My experience: from a S3 to an RS3

[S3DUDE]

Fellow S3 owners. After owning a beautiful Sepan Blue 2016 Audi S3 for 2.5 years and loving it every minute of the ownership I made the very hard decision to upgrade the car to an RS3. My S3 was beautiful, it came well loaded and it was fast... I had the APR stage 2 and I even put some stop tech ST-40 brakes.

Why was it hard to made the switch? well.. the S3 was already a good looking car with the 19" black optic and the 19" V titanium matte finish factory optional wheels, it was well loaded, it had low miles(18000 miles), it was good on gas mileage and was already like 2/3 paid off so jumping into an RS3 was another big financial hurdle because I traded my S3 and put $12k down and I still had to refinance $40000. Besides the money aspect let me just tell you some differences:

The suspension. I heard it from people that went from a S3 to and RS3 and people said that the RS3 suspension felt better. I made a topic talking about how terrible my magnetic ride use to be on my S3, it was hard and clunky, it never felt right. Well, I don't know what they did on the RS3 but there is no clunkiness, perhaps the Pirelli P-Zeros are helping on the quality ride. The fact is that the RS3 suspension feels better and please keep in mind that I am not saying that is superior, all I am saying is that it feels better.

The brakes are phenomenal on the RS3. I went to pick up the car from the Ingolstad factory in Germany and I had the opportunity to do some braking from high speeds at the autobahn. The hardware consisting of 8 pistons calipers and 14.6" rotors wouldn't disappoint you however I would say that the brakes on the S3 were great too. The pedal feel on the S3 was more potent, more touchy.

The seats on the RS3 are better than on my S3 but I think that is because I didn't have the premium seats on the S3. The fact that these diamond pattern (premium) seats comes stock on the RS3 is a plus.

The engine. Oh boy!! The engine is the crown of this car, it truly is. I watched so many videos of people complaining about turbo lag but I never noticed it. The engine put out such a great torque that it starts pulling the moment that you hit the gas and the power delivery is so smooth and linear that it keeps pulling like that until red line and that is where in my opinion differentiate the most between the EA888 2.0 l engine and the RS3 engine. The EA888 was very torqhy in the mid range, specially with the tune but the power faded on the top end, the RS3 engine instead pulls nicely from the mid range and you can feel the power increasing all the way to the red line but so smoothly.

The engine note is in my opinion another plus. The 5 cyl sounds so deep and exotic that has little in common with the 4 cal on the EA888. Speaking of the sound, despite not having the dynamic package with the "sport exhaust" my standard exhaust sounds just right, not too loud but sounds deep when you get on it. I figured that once I do either the downpipes or the mid pipes it would get a couple of notches louder.

As per the transmission, both DSG are adequate. Obviously you guys can see that people are making 700whp with turbokits on the DQ500 but as far is shifting and drivability the are no really any noticeable differences. I was hoping shorter gearing compared to the 6 speed but it appears that the added top gear(7th gear) didn't move the other gears down, as a matter of fact the gears appears to be taller, I was hitting 120ish on 4th gear on the RS3 if I Recall right but I would hit around 112-113mph on the S3 in 4th gear. I know that because when I drag raced the S3 I would always cross the finish line at red line in 4th at around 112-113.

The exterior. I remember when I first got my S3 I thought about ordering an RS grill. The RS3 has a beautiful appeal with the RS grill, the big oval pipes, the big brakes(my brakes are black). Other than the grill and the badges and the exhaust tips all the A3, S3 and RS3 looks quiet similar unless you are knowledgeable on cars and can spot the differences. I would had suggest the RS3 with flared fenders at least and perhaps wider tires/wheels.

Lastly, the interior. My car comes with illuminated door sills and the Audi projected hologram when you open the door, I am still unsure if that is unique to the rs3 or if it comes with a package(I have the technology and the DAP packages). The car has the flat grayish Alcántara door panels and steering wheel, it looks nice and it feels good but I am afraid it will get stained within the next few months.

This car comes with other things that my other S3 didn't have like the foglight, the automated parking activation(on my old car you would have to activate it manually) and it also has full LED interior/exterior from factory. Maybe this was an option on the last S3. Driving the RS3 in Europe with the red turn signals turned a lot of heads, no one uses red turn signals there.


Overall I am very happy with the car so far but I would admit it has been a very expensive upgrade. I keep thinking if keeping my S3 and adding a turbokit would have been a better choice. Also, the insurance is about 15-20% more expensive.

Well, there you have it, if you have any questions please feel free to send me a PM or simply comment below. I am sure that there are many S3 owners that would had purchased a RS3 in the first place if it was available 3 years ago.

