130i is no quicker than R32, which loosens up after a few 1000 k’s and will hit 100 in < 6 secs using launch control. Pretty sure Top Gear did a head to head around their track with R32 smashing the BMW. R32 a great car to drive hard and live with every day. Perhaps yours is a biased view from a BMW driver although I’d say the Z4 s more of a hairdressers car and WRX low build quality you get when you but a japanese car.
Both cars being talked about in the initial review – S3 and R32 – are quality cars to live with…perhaps you should ditch the Z4 M and WRX and get one of these.

The 130i was impressive but seemed to be A LOT faster than the R32.

The R32 seemed overrated and did not live up to the reviews in the public domain. Sure it’s a nice car but that’s it. It’s rather dull I found compared to the 130i in every respect.

Not sure how much of a difference it makes having a BMW Z4-M roadster, MB E500 and a Subaru WRX in the garage.

We should see them in Australia in early 2009.

I still find it hard to believe they won’t facelift the 2 door S3. I mean it doesn’t make sense. Why facelift the whole range including the 4 door S3 and not the 2 door? I would’ve thought front and rear bars were interchangeable. We’ll have to wait and see. It wouldn’t be the first time a car salesperson told porkies in order to sell a car and then make excuses as to why they were left in the dark about an update model.

No problems with my brakes, touch wood. The first 50 to 100 km needed a bit more pedal effort, but they’re great now after bedding in. They’re awesome, nice and progressive.

About the only “problem” I have is the “easy access” to the rear seats. Sure, the front seats tip and slide forward, but they don’t have a “memory” and slide back to the originally set position (they can slide all the way to the furthest position). It’s not really a problem as I don’t use the back seats.

The only other thing I have noticed sometimes is a bit of vibration in the gear lever on a trailing throttle.

I saw a white S3 on the road with the black chrome trim option (grille, badges, etc) and titanium coloured RS4 style rims. It looked really stunning. I didn’t know the black chrome option was available for the Oz market.

The limited edition S3 is just out, before the facelifted model arrives at year’s end. The limited edition is really good value for I think $5K or $6K more, with extra goodies thrown in like metallic paint (Ibis White is much nicer!), black chrome trim, sunroof, Recaros and RS4 style rims. I still think the standard S3 rims are nicer. The RS4 style rims look a bit skinny in 18″, but look really good in the wider and larger 19″ (as on the RS4 and option for TT).

Agree with everything you said mate. I actually quite like the name Quattro. You’re right, plenty of history to it.

Yes, our S3 is white, a little disappointed that we didn’t opt for the powdercoated rims. Saw them at the motorshow and they look pretty amazing.

Also, Just out of interest do your S3 brakes squeel?

Is pretty much the only problem we are having with our S3. Otherwise flawless *touch wood* :)

I suppose one can’t blame Audi for invoking the glory days of the quattro and the World Rally Championship of the 1980s. Those of us old enough to remember the likes of Hannu Mikkola, Stig Blomqvist and Michele Mouton. Not to mention Walter Rohrl at Pikes Peak.

There’s no doubt the 3.2 V6 sounds better than the S3’s engine (it’s nice in its own way). A friend has a TT 3.2V6 (same engine as the R32) and it sounds fantastic.

SteveR32, I thought you mentioned your S3 was white. Looks brilliant in that colour. My white S3 is just a month old and still less than 500 km on the clock, but I’m loving every bit of it.

The R32 interior is well made but a little underwhelming compared to the S3’s. But the identical optional bucket seats are cheaper for the R32 (a bit over $3K) than for the S3 ($6,700!).

Does VW call the AWD system for the R32 4motion, just as Audi calls the same system quattro? A bit naughty of Audi not to differentaite between the Torsen system for their longtitudinal-engined cars and the Haldex system for their transverse-engined cars.

One thing about the S3 though is that you really do feel a million bucks in it. No comparison to the R32 interior :)

My R32 is a manual aswell. I just want to say – without a doubt the S3 is a rocket and in no way am I saying it is slow….what I am trying to say is that in daily inner Melb driving – generally up to 70km/h the R32 *feels* quicker as its sweetspot is larger than the S3’s….I’m probably still not making any sense…You can really feel the oomph and urgency of the V6 whereas the S3 power comes in one might whack at higher RPM’s

Having said all of the above, both cars are pretty awesome and you can’t go wrong with either. I personally prefer the R32 for the superior exhaust note :)

My $0.32

I drive both on a daily basis and really notice the poorer take offs in the S3….having said that the S3 SKYROCKETS past the R32 with high RPM’s….

I’d be careful not to try dragging off the line with even a Golf GTI with DSG or an A3 2.0 TFSI with DSG. It’s the DSG that gives them the takeoff advantage over the manual S3, unless of course you want to abuse the clutch (I certainly wouldn’t do it to my own S3). Road test figures for 0-100 km/h times are so misleading because they don’t truly reflect everyday driving behaviour – who dumps the clutch in normal driving?

So why are we so hung up about who can get to 100 km/h first? If anything, the in-gear acceleration times are better indicators of how quick a car is (eg overtaking, etc).

SteveR32, I had a little chuckle too – obviously Mosh doesn’t know both the S3 and R32 use the Haldex diff. Oh for the Torsen diff in the original Audi quattro of the 1980s. Having said that, I suspect the S3 is actually quicker than that quattro.

Steve.

Do some research….both cars use a Haldex system that is an “on demand” system whereby 10% of power goes to the rear wheels and can go up to 90% depending on grip/slippage. You were probably thinking of the Torson-Gleason systems used in the A4, S4 etc.

You do realise that overall KW’s does not equal acceleration? Gearing, Torque, where the Maximum outputs actually come in etc.

Again, I own both cars so am not favouring one of the other. I know these cars VERY well and can tell you safely that in day to day driving (without dumping the cluth at 5000rpm’s the R32 will take off with more urgency. The S3 gets bogged down if you don’t get the RPM’s up a little earlier…..common with (most – not all) turbo motors.

Audi doesn’t use a Torson-Gleason AWD system in its A3/S3 cars. They probably really should call the AWD system in its A3/S3 something other than Quattro….so that people like you don’t have to go off embarrassing yourself with comments like that.

I’m sorry but I had to piss myself laughing at your 4×4 comment…you bought a car without having researched it one bit…….

I agree with the fact that we each have our opinions, which are largely influence by the choice of cars we like.However i don’t agree especially with the take – off, the S3’s output power is 188kw/h and the R32 is 184kw/h and the S3 is a Quattro(pulls with all 4 wheels) whereas the R32 pulls with only two wheels. Making it pretty impossible for the R32 to take off faster than the S3.

Jbot

That’s a stu…id comment, I never mentioned the tank capacity. In a 1000 km (Kilo Meters and not miles) road i feel up three times driving @240km/h, i didn’t mean i don’t stop at all to feel up. My tank capacity is 60 litres and i can drive up to +_500Km @100km/h.

No offence, but i assume this blog was designed for constructive and not destructive comments

We each have our own opinions I guess. I actually own both and unless you are dumping your clutch at high RPM’s the R32 wipes the S3 off the line.

The S3 gets going up high. The R32 is better down low (ie. taking off)

Again – that is without dumping the clutch.

Steve.