Thinking about an S3

[redline380]

So I've ran B5s for about 12 years now. It's time to get something else. I have a few different cars in mind but an 8v S3 is probably at the top of the list. I like it because it is essentially the new B5 as far as size goes. I do have two children, but the B5 has not really been an issue as far as size goes. I think an S3 would probably be fine for me. Plus I'd most likely be keeping both my B5s. My wife drives an SQ5, so we do have a little more room available for family trips.

I'm just in the looking stages right now, so I am trying to gather as much information as possible. I'll be buying used, but I need to know what to look for in a car. Is there any all encompassing materials available online for me to digest? Something that explains every option and every little detail about the cars? I have a ton of questions, and answers to those questions will just spawn more. Most of those questions surround available options, but some could also touch on maintenance, facelifts, etc.

It seems like going from a B5 to an 8v has been done a few times, and with pretty good success.

[hev702]

Not sure where you can look to get information on everything, other than a bunch of separate threads. Maybe checking a build guide on Audi would help to show available options. Luckily, S3's don't seem to have a ton of options anyways. I may be wrong, since I am relatively new to S3's (October 2019) and to the forum, but for the most part, a lot of S3's are pretty similar. Magnetic ride or fixed suspension. 19 inch wheels or 18 inch. Red calipers or black calipers. Sport seats (diamond stitching) or regular seats. B&O or non B&O. Virtual cockpit or no visual cockpit. Side assist or no side assist. Black optic or no black optic. As far as big things go, that's about it, I believe. I would recommend a 2018+ to get the 7 speed instead of the 6. If you can't get a 2018, at the very least, avoid a 2015. These seem to have the most problems, and as a 2015 owner, I can vouch for that.

Although this is irrelevant to your search, if I was in the market for another S3, I would be looking for 2018+ with virtual cockpit and black optic package. Anything else would be a bonus, but not a requirement.

[Spinnetti]

Depends on if you are a performance nut or not. If not, it will be a great upgrade. If you are, the B5 has a more sophisticated suspension, quattro and drivetrain layout. (I had 2 B5 and a B6 stage III for 14 years - B6 was alot better than B5). Took me quite a bit to get the car to handle well - significantly more than either B5 or B6, and still don't like the quattro function of Haldex compared to the earlier Torsen cars. the S3 is quick though, and at stage II (where I'm at) its hard to fault in the stoplight drags, just not as playful.

[redline380]

Although this is irrelevant to your search, if I was in the market for another S3, I would be looking for 2018+ with virtual cockpit and black optic package. Anything else would be a bonus, but not a requirement.

I can tell you most convenience based features are pointless to me. Something like a virtual cockpit seems dumb to me. Now, black optics would be an interest, as would sports seats.

I'm not seeing much a difference between prestige and premium plus, much like my wife's sq5. Pretty much the only difference there was heated cup holders. She ended up with a premium plus but still got options like carbon trim and B&O.

Which brings me to a very important question- was there an alcantara option available for seating? Some of the seats I see have what looks like an alcantara insert but I can't be positive.

Depends on if you are a performance nut or not. If not, it will be a great upgrade. If you are, the B5 has a more sophisticated suspension, quattro and drivetrain layout. (I had 2 B5 and a B6 stage III for 14 years - B6 was alot better than B5). Took me quite a bit to get the car to handle well - significantly more than either B5 or B6, and still don't like the quattro function of Haldex compared to the earlier Torsen cars. the S3 is quick though, and at stage II (where I'm at) its hard to fault in the stoplight drags, just not as playful.

So I currently have 2 B5s, a beater A4 wagon with 330k miles and an S4 that I have a spare block for. I had a 2001 A4 for over a decade that I built the engine for. I doubt I would get that crazy with an s3, but I could see a turbo upgrade long in the future. But to be honest, they seem pretty damn quick with just a tune. I am definitely keeping my S4. And considering the shape my wagon is in, there isn't much reason to sell it. So I'd probably keep that too. I'd get an S3 to fill up the garage and to drive around town. I have a fairly long commute, but I no lonnger drive. I take a train. So, I just drop the kids off and head to the station, maybe 10 miles at most.

[TheDude420]

I upgraded from a B7 A4 to a 2016 8V S3 with APR Stage 2 last year. My B7 A4 was stock apart from the wheels, tires, headlights and tint. The S3 is closer in size to the B7 A4 but the interior is slightly smaller. I love my S3 and the tuning potential is great. You can easily get 400hp. One thing to look out for with the 8V S3 is the water pump. They tend to fail so try to get a low mileage S3 or one that has already had the water pump replaced. I'm not aware of any other major problems with the 8V S3. I did A LOT of research before buying my S3. I wanted an S4 but with my budget I could only buy a B8 S4. From my research a lot of people that had older S4's bought the 8V S3.