[Spinnetti]

Fellow S3 owners. After owning a beautiful Sepan Blue 2016 Audi S3 for 2.5 years and loving it every minute of the ownership I made the very hard decision to upgrade the car to an RS3. My S3 was beautiful, it came well loaded and it was fast... I had the APR stage 2 and I even put some stop tech ST-40 brakes.

Why was it hard to made the switch? well.. the S3 was already a good looking car with the 19" black optic and the 19" V titanium matte finish factory optional wheels, it was well loaded, it had low miles(18000 miles), it was good on gas mileage and was already like 2/3 paid off so jumping into an RS3 was another big financial hurdle because I traded my S3 and put $12k down and I still had to refinance $40000. Besides the money aspect let me just tell you some differences:

The suspension. I heard it from people that went from a S3 to and RS3 and people said that the RS3 suspension felt better. I made a topic talking about how terrible my magnetic ride use to be on my S3, it was hard and clunky, it never felt right. Well, I don't know what they did on the RS3 but there is no clunkiness, perhaps the Pirelli P-Zeros are helping on the quality ride. The fact is that the RS3 suspension feels better and please keep in mind that I am not saying that is superior, all I am saying is that it feels better.

The brakes are phenomenal on the RS3. I went to pick up the car from the Ingolstad factory in Germany and I had the opportunity to do some braking from high speeds at the autobahn. The hardware consisting of 8 pistons calipers and 14.6" rotors wouldn't disappoint you however I would say that the brakes on the S3 were great too. The pedal feel on the S3 was more potent, more touchy.

The seats on the RS3 are better than on my S3 but I think that is because I didn't have the premium seats on the S3. The fact that these diamond pattern (premium) seats comes stock on the RS3 is a plus.

The engine. Oh boy!! The engine is the crown of this car, it truly is. I watched so many videos of people complaining about turbo lag but I never noticed it. The engine put out such a great torque that it starts pulling the moment that you hit the gas and the power delivery is so smooth and linear that it keeps pulling like that until red line and that is where in my opinion differentiate the most between the EA888 2.0 l engine and the RS3 engine. The EA888 was very torqhy in the mid range, specially with the tune but the power faded on the top end, the RS3 engine instead pulls nicely from the mid range and you can feel the power increasing all the way to the red line but so smoothly.

The engine note is in my opinion another plus. The 5 cal sounds so deep and exotic that has little in common with the 4 cal on the EA888.

As per the transmission, both DSG are adequate. Obviously you guys can see that people are making 700whp with turbokits on the DQ500 but as far is shifting and drivability the are no really any noticeable differences.

The exterior. I remember when I first got my S3 I thought about ordering an RS grill. The RS3 has a beautiful appeal with the RS grill, the big oval pipes, the big brakes(my brakes are black). Other than the grill and the badges and the exhaust tips all the A3, S3 and RS3 looks quiet similar unless you are knowledgeable on cars and can spot the differences. I would had suggest the RS3 with flared fenders at least and perhaps wider tires/wheels.

Lastly, the interior. My car comes with illuminated door sills and the Audi projected hologram when you open the door, I am still unsure if that is unique to the rs3 or if it comes with a package(I have the technology and the DAP packages). The car has the flat grayish Alcántara door panels and steering wheel, it looks nice and it feels good but I am afraid it will get stained within the next few months.

This car comes with other things that my other S3 didn't have like the foglight, the automated parking activation(on my old car you would have to activate it manually) and it also has full LED interior/exterior from factory. Maybe this was an option on the last S3.


Overall I am very happy with the car so far but I would admit it has been a very expensive upgrade. I keep thinking if keeping my S3 and adding a turbot would have been a better choice. Also, the insurance is about 15-20% more expensive.

Well, there you have it, if you have any questions please feel free to send me a PM or simply comment below. I am sure that there are many S3 owners that would had purchased a RS3 in the first place if it was available 3 years ago.

Great car, and I was originally trying to get one, but couldn't find an allocation. Even did the factory tour in Ingolstadt last year (where I was hoping to pick one up). Same issue with the M2. I ended up getting a used S3 and putting $4k of mods to get the handling and power sorted to my tastes (still looks stock) and after having done that, I can't imagine spending more than double the money to get the RS3 and still doing some of the same mods. I'd love that engine, but thats a lot of money considering the S3 was "one payment". The S3 at 400hp is lighter too. I'll run reverse stagger tires like the RS3 option, and hopefully can drag somebody with one around here to see how the S3 stacks up (haven't seen one on the street yet). Regardless, congrats, and the RS3 would be a blast - Who knows, I might pick one up on a few years used before I go to the light side (electric).

