Baekhyun

I've been going back and forth since January of this year waiting for the 2019 RS3 to arrive at my local dealerships (3 to be exact) and recently a few has showed up and got me excited. But at the same time 2020 M2 Competition has also come out as well. I will be 25 this year, not married and no kids.. YET. As much any young adult want a sporty coupe, is it practical to go this route? I currently own a 2012 Mercedes Benz C250 4 door which has been my daily and I've managed to rack up almost 118k which minimal repair costs. In the beginning of this year, I test drove the 2019 S4 and was surprised with the interior and quality of ride Audi presents. But at the same time I was looking at the C43 AMG. Please do not bash at me for calling it an AMG. I test drove the C43 but I wasn't really surprised and the interior kind of blew me away. Modern Benz is just so showy? It's a bit too luxury for me and too many buttons if I may. So I ended up with two rides, M2 and RS3. I am hoping to test drive the RS3 this week and hopefully the M2 as well so I can pick one. I mainly drive freeway and with my girlfriend so a comfy ride when she's with me would be appreciated otherwise, I will always be spirited driving. One thing that's keeping me away from the M2 is the ridiculous $5K markup the dealership is charging which totals to $69k give or take and having 2 doors. Both car's interiors are about almost driver focused but I feel the RS3 center console is lacking. Just feels, very empty, at least to me when compared to the S4 that I drove.

Which route do you guys think I should go?

BusStopF1

If you really want a manual, then get the M2 Comp. That’s the main thing that would tempt me with that car. But it sounds like you want something more comfortable and luxurious, while still being fast and fun, so I’d go with with the RS3.

But youre also asking a lot of RS3 owners so naturally we’re pretty inclined to say to get the Audi...

So, drive both and buy the one you prefer.

Sinister#4

Agreed only reason to go M2comp is the transmission.....better to compare the M4 to the RS3 (ive had 4 M3's so far lol )

nate

Agree on the transmission, if you really want a manual, that's that. Having said that, the automatic is pretty fantastic and at this point I would never go back.

I've only had my RS3 since Saturday, heh, but so far the transmission is much better than the one in my S3 was (which I put 82K miles on in 3 years). In sport mode, it's practically reading my mind. Come up on a corner, tap the brakes a little and it'll downshift and majorly blip the throttle, so coming out of the corner you can get on the throttle nicely. Still trying to keep it under wraps until I've got 1K miles on it, but it's a fantastic ride so far.

Magnetic suspension is also a big plus for me. On my commute, I leave the suspension in "comfort" mode which is still pretty stiff, but a lot more forgiving and easy for the commute. Put it into "dynamic" mode and it's a lot more stiff and flat in the corners. I love being able to switch at the push of a button (and on the RS3 you can setup the * button on the steering wheel to switch driving modes). I setup "individual" mode to be dynamic everything with suspension in comfort mode, then I switch between dynamic and individual. I'll switch between D and S modes on the transmission, usually D for longer hauls to keep the revs down, and S for having fun.

Virtual Cockpit is super cool. Not quite as customizable as I'd like (mostly you can't change what's on the right side) but it's really easy on the eyes and works extremely well.

The engine noise is... Well, watch some YouTube videos and take it for a test ride if you can. Lives up to what I was hoping for, even just puttering around at 30 mph, it sounds amazing.

tfsh

I think that last reply is interesting. I actually find the RS3s transmission to be brutally terrible. That, in addition to the lack in change between driving modes is for me the RS3s biggest negatives. I find it ironic that the post before me is saying quite litterly the exact opposite. I find adjusting mag ride to do very little, wherein the ride becomes more loose and even more bumpy in comfort. I love my RS3 so much, I think the M2 is fantastic aswell. I got an RS3 because I needed AWD for the winter, however if I lived somewhere where it didnt snow, I think there is a big chance I would have ended up with an M2. Also, RS3s are holding their value much better than M2 comp cars. I would have assumed you could get more off MSRP let alone a markup.

Also worth noting I love the interior of my car. Both my parents wish their much nicer cars had similar, spartan interiors. I think it is so nice just having virtual cockpit and the road in-front of you with very few distractions. Everything on the inside has a purpose and fells well built and very solid. No flashy fancy things, just simple style and sportiness. I am in college and all my friends love my cars interior too! No one ever complains about rear room too.

Spinnetti

M2 is more raw, but feels cheaper somehow. The A3 platform is also a bit cheap feeling compared to the A4 platform or merc. If you want that quality feel, I'd probably go S4. If you want a manual, there's only one choice. I like the size of the A3 more than the A4 even though it feels cheaper, its more "personal" to me. In your shoes, I'd probably go S5 Sportback honestly, then maybe throw a tune on it for a bit more fun.

XMetal00

OP, you can't go wrong with either car. It all boils down to what you value most between the two:

• Importance of a manual transmission.
• 2 doors or 4 doors
• RWD or AWD
• Fixed or Adjustable suspension

With that said, If I was at your age and were able to afford one of these, there's no doubt the M2 Comp with the 3-pedal is the one that I would take home

Baekhyun

Wow the replies in this forum is very interesting with opinions that relates to mine haha! I will be going to test drive the RS3 tomorrow morning. The sales man is very friendly and decided to come into work to help me out. Definitely an A+ on my scale. There’s a White and Nardo Grey RS3 with $65k price tag without drivers assistance package. What kind of deals do you guys think I can get assuming it’s a purchase and perhaps finance with about $20-25k down so interest doesn’t consume me. What do you guys think about the S4 being a bit roomy with “updated” interior being as sporty?

Thanks guys!

nate

Yeah interesting about magride! There's a section of highway I drive almost every day that is very bouncy in dynamic and almost perfectly smooth in comfort... Bizarro. Going through there (a section of concrete slabs) the car feels like it bounces up and down in dynamic...

BusStopF1

IJust my two cents... the S4 won’t be nearly as sporty. Partly because of the engine and just how that dominates the experience, but also the responsiveness of the transmission and steering. The handling probably technically benefits from the “better” longitudinal platform and the sport differential, but the RS3 has been the far sportier car in my experience.

The trade off is the interior is nicer than the RS3. Power seats would be very nice, for instance. I personally don’t need the space and I don’t think the rear seats benefit enough for space to be a consideration, at least for me.

There’s no question the RS3 will be more expensive than the S4 at the end of the day. Much lower volume car, less negotiation room on sticker price, etc.

But again, my overarching car buying advice is to drive whatever might interest you and go from there. You may really like the S4 in ways that I don’t or vice verse. And that will dictate everything from there.

(Side note, my experience on the ride and transmission is very similar to nate’s. In fact, both were key reasons why I wanted the RS3 versus other options.)