Someone explain this one to me.. why is the RS3 kinda slow?

ScoobyDoo69

ScoobyDoo69

ScoobyDoo69

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So Audi RS3 does 0-60mph in 4.4sec, 0-100mph in 11.7 and the 1/4mile in 13.6sec @ 103mph.

It has 335bhp, 4 wheel drive, and a DSG gear box.

Now without meaning to be boasting, why is it that my car, when it was rolling roaded at just under 330bhp, so less than the Audi, and with a manual gearbox etc managed the quarter mile in 12.9 seconds? Surely a 330bhp Impreza cannot be that much faster?

So my question really is, why is the Audi not quicker than it is? Both the 0-60 and the 0-100 are impressive, but yet the quarter mile seems slow for such a great engine and gearbox combo.

What's the deal? I tend to find this a lot, I see a lot of new cars that I would think are going to be quick, but in reality they never really seem to be that fast?
 
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I always thought that weight was the killer at low speeds? The RS3 doesn't seem to mind it too much with that 0-60mph time!

Obviously I know weight does having a big effect, but surely once moving that effect is less? The RS3 manages really good 0-100mph times yet how does it only go another 3mph before crossing the line 1.9seconds later??
 
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Weight and gearing probably. Weren't the old scoobies geared to be quick up to 100 and tail off ?
 
minimadmotorman said:
Probably a gear change @ 100mph?
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This is my point though, it's a DSG box, pretty instant changes?

Firestar_3x said:
It's slower for exactly the same reasons why your car is slower than an Ariel Atom.
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But it only seems to be slower once it's hit the 100mph? When my car was running 330bhp I really don't think it was doing better than 0-60mph in 4.4 or near 0-100mph in 11.7? Plus mine has a manual box so surely these DSG cars gain some advantage despite weight?
 
Hate said:
Weight and gearing probably. Weren't the old scoobies geared to be quick up to 100 and tail off ?
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The older imports were yeah, but the UK cars have always have quite decent gearing, mine is nice short but not too short gearing until 5th when it's much longer.

Bizzarly with only 30bhp more than the Audi I now run 1.5sec and 10mph quicker than it over the quarter mile line :confused: I really used to think having a DSG box really helped the acceleration times!
 
I would imagine gearing could have a lot to do with it, I can imagine all of the gear ratios in an Impreza being more aggressively biased to acceleration where the RS3 would lose that bias as you move through the box.

Weight will still be a contributing factor, though not as much as it is off the line, you're still trying to accelerate more weight.
 
ScoobyDoo69 said:
But it only seems to be slower once it's hit the 100mph? When my car was running 330bhp I really don't think it was doing better than 0-60mph in 4.4 or near 0-100mph in 11.7? Plus mine has a manual box so surely these DSG cars gain some advantage despite weight?
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What's your scooby geared to Vmax wise? Odds are the RS3 will be limited to 155 but geared far past that which will hurt performance.
 
175-180mph in 6th apparently. Not that it will ever make it there, only if it had power right up to 7750 rpm :D

Looking at this video, the performance seems different somehow?


It seems to cross 100mph and continue well past in one gear, and does so quickly! So how does Autoexpress only manage to get it to do another 3mph from it's 0-100mph to the quarter mile I don't know.
 
Well that video has the DSG in S mode, which is automatic still but holds in each gear longer.

Maybe the AutoExpress test had it in D or even in manual with some poorly selected shifting? If they got good 0-60 times, you'd doubt they were in D, so perhaps it was manual but short shifted?
 
What a bizarre thread.

Why is a car that does 0-60 in 4.4 seconds and 0-100 in 11 seconds slow? The answer of course is that it isn't slow at all. It's only 30bhp more than my 335i yet that took 5 seconds to hit 60 and a further 1 second to hit 100!

Therefore I have no choice but to say 'Worst look how fast my cheap Jap rice tin is thread ever'.
 
He's not calling the car slow outright though, he's just confused why it seems to just suddenly run out of puff so extremely that it's apparently taking 1.9 seconds to accelerate from 100mph to 103mph and his lower powered, manual, also 4WD drive car that was similar/slower off the line, manages a 1/4 mile time 0.7s faster.

For a car as quick as an RS3, that doesn't add up, i'm sure you'd agree.

Looking at the numbers like that, i'd be inclined to think something was amiss with AutoExpress' timing set up though, that's just daft really. 2 seconds to accelerate 3mph like that? Just seems wrong really.
 
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now as I'm sure you all know I'm definately a scoob fanboy, but there are certain things you can't ignore when discussing subarus performance

1) they deafen the nearby population with stupidly loud straight through exhausts
2) they are awful on fuel
3) they aren't exactly refined

that being said, they are cheap as chips and a hoot to drive, however an RS3 they are not and will not be on any level
 
[TW]Fox;20547550 said:
It's only 30bhp more than my 335i yet that took 5 seconds to hit 60 and a further 1 second to hit 100!
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I'm probably reading that wrong or something but - 335i's hit 100mph in 6 seconds?. :eek:
 
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