Test drove an Audi S3 Saloon (300ps) today with a view to jump out of the Diesel Avant and get back into a petrol (I only do 8 miles a day and that's if I pop home for lunch).
The plan was to try the S3 Saloon manual and then try the S-Tronic.
Didn't bother with the S-Tronic as the S3 in general didn't give me that fizz and I was pretty underwhelmed.
My previous S4 although 6 years older was a much better car both in cabin feel and power delivery. Although on paper there's only 33BHP in it, the S4 felt so much better with the Supercharged V6.
It reminded me of when I bought and collected my STi Hawkeye (320ps PPP) from Halifax and nailed it up the slip-road on the M1. I was left with a feeling of "is that it......I was expecting more".
The S3 is yet another modern turbo charged car where they have mapped out the 'turboness' and made it feel linear and normally aspirated. Which is exactly what I un-done when I remapped the Hawkeye.
In a way it's a shame, but on a more positive note it allowed me to rattle that one out of my head and throw that option on the heap. Big thanks to E'bourne Audi for getting the S3 shipped over from Brighton for the trial.
Walking back across the Audi forecourt back to my Avant it did look very nice in all it's Sepang blue'ness, amongst the regular Black/Grey/Silver Audi brigade.
It's just a shame it doesn't deliver what it looks like and goes dugger dugger instead of broom broom pop crackle........
Sepang Blue RS3 test drive tomorrow then
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