Morbo66

That is trip mileage. Use the 0.0 Button in the center of your steering wheel, where it meets the virtual dash to reset it.
That's the old school Audi trip meter button. That was the only way to reset trip meter before fancy schmancy computers that could store multiple trip distances.

russbert

ROTFLOL, that's absolutely Hilarious!! That is so easy I made it difficult. Oh well, I guess even an old dog can learn a new trick or two. Thanks guys; much appreciated!

russbert

Just a quick update as I've been out of town for the last couple of weeks. I now have over 1,600 miles and the sport exhaust is starting to get "more interesting", especially on downshifts. I mean this in a GOOD way; I don't know if it's breaking in or just the colder weather or both (I suspect the former but feel free to weigh in).

You just have to LOVE the way a Turbo responds to the denser, more oxygenated colder air!! The response (even in Dull mode) is simply spectacular but even more so in Sport mode! Had an absolute blast driving it an hour each way to a meeting last night (first in Individual, then Comfort, and then Sport). I am always impressed by the smaller and tactile feel of the Alcantra steering wheel, even with my larger hands.

After I put the car into Comfort mode (lots of rush hour traffic) I decided to take advantage of the RS3 'other sound system'. The B&O sound system continues to impress me a great deal (when I let it by turning it up and not focusing on the exhaust note). Stairway to Heaven, with its different tempos and musical focus, sounded stunning while Chicago's "I'm a Man" with its heavy bass lead in and followed immediately by its strong percussion successfully handed both ends of the frequency ranges. Rodrigo y Gabriela's strings sounded impressive as well so I felt my time investment with the Jukebox function was well worth it. I also have songs on a SD card but I haven't really done an "A vs B" direct comparison but they sounded wonderful as well.

Has anyone else done this comparison already? I'd love to hear your thoughts/comments.

P.S. I continue to enjoy my Clearmount phone mount, it looks great and allows me easy and clear access to my phone should I need it. I especially like it when it's plugged in for recharging via the USB port since the RS3 verbally reminds me IF (usually when) I leave the phone in the car.

Matthew Gaither

Thanks for the update, Russ. I'm glad to hear that the "other" sound system in your RS3 is as pleasing as the exhaust note because that is certainly important to me as well. One of the check-boxes I have for my next ride is that it must have a good sounding stereo because I am such an audiophile, have such a large music collection and spend 30 minutes each way in my car on my daily commute. One of the reasons that I have become a semi-permanent lurker here on the audiworld forums is because the RS3 and the TT-RS fit what I think I am looking for and remain very high on my list.

russbert

Matthew, the B&O system (with its 14 speakers and 705 watts) should hopefully fit the bill for you then. I too am an audiophile with a large music collection as well so this "upgrade" was an extremely pleasant surprise for me. It is definitely the best car stereo system I've ever had (non-after market) in one of my cars. Put some of your diverse musical selections on an SD card and take it with you for a test drive (or barring that, just listening to it in one of those two cars). I'd be very interested in your comments.

mshonhall

I have to completely concur with ALL of Russ's observations! I've never been so in love with a car before in my life! Of course, in fairness, this is the most expensive car I've ever driven, next to our VW Touareg Executive - certainly not an apples to apples comparison there!!

Completely agree: our exhaust is sounding better and better by the week! We're up to just under 6k miles now. I don't know if it's break-in, or cold weather, either... But, MAN, is it ever a BLAST!! I will put the transmission in "D" mode on the highway (if I think about it) just to eliminate the excess drone from the exhaust with no real benefit on the highway. Otherwise, I keep it in "S" mode all the time, because I just can't get enough of the rev-matching and pops and crackles! It downshifts more than I EVER would if I had a manual! Irony much? It DOES affect the gas milage. So, maybe one day I will be more conscientious of that. But, for now, the fun far outweighs the less mpg. If I were to be completely honest, I'd have to admit: this is almost more car than we can realistically use on a daily basis. The power is just absolutely PHENOMENAL!! We just rarely get a chance to exploit it. I seriously doubt we track her, except maybe once, just to try it out. The sheer costs of maintenance and wear and tear for a daily driver makes that less than appealing to us. So, I take my opportunities where I can. But, it's not near as often as I'd like!

