive them and they have none available (!).

A bit about me:

- Kids out of the house, 90% of driving is with me alone so don't need cargo space
- Have other SUVs etc. so the car doesn't need to do everything
- I really want a quiet interior when cruising at 70mph on the highway (I am worried about this with the RSs as I can't seem to find one to test drive)
- I am not a flashy person, so the RS3 is just fine in terms of understatement and I don't need bragging rights
- I am not going to ever take the car to the limit or take it to the track, though I like to open it up on open roads (this makes me think the RS7 is "too much car")

I am leaning towards buying a brand new RS3 with all the bells and whistles. Does anyone think this is a bad idea, and it would be smarter to buy a 2-year-old RS5 or RS7? I do not need the extra space (and the interior space seems just about the same, to be honest.

Also, should I consider buying a used RS3? Is there any wisdom in buying a lightly used CPO RS3 from a value perspective?

Thanks so much. Sorry for any of the noob questions above. Looking forward to getting behind an Audi so I can drive, not slide, down my driveway.

Dan

T-Fury

I purchased my new RS3 in the fall of 2018. Having come from a BMW 335 and previously an Audi S5 I was actually excited to get into a somewhat smaller car with more power. The trend seems to be things getting bigger and bigger each year and I think what makes the RS3 so much fun is the fact that it feels like a 400hp go cart. It’s a wonderful sleeper when you want it to be with only the discerning eye knowing its understated power. Out of sport mode it’s actually very quiet. When in sport mode that inline 5 sings a beautiful note that harkens back to the old rally B Quattro—a piece of Audi heritage I really enjoy. As people have said that sounds is intoxicating and perhaps one of my favorite aspects of the car.

I live in Minnesota and this winter has been bruising. I have my RS3 with winter sport tires and it performs just as well in the snow as the BMW x-drive and the S5. It’s somewhat lighter so you will move on top of the snow a little bit more in turns, but what’s not fun about a little snow drifting! My wife’s car is also an SUV so that’s the backup when we have serious snow storms.

Overall, it’s a reasonably practical car. We have a large breed dog and she’s right at home in the back. There’s room for people in the back and it’s quite sufficient for short trips although I don’t know that I would love being back there on a 3-hour drive as a 6-foot dude. My wife and I do drive it up to the northern parts of the state where family lives which is about 3-4 hours on the highway. I tend to put it in comfort mode and that’s exactly what you get—smooth quite driving. I did not opt for the RS fixed suspension for this very reason.

I too thought seriously about a used RS7, which was available at the time, but the combination of the newer features, the inline 5 and the smaller chassis sold me. It’s not a forever car, but at this point in my life it’s perfect and an absolute blast. Good luck with your decision!

dval44

T-Fury,

Thank you so much for your perspective! Sounds like you are very happy with your RS3 - that's fantastic.

Have you by any chance been inside of or driven an RS5 or an S5? After digging into the features more, it appears the 5 has more options in terms of power seats, heads up display, etc. Perhaps it's fair to say the 5 can have more 'creature comforts' and may feel a bit more executive in the cabin?

I'm starting to think with my commuting and driving style, I would enjoy the plush interior of an S5 or RS5 every day I'm in the car, but would only enjoy the performance edge of the RS3 very occasionally when I open it up occasionally.

Does the interior of your RS3 feel 'up to standard' so to speak in terms of features, quality, and comfort? (subjective question, I know).

Thanks so much.

Dan

T-Fury

I was inside of a 2018 RS5 and 2018 S5 sportback when I was shopping for my car. Those interiors did feel more sophisticated than the RS3 and both models do offer a few more bells and whistles than the RS3. The absence of power seats in the RS3 is a great example. I think the RS3's interior is clean and efficient, however, you can see where Audi's interior design language is moving in the newer models and compared to those interiors the RS3 is beginning to show its age. I suspect the A3 is due for an interior/exterior resign fairly soon, but that RS3 probably won't be coming to our shores in NA for some time. I don't have a very long commute to work and my priority in purchasing at the time was performance. If you have a longer commute and your priority isn't on performance, those creature comforts may be a nice upgrade.

superswiss

I currently own a 2013 RS5. It's my one car for everything. I've also extensively driven all other current RS models, except the RS7 (more to that below). I'm married with no kids and don't commute. My driving is daily errands, road trips and canyon carving on weekends, so most of my driving is for pleasure. I'm therefore into 2+2 performance GT coupes such as the RS5. These cars are essentially sport cars that still provide a certain amount of rest comfort and practicality. A GT is fun to drive, comfortable on a long distance trip and offers enough room for a weekend out of town for 2 people, and rear seats for occasional passengers. I mostly drive by myself or one passenger.

The RS5 has so far been my overall favorite for my lifestyle. It turns into a beast when opened up, but also happily purrs along during more mundane driving and I love doing road trips in it. As said I've been driving the other current RS models to see what I might want to replace it with, and I've come up empty handed in the Audi camp. I'll be switching brands shortly. I've ordered a 2019 Mercedes-AMG C63S Coupe, and I'll be picking it up in Germany at the beginning of May, but here are my thoughts on the cars you are asking about.