[S3DUDE]

Trust me, it wasn't an easy decision and it doesn't make much financial logical sense. I did it more from my heart and my feelings because otherwise I am basically paying twice of what my cars was worth at the time of the trade. A turbot on the S3 would have been meeting in the middle and a reasonable monetary option.

In defense of getting the RS3 I would say that you get a new car, more performance and also more value if you decide to trade. There is no doubt that I lost quiet a bit of equity on my last car. I am just sharing my history with fellow S3 and RS3 potencial buyers. By the way, insurance is up by at least 20% more.

[Ladimer]

Thanks for your review.
If I was sticking with 1 car, the RS3 would be it, without a doubt. I currently have a GT350R that I hoon around in and it’s so much fun, I know I’d regret it if I ever decided to trade or sell. The motor and exhaust note is more addicting than a schedule 2 drug. I planned on waiting till next year to get an RS3 but decided to look at Golf R’s and S3’s for shits and giggles. I got an absolute killer deal on an S3 and it didn’t make sense to pass it up so I’ll be picking up a 2018 S3 Monday and keeping the R to hoon in.

[liljonny16]

Thanks for sharing! I envy you my friend. If I had the money I would make the illogical decision and get an RS3 as well!

[Spinnetti]

Thanks for your review.
If I was sticking with 1 car, the RS3 would be it, without a doubt. I currently have a GT350R that I hoon around in and it’s so much fun, I know I’d regret it if I ever decided to trade or sell. The motor and exhaust note is more addicting than a schedule 2 drug. I planned on waiting till next year to get an RS3 but decided to look at Golf R’s and S3’s for shits and giggles. I got an absolute killer deal on an S3 and it didn’t make sense to pass it up so I’ll be picking up a 2018 S3 Monday and keeping the R to hoon in.

Nice Combo! My buddy (from Ohio too) has a GT350. I looked at those long and hard, but just couldn't spend that much on a 'stang. Got a used R8, and hot-rodded the S3. Itchin to race my buddies GT350... pretty sure I can take him 0-60 and quarter mile. I think we are going to do a track day too, and compare notes around the corners as well (we both share race driving duties in my Lexus race car too lol).

[mrandrewau]

Thank you for sharing.

It would also cost me about 35k to refinance my 2017 S3 to an RS3. Do you feel that it's worth it? Not sure if I should invest that money in something like TQQQ (triple return NASDAQ) and hope to use the money for a 2020 redesign Carerra.

[S3DUDE]

Thank you for sharing.

It would also cost me about 35k to refinance my 2017 S3 to an RS3. Do you feel that it's worth it? Not sure if I should invest that money in something like TQQQ (triple return NASDAQ) and hope to use the money for a 2020 redesign Carerra.

.

Is "cheaper" to get a new RS3 that to switch from a already used S3 to an RS3. My S3 was $50,350 MSRP(purchased for $47500 though), I traded in for $30000 to the Audi dealer after owning it for 2.5 years however I got a tax break of $2,400. In Arizona you can trade your car for a new one and you only pay the tax difference between your trade and the new car that you are buying so the tax here is 8.15%. I got only $1000 off the MSRP from the RS3 because of the Audi loyalty. I am saving $922 on the registration because I am military lieu tax exempt.

So after owning the S3 for the 2.5 years my equity went down $15000 (in 30 months). That is in sync with what you would pay for a lease. Make no mistake, it will cost you significantly more to upgrade from your used S3, it is just the matter of how much you are willing to spend.

[coolwater]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I have also been on the fence for a longtime on whether to upgrade to a rs3. I don’t even have 20k on my s3 and it’s fully paid off. Interested to hear more feedback on the rs3 vs your stage 2 s3 performance.

-cW


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[S3DUDE]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I have also been on the fence for a longtime on whether to upgrade to a rs3. I don’t even have 20k on my s3 and it’s fully paid off. Interested to hear more feedback on the rs3 vs your stage 2 s3 performance.

-cW


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You got it my friend! I always take my cars to the local drag strip. As soon as I get the RS3 I will be taking it to the drag strip. I already compared my times on my previous and exiting cars (A3 tuned, S3 tuned and A6 tuned). The S3 was quick with the Stage 2 so it set the standard high.

I created this topic because there are so many people that purchased their S3 2-3 years ago and I am sure they wouldn't hesitate to buy the RS3 in the first place if it was available back then. Now that all the owners reviews and car magazines tested the cars with great results it seems like lots of people with S3s are contemplating jumping to the RS3.