All 8V S3's are similar. They use the MQB platform. The S3 has Quattro but it's a Haldex AWD system. It's in FWD most of the time and power is sent to the rear wheels when there is wheel slippage in snow or rain and when using launch control. You can choose between Premium Plus and Prestige trims. 2015 S3's had more options to configure your car. For 2016 Audi changed some of the configurations so options you could previously choose to get on the Premium Plus trim were changed to only be available on the Prestige trim.

My S3:

2016 Premium Plus with Tech package (magnetic ride, navigation, 7 inch screen, upgraded sound system with HD radio), Black Optics (black trim instead of silver)
19 inch wheels (18 inch standard)
Super sport seats (gorgeous, look them up)

Audio:

The 8V S3 comes with Apple CarPlay. For Android you will have to use Bluetooth to stream music. You can also install an AUX cable via the glovebox or center console storage area. The 8.5V (2017+) S3's come with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You can retrofit this onto the 8V but you have to buy a new screen and install it. There are three options when it comes to the sound system:

The standard sound system does not sound good and you get a very small 5 inch low resolution screen.

The upgraded sound system sounds good and you get a 7 inch high resolution display with HD radio.

The best audio option is the Bang & Olufsen sound system. You get additional speakers and it sounds excellent. The screen is the same as the upgraded sound system I explained above.

All 8V S3's have LED DRL (daytime running lights) on their headlights. I don't have the full LED headlight package so my headlight bulbs are Bi-Xenon with the LED DRL. The full LED headlights definitely look cooler when the car is parked and off but they don't provide very good performance because they are the first-gen LED headlights. The Bi-Xenon bulbs provide more brightness. The full LED headlights on the 8.5V (2017+) S3's are Matrix LED and much better. Everything else is pretty much the same with very small changes. From the side view you can't really tell the difference between an 8V and an 8.5V S3. The 2017+ models have a redesigned front and rear. The front looks more aggressive on the 8.5V S3 but the 8V S3 still looks nice in comparison not super outdated.

That's all I can think of right now.

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Audizine mobile app

[esskay]

You can look at the various packages and options by model year in the brochures collected here:
http://www.auto-brochures.com/audi.html

[hev702]

I can tell you most convenience based features are pointless to me. Something like a virtual cockpit seems dumb to me. Now, black optics would be an interest, as would sports seats.

I'm not seeing much a difference between prestige and premium plus, much like my wife's sq5. Pretty much the only difference there was heated cup holders. She ended up with a premium plus but still got options like carbon trim and B&O.

Which brings me to a very important question- was there an alcantara option available for seating? Some of the seats I see have what looks like an alcantara insert but I can't be positive.

Definitely. Virtual cockpit is not really a necessity at all. I can imagine it would be very expensive to replace if anything ever went wrong. I believe prestige is only on the older S3's, the face lifts are premium plus. Even then, I can't think of anything my prestige has that can't be had on a premium plus. Furthermore, I don't believe there was an Alcantara option. The regular seats are leather. Sometimes you might see multicolor, where the outside is black and the inside is either grey or red, but it's all leather. The sport seats are also leather with diamond stitching.

[TheDude420]

Alcantara is an option for the RS3 on the streering wheel. I have not seen it as an option for the seats. The S3 has leather seats and steering wheel. Sport seats are standard on the S3 while super sport seats are an option.

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Audizine mobile app

[h8rade]

I've had my S3 since 2014 in three countries (USA NC & RI, Norway and Germany) in multiple climates and I've always been happy with it. Prior to that I was an Evo guy. I did look at the S4 prior to buying the S3. At that time, the S3 appeared to have about 90% of the usable interior space of the S4, but the S3 felt much lighter on its feet.

[redline380]

You can look at the various packages and options by model year in the brochures collected here:
http://www.auto-brochures.com/audi.html

This is incredibly helpful. Nice seeing everything on paper.

I gotta say, the more reading I have been doing and I think an S3 will be in my future. It checks *most* of the boxes for me and seems like an incredibly capable platform. In fact, my intention was to wait until summer 2021 to buy. I just may not be able to hold off until then.

Of course, there's those damn air vents though! We did have an 8v A3 as a loaner once. I rather enjoyed it for what it was. Really reminded me of a B5, even a little tighter. Put in some extra power, and I think I am a buyer.

[twopointohtee]

Hey what's up? Over in the Lake Minnetonka area here. Feel free to ask me whatever questions you want lol. Have a 16 S3 (Stg 2 APR) Sepang Blue w/Black Optics :)