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I will cover aesthetics then performance and aspects from the drivers point of view.
Let me start off by saying I now agree with Todd - car needs arches all round to really make it standout aggressively. To my eyes, the S3 looks more beautiful with the twin tailpipe and business-like exterior. That is the thing for me you see...Audi need to drop the subtlety on the RS3 because VW Golf MK7R is for that sort of thing - grown up looks.
The RS3 looks, to me, to be a lazy design...the engine is the attraction and having driven the RS3 properly over the 5-hours we were out there today, I walked away thinking I want that engine...luv the interior; liked the brakes; impressed by the ride comfort in the comfort and dynamic modes...the automatic mode is pointless - you either want smooth or aggressive and allowing the computer to decide which is best for you is a waste of time...and that is the thing about the RS3...for me Audi are trying too hard with making the car fit in to nowhere...lost personality for me...boot space is reduced if you opt for the factory subwoofer; rear cabin space is ample...dash is well laid out...seats are superb...really like them...brakes looks and feels impressive working well for the 5-hrs we were out there in the wet & cold UK weather.
Max specced B&O System - sounds really impressive, sure the sub is locatable if you like your in-car system to be transparent so that speakers disappear but for a jump in and play loud & clear the system was fab. The dash mounted screen hides away in to the dash when engine is switched off...very neat though I would be worried about the motorised unit failing.
Alcantara on steering is plush and feels really nice...also touches of alcantara on door cards and centre console is plush and adds to the motorsports feel.
Steering in dynamic mode weights up a tiny bit but still feels too detached for me - not ideal for driving on these type of roads. I suspect the issue is the wider front tires, tire pressures and alignment...would prefer to see 235 section tires upfront for more feel and 255 moved to rears. Another thing I kept feeling at WOT was the front lifting...which the TT-RS does in stock trim...root cause, which we have done a great deal of work in this area, is rear squatting. Overall, the car needs the chassis to be balanced out...but that steering really isolates the driver too much from the road surface...I just could not feel what the car was doing...and turning the steering has that momentarily delay before reaction. Using throttle to get the car round a bend only causes rear squat and front losing tarmac bite - planted!...that is the word...RS3 is not planted all round.
In comparison and getting back in the TT-RS that was planted and I can feel every grove in the road...car feels more alive and steering wiggles in my hands over the same tarmac...I am constantly tugging at the steering wheel to keep that car pointing where you want as seen in the video of me and Max driving...that is what I mean about 'feel'.
In the RS3, steering is not responsive and as a driver of a DSG car....on roads like we were on I want to be controlling the car by doing something rather than just point and squirt...which is not much fun. Having sat in the RS3 with Max driving and watching playback of him driving the TT-RS...there is definitely two emotions here...in his RS3 he could have been driving a Cadillac...not much energy exerted in any movement...great on motorways but on roads like we were on, you will want a driving experience.
The exhaust note is fantastic...crackles and pops on downshifts...pretty fun and could do that all day just for the fun factor. Max had optioned the factory Sports exhaust and it sounds better in stock trim than my TT-RS sports exhausts in stock trim. The only thing the RS3 lacks is the note dies as the revs builds up and I know exactly what to do there to get the sound that will suit my taste...which is what I did on the TT-RS. But make no mistake here...for speeds up to 60MPH, the exhaust is intoxicating.
Interior and seats...fab; class; simple layout; everything is intuitive and Max did not tell me about any of the controls when we swapped cars and I did not tell him anything about my car either...I found the 'Sports' button ...which is called Drive select in the RS3 and you just press to cycle through...in the Golf MK7R that is the 'Mode' button.
The electronic handbrake is similar to the 7R and has auto hold and auto release provided you have the driver seat belt on...you simply stop and remove the keys and it auto engages. Start engine and put seat belt on and you can drive off as it auto disengage...you can also operate it manually...I could live with that tbh however still prefer good old fashion pull of the manual system...just feels safe and reliable.