RS3: Nice little pocket rocket. Very comfortable in daily driving with the MagRide suspension, but a bit too loose when driven hard for my taste. I prefer the TTRS for canyon carving and the RS3 for everything else. The RS3 can also be had with fixed suspension. It supposedly makes it better when driven hard, but most likely less comfortable during other times. On the negative side, you can feel that it's based on Audi's entry model. As mentioned above, it lacks many creature comfort features and feels overall closer to a VW than an Audi. The AWD system is FWD-biased with the rear axle supporting it as necessary or desired depending on the current driving mode. For me personally the car feels too small. I'm not a tall or big guy, but the doors are very short and when I look over my shoulder, I stare at the B-pillar. I'm not a fan of sedans in general, though. I like the long doors on coupes as the B-pillar is set back for improved visibility. The other negative is the noticeable turbo lag of the 5-cylinder engine. It's a great sounding engine. It sounds similar to an R8, but the turbo lag bothered me.

RS5: In terms of used cars. There are no 2-year old RS5s. The previous generation RS5 (my model) stopped production in 2015 and the current one was first sold as a 2018 in North America. The previous generation and current generation are also very different cars. The previous generation's engine was based on the V10 from the R8. It's a high-revving, naturally aspirated V8. This is what I like most about it. It has R8 DNA in the body of a GT coupe. The current RS5 is softer overall. The engine is based on the same engine that's in the S5. It has an added turbo and is reinforced. It's a responsive engine. I like biturbo hot-vee engines from a response perspective, but this generation RS5 didn't do it for me anymore. It feels too much like the S5 and doesn't have enough character for me.

RS7: I've never driven the RS7. It never appealed to me. It's too big unless you need to shuttle a family of 4 around all the time. It's mostly a straight line Autobahn rocket. Not something I would take on a fun canyon road regularly. I've driven several A6 to know that the size doesn't appeal to me.

Hope this helps somewhat.

dval44

Thank you all for your input. This has been really helpful. I made a table of the features available on the S5 that are not available on the RS3 and they are pretty numerous:

Heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, ventilated seats, park steering assist, traffic jam assist, top view camera, head up display, garage door opener, power seats, B&O 3D sound.

Some of these features interest me, so now I am leaning towards an S5 or an RS5 over the RS3. Either brand new or 1 year old with a few thousand miles on it.

One more question: I am getting really confused by the different suspension/dynamic handling options for each model across the RS3, S5, and RS5. Most important to me is that I can turn the car from "sport" handling to "soft" handling and make the ride more comfortable. Which option do I need to activate to get this? Each model seems to have a different description of magnetic ride control, dynamic ride control, etc. and I feel lost. I need to avoid getting a car stuck in "sport" at all cost. Thank you a million (or at least 75,000).

My (likely incorrect) understanding is:

For the RS5: I need to activate "dynamic package" in order to get dynamic ride control, which gives me the ability to select suspension setting.

For the S5: I can activate "S sports package" to get "sport adaptive dampening suspension." Do I need this to toggle the suspension settings, or does the base model come with the ability to change the suspension settings? I understand "sport rear differential" is something I should want and "dynamic steering" is not something that tends to make much difference.

For the RS3: The base model mentions "Audi magnetic ride, RS tuned" so does this mean I have the power to toggle suspension settings with all RS3 models? "Dynamic package" here doesn't mention DRC at all. I assume I would avoid selecting "RS fixed sport suspension" which probably does what it says and eliminates the ability to toggle.

Sorry for the noob question. I am genuinely perplexed by the varying nomenclature across these 3 models. Again, most important to me is that I can have the car in "comfort" mode and then occasionally switch it to "sport." Thanks so much.

superswiss

Yep, you pretty much got it on the suspension. For the S5 and RS5 the adjustable suspension is optional. The standard suspension is a fixed non adjustable suspension. The RS5 bundles the adjustable suspension as part of the Dynamic package, and the S5 as part of the S Sport package. They are all called different things, because they are mechanically different. The RS5 and S5 use valve controlled adaptive dampers at each corner, but the RS5 diagonally connects those dampers via central valves to improve chassis control for more dynamic and sporty driving. It acts more like a dynamic sway bar. The RS3 uses dampers that are filled with a magnetic fluid that can change its viscosity to change the level of damping. At the end they are all addressing the same thing, but are going about it in different ways, The difference between Comfort and Dynamic varies with all these suspensions. It's pretty subtle for the RS3 and S5. The RS5 has a much more pronounce spread between Comfort and Dynamic. All the adjustable suspensions have three levels. Comfort, Auto and Dynamic.

dval44

THANK YOU!!!

chicago_marketing

2019 RS5 Sportback. Keep in my superswiss's comments are from a coupe perspective which differs from the Sportback version.

dval44

Sorry, I don't quite follow you.

So you are saying for the 2019 RS5 sportback, the option for getting adjustable suspension is not just the "dynamic package?"

Thanks