M140i Shadow Edition

Not only that, but the one above is the saloon.

The one in the link on the first page was the 5 door hatchback in grey which is the most mundane it could be and at 39k used you are into, in my opinion, much better used options across the board with other brands.

It's a moot point though, the M140i can be had new for 10k less with preferable aprs, hefty deposit contributions and a low PM figure.
 
panthro said:
An 8V RS3 will show an M140i its tailpipes in any weather condition. I'm a huge BMW fan, having owned 2 E46 M3's, an E92 M3, a 330CI and a Z4 35i M Sport, however the new 8V RS3 is a beast. I could not believe how fast it was when I drove it. The 5 cylinder engine is anything but dull. In fact I would take that engine any day over an N54 or N55 engined car (except maybe an M2). It's probably the only modern Audi I've ever been enthusiastic about.
If you're comparing the S3 then yes it's a relatively dull car compared to the M135/40i.
It is quite dull looking though, they could have given it bigger arches like the RS4 and RS6.
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Couldn't agree more but the RS3 is a completely different league to the ubiquitous R/S3/135i etc. Far more expensive to lease too I imagine.
 
Leasing one doesn't make much sense on a car that will likely have incredibly strong residuals. As I said, when I looked last year, the PCP TOC's were all similar between the Golf R, the M140i and the RS3 or S3. Granted though, the RS3 was "poverty spec", but that was reasonable enough spec anyway.

Of course, that might all change now with the new RS3 coming soon. But it is also worthy of note that when I was looking, there were discounts to be had on all cars except the RS3 too.
 
I've managed to have a run out in a M140i auto today and really enjoyed it. It was really responsive, fast and felt quite well planted (The roads were bone dry). It was a non adaptive suspension model and I didn't feel that it was a unfortable ride, so would probably look at going without and bringing the monthly payments down.

So;

3sr Auto
Mineral Grey
Pro Nav
Heated Front Seats
Shadow Edition (Sun Protection Glass, Rear Park Sensor, Cruise Control, Harman/Kardon Speakers)

for 2700 down and 333 per month.


My local Audi were having a "Golden ticket" event on today, so the sales staff were all booked up and busy, but I've left my details to book in a test drive in the week. BMW are offering a 21% discount on their OTR price (37,500 to £29,500) (3.9% PCP until June 30th), the best I've seen from audi is 9.2% from carwow and 12% from DrivetheDeal so it makes the S3 approximately £3k more then their PCP is 5.4% so probably looking at over £400pm.

Spec wise

S3 Sports Back 5dr
Black Edition (Black Styling Pack, Privacy Glass, Bang and Olufsen Sound System)
Nano Grey
Folding Door Mirrors

OTR £37,675... Drivethe Deal: £33k

IS there places where Audi dealers offer better offers, ie TRL @ BabyBMW?

Also new deals and offers start July 1st, so would probably need to be deposit down before then to take advantage of current deals, they could go up July 1st at BMW.
 
Brother has an S3, its pretty nice. Was quite close to getting one myself however the rear leg room lets it down so ended up with a 340i. I wouldn't mind driving either on a daily basis though. :)
 
Of course, if performance & handling aren't everything and you actually care about how a car looks, it's worth bearing in mind that the A3 Saloon is an awesome looking thing whereas the 1-series still looks like shoe :p :D
 
Would seriously consider getting shot of the colour and heated seats and going with the adaptive suspension.

At least take an extended test drive in both with and without before laying down £35k on a car.
 
Is an S3 not mechanically similar/identical to a Golf R? From reviews the 35i/40i and R trade blows with each other
 
Shivy011 said:
Is an S3 not mechanically similar/identical to a Golf R? From reviews the 35i/40i and R trade blows with each other
Click to expand...

For some strange reason the S3 has different suspension to the Golf R with the Golf R having the better setup for handling and comfort. I would test drive all of them including a A45/Focus RS. I personally found the handling soft on a M135 without adaptive dampers it had a surprising amount of body roll and a soft ish turn in and would lose composure on a bumpy back road, I expect a car with adaptive dampers might be better.
 
I hate to use this as an example but when Chris Harris first reviewed the car, he said ignore all the options except the auto box and adaptive dampers IIRC.

From what I hear, that guy knows a thing or two about cars.
 
Apparently when they went from 135 to 140 they stiffened up the suspension slightly, according to the TopGear review.

The A45 is waaaaay to much money, and falls into the wrong side of 40k tax bracket.

Not considered the Focus RS, it's also manual only which I want to move away from.

I'm struggling to get hold of a s3 locally for a test drive. I nipped VW Crewe this morning to have a look around the new 7.5 R, but was completely ignored by everyone in there. They were more interested in folk over the age of 50.
 
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