Anyone own an S3 - what are your views.

[rlw]

I'm scheming to replace our Scirocco R - 2017 - with a newer car. Economy and service costs not an issue. Comfort and noise are.

The Scirocco is a hard riding car, even in comfort setting, and is very noisy inside. Tyre noise renders the radio useless most of the time. Other than that, it's practical, is fast enough and is fun to drive briskly.

I fancy a 23 or 24 S3 saloon and have read a couple of decent reviews, essentially saying that it's a good compromise between performance and practicality and more useful, day to day, than an RS3.

Any thoughts? I'm aware of the steering feel issues but, after a GT3, anything feels rubbish to me anyway.

[Polome]

I have a ‘24 plate 5 door in Daytona grey. Bought as management car and done just over 3k in last 6 months. Like you I’ve been fortunate to drive 911’s for last 25 years so agree completely with your thoughts. Driving comparison to my 991.2 gts and on the same quiet B road in ..ahem..`having a drive mode ….the S3 is only 10-15 mph slower on the straights , brakes easy as good but very light peddle feel , mpg same or a bit less , handling ..soft at speed but gives a small thrill. My car Black edition with technology pack has standard suspension , pretty brittle around what Edinburgh now call roads but more compliant with a bit more speed I.e. motorway and touring B road driving . On the pluses..nice leather , buttons for important stuff , the 4wd gives confidence in the wet my 911 could only dream of making it quiet and relaxing on motorways. Negatives…pretty ugly car..never look back at it when parked up and a bit too much tech .My son has a ‘17 S4 and it feels so much better interior , carpets ,trim ,switch gear all feel more robust and potentially longer lasting. City driving rarely betters 20 mpg but overall my car showing 27 mpg. Bought it in preference to Golf R ( too barren interior ) and Honda Type R ( too big) You can see I’m probably 50-50 on the car…as a daily I think it’s perfect so will be keeping it for at least 5 years. The new(er) model with an extra 30 odd hp wouldn’t make enough of a difference to tempt me to change ..my mate has the same year RS3 and apart from being faster it’s no better a looking nor driving car…they are what they were designed as ..a swift 4/5 door with a bit extra. Good luck with choice ..happy to answer any queries you may have.