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Its probably worth pointing out that the "super sports seats" are merely a different seat back (and thus fixed headrest) the seat bases are the same between the normal "S" seat and the "Super". So it you are looking at this from a comfort POV, go and sit in both first, as the lack of headrest mobility in the super seats might put you off. It certainly made me question the cost of the option!

I'd have to say though, the choice between the two in your OP come down to driving dynamics. Do you want something that feels more raw and connected, or do you want it to be effortlessly fast in any weather, but far more numb?

I'd say the interior is far nicer in the S3, the 1/2-series just feels cheaper, the infotainment systems are a matter of preference, both are nice, but virtual cockpit on the Audi is superb.

In the end for me it came down to needing more than 2 doors, and preferring the styling of saloons over hatches.
 
Why 3 saloon? They looks wrong. The boot lid looks far too small for the rest of body. A4 saloon more suits.

A3 fastback 5 doors looks good.
 
You're having a laugh, right? Most people think that the saloon just has the "right" proportions.

IMG_20170308_164844.jpg


A3 fastback 5 doors looks good.

If you want a van...
 
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I was in the same position as yourself and my Focus RS is being traded in next week after only 6 months and 2500 miles. Long term it just hasn't lived up to what I wanted it to be and I have been put off by so many different things. It's a very good car but maybe more as a weekend toy. My needs have changed and I needed something much bigger too so I have had to go back to the larger hatch style and I have had to go diesel due to rising costs and business miles I am going to have to do.

When I started looking at replacements I seriously considered an S3 saloon as it seems to do everything but when accounting for the miles I am going to do I couldn't justify it. The same could be said of most of the S range and they always seem to offer better value than the RS range too. I personally felt that the interior and virtual cockpit made the S3 a very nice place to sit for any amount of time and it does look much better than the hatch. If you don't need practicality of a hatch then the saloon is a good choice.
 
S3 saloon on looks, interior and all weather ability, which is basically a non requirement in most of the UK.

M240i on driver involvement, rwd fun and noise.

Not a bad decision to have to make.
 
I don't think a 5 door hatchback S3 is a good choice for someone who wants a van.
Of course though, it was fine to refer to the EP3 Civic as "the breadvan" for pretty much the entirety of the last decade? Clearly it's not a van, but neither is it an alternative for someone who isn't looking for/doesn't like a hatchback.
 
You're having a laugh, right? Most people think that the saloon just has the "right" proportions.

IMG_20170308_164844.jpg




If you want a van...


This having followed and being followed by Elliot in his S3 saloon they are lovely looking cars, with an element of class to them and they have the lovely sequential very bling rear indicators. :D

The 2.0l engine used in the S3/Golf R platform is a very solid motor, not only that is really does have a lovely powerband, As your coming from the Focus RS with the 2.3l I found this engine not as eager as the 2.0l K04 that I had in my Golf. The RS was happiest in the 2500-5500rpm region, whereas the Golf R (same as S3) in stock form was very happy in the 2000-6000rpm region with a more linear power delivery stock, infact it will rev quite happily to 7000rpm if you so wish.

The RS is a bit more sharper, turns in a bit more eager due to torque vectoring, but on a bumpy British road the RS is a little too firm and I would suspect over time that could even become quite jarring in a daily car.

On the tuning front the 2.0l in the S3/Golf is very tune friendly and very reliable, a stage 1 tune will see you around 350-360HP with similar torque levels and cost around £500 to have a custom tune at somewhere like Unicorn tuning and I can highly vouch for these guys, their ECU and TCU tune transformed my Golf and no reason why the results would not be the same on the S3.

In short a stage 1 tuned S3/Golf DSG will absolutely waste a tuned Focus RS, they are just so much quicker than the RS, not a small amount either, the difference is huge. I cannot vouch for the S3 but the Golf R handling though FWD biased was great fun and very predictable, they are setup perfectly for UK roads and I'd imagine the S3 is similar.

I highly recommend them, grab one a couple of years old, get a stage 1 map on it and do not look back. :)


P.S. M240i also a good choice, also very tune friendly but does not have the traction the Haldex the VAG group cars will give you. :)
 
What Fox said.

He wouldn’t be doing light haulage for long after were he to do so.....

Ha, you'd surprised at some of the stupidly small items he has to take from time to time, due to them being under ADR certification. He has a LWB variant too, which makes it even more of a joke from time to time.

The first pallet he comes across would be questionable though...
 
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