Audi S3

Niall1234

Can anyone give me a quick explanation why the Audi S3 costs €65,000 yet the Golf GTi costs only 38.000.

What do you get in the S3 over the Gti except for about 65 extra bhp and a slightly better looking car ?

Biro

4WD, better spec, and 4 rings on the grille!

I still don't understand why the Golf 170 TDi is 2 grand dearer than the A3 TDi 170.

astraboy

You have to factor in taxation too, in the UK an s3 is about 36,000 pounds while the Golf Gti would be about 10 grand cheaper. Our VRT rates mean that the larger engined S3 is taxed at a higher rate.

Also, the s3 would be more hardcore then the Gti. The recaro leather buckets are heavily bolstered, and you get 4 wheel drive quattro and as you said 65Bhp more.

conneem-TT

S3 list price is 53,000 not 65,000 according to the Audi.ie site

And they have the same engine size, the S3 has a larger turbo and stronger internals compared to the Gti

The S3 has the following on top of the Gti (and maybe more I only had a wuick look)

18" alloy vs. Gti 17"
Xenon Headlights + headlight washer system
4 Wheel Drive
Multifunctional steeringwheel
Half Leather seats
Air-con

oh and you get this performance jump also :cool:

http://www.fastestlaps.com/index.php?page_id=compare&car1=459a7e3125a10&car2=459bb03276e82

Northernsoul

i would like to make love to the S3.

seriously

..beautiful motor

astraboy

conneem-TT wrote: »

S3 list price is 53,000 not 65,000 according to the Audi.ie site

And they have the same engine size, the S3 has a larger turbo and stronger internals compared to the Gti

The S3 has the following on top of the Gti (and maybe more I only had a wuick look)

18" alloy vs. Gti 17"
Xenon Headlights + headlight washer system
4 Wheel Drive
Multifunctional steeringwheel
Half Leather seats
Air-con

oh and you get this performance jump also :cool:

http://www.fastestlaps.com/index.php?page_id=compare&car1=459a7e3125a10&car2=459bb03276e82

So it uses the 2.0L out of the Gti? For some reason I thought it had a larger capacity then 2L. Maybe I'm thinking of a previous version?

conneem-TT

Yup, basically the same 2.0L engine with these changes

this engine is an advanced version which has undergone fundamental changes. The new turbocharger with its enlarged turbine and compressor rotor generates 1.2 bar of boost pressure – an unusually high figure. A modified intercooler significantly lowers the temperature of the compressed air, thus increasing the air mass necessary for combustion.

Pistons with stronger pins and strengthened connecting rods with new bearings transmit the powerful forces to the crankshaft. The cylinder block has been stiffened up and the head is made of a new, highly heat-resistant alloy. The exhaust camshaft timing has been adjusted to accommodate the increased power output. High-pressure injectors with an enlarged cross-section squirt the fuel straight into the combustion chamber.

I think it also has a better brakes compared to the GTI

It is quite a jump in price to the GTI but it does have a lot extra that is not immediatley apparent.

Also, like most modern turbo engines it seems to be considerably underrated fromthe factory, see dyno plots below from an indepentant company.

http://www.rri.se/popup/performancegraphs.php?ChartsID=735

it's putting 261bhp and 265lb/ft to the wheels in standard form.

tossy

You will also get to 60 in or around one and a half seconds earlier and you have 4wd drive which means it will hand the GTI its arse on the twistys!!

VeVeX

Niall1234 wrote: »

Can anyone give me a quick explanation why the Audi S3 costs €65,000 yet the Golf GTi costs only 38.000.

What do you get in the S3 over the Gti except for about 65 extra bhp and a slightly better looking car ?

Thats like saying why is the R32 more expensive then the GTI?

MarkN

An S3 pisses all over a GTI - that's what you get for your extra money.

The presence of the extra 65bhp is very much felt. It stops better, handles better, has a limited top speed of 155 mph (GTI would run out of steam at around the 140 mph mark), has a nicer interior and you don't see 15 of them everyday.

It's the same 2.0T engine as the Golf, the last model was a 1.8T.

The seats are not "very heavily bolstered", in fact they are the same seats you get in any ambition A3 which is quite disappointing.

Then the standard spec is far better too - bi-xenons, 18s, climate control, auto dip mirror, auto headlights etc.

Here's a few pics of my old one.

groupb

According to the mags , a megane R26 whips both of them!

Cyrus

yeah, but would you buy one

Plug

groupb wrote: »

According to the mags , a megane R26 whips both of them!

Thats bullsh!t. That peice of French crap has 35 hp less than the s3 and 30hp more than the golf gti. The gti is quicker around the track. Explain that one.

MarkN

groupb wrote: »

According to the mags , a megane R26 whips both of them!

Impossible to ''whip'' the S3 unless the Renault had another 50-100 bhp. The BMW 335i was quicker around a track than the Audi S5 by a fraction of a second - doesn't mean it ''whipped'' it. More to the point, the S3 is a far better car than any Renault unless its a Williams F1 car.

su_dios

Beautiful S3 Mark!! Love that colour. Why did you get rid of it?? Also any hassle with those plates? I'm a bit nervous putting on my german plates on my golf tsi. They have the irl and format 07 D ***** so no dashes or the baile atha cliath. Saw a white s3 when I picked up my car the other day.. wow!

Also yeah the OP should be comparing the s3 with the r32 not the gti. I kind of understand wheres hes coming from though if they rely on the same engine. I suppose you pay for the exclusivity!

Cyrus

su dios, try get the baile atha cliath on the plates, you'll be fine if you do, can be trouble if not

MarkN

The only things guards said to me when I met a checkpoint was "that car is beautiful", "how much"... etc etc

If you're some sort of scrote I can see why they might take exception.

There's a white 08 S3 in Shankill - very nice and loaded with toys including the racing seats.

Sold it cause I couldn't stop having dreams about 335s. :rolleyes::D

su_dios

Any idea where I would get a sticker made up to put on the plates?

Think I saw you're s3 around.. well I doubt there were too many like it. Love the colour. You didn't keep it too long really did you? .. How much did you sell it on for? Its a really beautiful car. Well the white one I saw was in grange motors about a week ago.. could be it?

Cyrus

i got my plates from german plates .co.uk or something like that and they came with the county stickers on them

astraboy

I sat in a new s3 in London a few months ago, there was the optional recaro's in it I believe. They were definitely not the standard A3 seats anyway!;)

MarkN

astraboy wrote: »

I sat in a new s3 in London a few months ago, there was the optional recaro's in it I believe.

€5,500 :eek:

Su Dios - let it go for late 40s. Had it for 10 months.