For me it was even harder because I traded my S3 back in February and I just saw it 3 and a half months later at the factory, now I have to wait another 10-12 weeks to get it back. Despite the extra cost you tend to forget the monetary impact because the car is truly amazing.

[ahyeah]

Looking at your signature, did the topic of break-in and/or how these RS cars are broken in at the factory come up while doing the Euro delivery and, if so, was did the sales folks have to say about it?

[S3DUDE]

^^^ When I did the factory tour a couple of weeks ago they told me that the RS models are the only ones that are taken for a special test drive. My car had 21 kilometers on it and like I said I personally picked up at the factory. I was told not to pass 4000 rpm during the break-in. They told me to break it in for 1000km which I did but driving it at 140mph/4000 rpm I 7th gear is within the break in rules. The lady that gave me the car(specialist) told me like 3 times: don't worry, the car is plenty fast below 4000 rpms.

[S3owner]

Great review. Thanks for sharing.

You mentioned your brakes are "black". Do you have Ceramic brakes or the steel brakes come black as well?

[S3DUDE]

^^ Correct. My calipers are black. You have 3 colors/options in the USA:

1) Dark Gray which is for ceramic brakes (Dynamic plus)
2) Red which is standard brake but with red color offered with the dynamic package
3) Black which is the standard brakes which comes on the RS3 if you don't pick neither the dynamic package nor the Dynamic plus

I chose the standard because I didn't mind the silver exhaust tips nor the staggered wheels set up nor the color of the calipers. The $1450 dollars saved will go towards a tune and maintenance cost.

[HBird]

Very nice review and comparison.

Awesome news about the MagRide suspension on the RS, and seems to be on par from what I've seen. MagRide on the S3s truly is awful, especially compared to a conventional coilover setup. Agreed, on the exterior bit too. If the RS3 had fenders like the B7 RS4 it would be perfect.

My '15 S3 has foglights (front/rear) on it, but they came from the headlights (LEDs). Did yours have bi-xenon?

Used RS3s are showing up daily, and I'm looking for the right interior combo to set it off for me (RS design pack or the extended leather option and carbon inlays). I have the base sport seats, so that makes the seats an upgrade already. The Virtual Cockpit is another obvious improvement too.

Congrats again!

[S3DUDE]

The Mag ride on the S3 is beyond awful. I am not saying that the car can't handle well, I am talking about the hard clunky feeling when you go at 5 mph over a speed bump or road imperfections. The low profile tires don't help a bit. I had the 19" black optics with low profile tires and they were terrible. I heard it from other RS3 owners and I was hesitant to believe it but after having driven both mag rides myself I can measure you that the mag ride doesn't feel as clunky.

[tico]

Great info, thanks!

I considered the RS3 but the finance piece didn't make sense to me and I bought my 2015 S3 as a CPO with only 7K for $30K out the door. My S3 is 100% stock and I enjoy it as is but I will tune it soon and eventually I might get the APR turbo kit for it. All 4 of my previous Audis have been Stage 3 upgraded.

Enjoy your RS3!

[doberzus]

Thanks for your review.
If I was sticking with 1 car, the RS3 would be it, without a doubt. I currently have a GT350R that I hoon around in and it’s so much fun, I know I’d regret it if I ever decided to trade or sell. The motor and exhaust note is more addicting than a schedule 2 drug. I planned on waiting till next year to get an RS3 but decided to look at Golf R’s and S3’s for shits and giggles. I got an absolute killer deal on an S3 and it didn’t make sense to pass it up so I’ll be picking up a 2018 S3 Monday and keeping the R to hoon in.

The Shelby is a blast! I have a base GT350 (same motor/trans as R) and TTRS. The TTRS is very boring to drive compared to the GT350. However, the TTRS is just a monster, both from a roll and dig. The build quality is the only thing lacking on the GT350.... plus the annoying tramlining (which I am used to).

For pure fun, I'd go Shelby all the way! The way the Voodoo purrs is just intoxicating.

[Ladimer]

The Shelby is a blast! I have a base GT350 (same motor/trans as R) and TTRS. The TTRS is very boring to drive compared to the GT350. However, the TTRS is just a monster, both from a roll and dig. The build quality is the only thing lacking on the GT350.... plus the annoying tramlining (which I am used to).

For pure fun, I'd go Shelby all the way! The way the Voodoo purrs is just intoxicating.

I had a 350 Track Pack (the one in my avatar) and then got the opportunity to acquire an R at sticker last year when all cars available were going for $15-20K+ ADM. The R truly feels like a different car. Those carbon fiber rims make a huge difference along with the R specific chassis tuning. Congrats on both cars!