I've gone through almost every car I can think of on Car & Driver to compare their stats, just so we know how we compare 0-60 and 1/4 mile. Seriously: (outside of exotics) there are very, very few cars that can beat our RS3 to 60 at 3.5 seconds! A neighbor down the street has a Cadillac CTS-V with over 600hp, and we are faster (barely, but...) than him to 60! Even some Porsche 911s, Corvettes! In fact, no Mustang, Camaro, or Charger, aside from the top dog Camaro & Charger, even gets close! When you start considering ALL the cars out there, and how we compare, it's really almost overwhelming! And, that's not even counting the times when the ground is even the slightest bit damp! If that's the case, fuhgetaboutit......!!

Car and Driver stats for the 2018 RS3.
So, our only complaints are:

1. The cupholders still suck. Like, really bad suck.
2. Still can't stand that there's no HomeLink buttons. On a $65k car? Really?
3. And, still miss having power seats with memory function. Again, on a $65k car?

However, in the end, all of these are ALL extremely minor complaints. Especially, when compared to the plus side of that 5 cylinder engine. No one should EVER underestimate THAT!!

Concerns:

We HAVE noticed that the transmission will hesitate sometimes. I've begun to notice that the traction control light blinks during this hesitation, too. However, we're nowhere near having the tires slip when this happens. So, it may be a trip to the dealer to have that checked out. I understand that it might cut the engine power to help maintain traction. But, this is not the hesitation we're seeing. It literally sputters at times, and won't dig in again until I've let off the gas and then pressed again. Then, she goes like a banshee again! So, like I said, a trip to the dealer might be forthcoming.

I also read somewhere where someone was complaining that the paddle shifters caused hesitation. I find just the opposite. When I use the paddles, I feel like the shifts are even MORE immediate than they already are in "S" mode. Literally just ticks and it's shifted again. Unbelievable.

Anyway... I'm loving reading your observations, Russ! I've joined our local Audi Club, and that's been fun, car-geeking with like minded peeps. Not unlike I do, here, with you and everyone else.

stretchVB

russbert - picking up a Nardo RS3 this weekend & really enjoying getting caught up on your write-ups so far. In one of your early posts, you called out doing a partial Xpel wrap, could you share what zones you had wrapped?

russbert

StretchVB - I am placing two photos with my artistic handiwork on them (try NOT to laugh too hard). The professional installer did a fantastic job unlike my rendering. . Descriptions are beneath each GIANT photo (Sorry).

The entire front is wrapped in XPEL (probably 40% up the hood or slightly less). This includes the headlights as well. Also, the side mirrors are wrapped as that worked extremely well on my previous car and makes cleaning them so much easier IMO.
He also wrapped from behind the front wheel well, along the rocker panels and behind the rear tire as indicated. He also threw in the area directly beneath the trunk to minimize issues from luggage, etc. as part of the overall package which was nice.

Let me know if you have any additional questions. I've been very pleased with the XPEL so far.

russbert

Since I'm already in the mode of adding GIANT photos, I will add one more. Previously it was mentioned that I should try Kenotec Showroom Shine on my car as a quick detailer. For one afternoon this week it hit 63F, so I took the opportunity to was the RS3 and my truck. When I first applied the Kenotec to the RS3 I wasn't all that impressed to be quite honest. It smelled really nice and it went all really easily but I was pretty much "its just OK".

However, the longer the car sat, the more the paint began to reflect its surroundings. It really looked fantastic the next morning after sitting in the garage overnight and the paint is quite slick to the touch. So, I'm slowly beginning to become a fan of the product. Time will tell but its looking good so far so thanks again for the tip.

russbert

Looked good initially but even BETTER the next morning!