Engine - the 2.5 L in the RS3 feels as strong as the TT-RS Stage2 map...from 1k rpm up to 3.5k rpm...in the midrange the TT-RS Stage2 is stronger and pulls stronger...if you ever run in to an RS3 in stock trim on an open straight road...stay in 5th gear and you will keep ahead in your Stage2 TT-RS. That RS3 is not 370BHP...feels 400BHP from start to 60MPH...above that it starts to die..could simply be heatsoak even in the cold weather but drop off is apparent...the Golf MK7R is the same as it is stock trim also.
On twisty roads as we were...3rd gear is your best friend...and for me the reason I went to Stage2 from Stage 1 was that ability to get 0.5 gear change back...If I had Stage1 and was playing with Max I would be flicking between 2nd and 3rd gear on these roads and in the conditions experienced. In my Stage2, 3rd gear is everything I need and here you can see the TT-RS pulls strong. Max would have been flicking from 2nd to 4th gear as I was when following him and even then I could not keep up driving his RS3 chasing him in my TT-RS. If a Stage3 TT-RS would give me more lower & wider spread of torque so that in the same scenery as I was playing with Max I could be in 4th gear then that would be fantastic!
DSG - hmm...great for launch control...great for straight line pilots...great for long journeys or in traffic...that is it for me. For driving on twisty roads and using the manual mode, I found it blunted the engine power...from the video of me chasing Max watch from 1:52 to 2:55 and am in 3rd gear only...and ahead I kept braking to leave a gap between us...he would have been struggling between 2nd to 4th gear...DSG cannot give the level of control over engine torque to allow the RS3 to play in 3rd gear on roads like these...the need to go to 2nd gear for tight bends and 4th gear for picking speed is the hindrance and hence for me DSG does not have the level of control over the engine torque that I would need...in MT as I was driving in the TT-RS...I can happily get close to the redline and still have torque in the bag to keep up without the car feeling strained as the engine begs for a gear change because torque flattens out...that for me is the difference between the DSG in the RS3 and the MT in the TT-RS ...that is key for me and will grow frustrated.
Do I ever envisage an auto box behaving right for me in the narrowband driving on a fav road or track...hmmm, have to try one first....thought PDK-S would have been right but that was not so good on spirited road use so am not so sure auto-box can replace MT.
On closer examination, I note that DSG in the RS3 does run out of steam as the revs builds past 3.5k...hence the need to change down to get in the higher torque band...software map may solve the issue however the stock car was struggling.
So the first test on wet roads was interesting and fun...next test is on track and we will bring the Golf MK7 R with either MSS Sports or MSS Track Pack fitted to see where we are at...
...after sampling the RS3, I have shifted my betting money on to the more well setup TT-RS for the track battle...though the Golf MK7R may have something to say about that...it looks ready from pix attached...we shall see if it is all it is cracked up to be in its pomp.
Ohh, weight of the TT-RS made no difference - both cars felt about the same weight to me... not that you can easily judge car weight when driving but the RS3 did not feel particularly agile or 'lite'...just felt nose heavy.
Let me start off by saying I now agree with Todd - car needs arches all round to really make it standout aggressively. To my eyes, the S3 looks more beautiful with the twin tailpipe and business-like exterior. That is the thing for me you see...Audi need to drop the subtlety on the RS3 because VW Golf MK7R is for that sort of thing - grown up looks.
The RS3 looks, to me, to be a lazy design...the engine is the attraction and having driven the RS3 properly over the 5-hours we were out there today, I walked away thinking I want that engine...luv the interior; liked the brakes; impressed by the ride comfort in the comfort and dynamic modes...the automatic mode is pointless - you either want smooth or aggressive and allowing the computer to decide which is best for you is a waste of time...and that is the thing about the RS3...for me Audi are trying too hard with making the car fit in to nowhere...lost personality for me...boot space is reduced if you opt for the factory subwoofer; rear cabin space is ample...dash is well laid out...seats are superb...really like them...brakes looks and feels impressive working well for the 5-hrs we were out there in the wet & cold UK weather.
Max specced B&O System - sounds really impressive, sure the sub is locatable if you like your in-car system to be transparent so that speakers disappear but for a jump in and play loud & clear the system was fab. The dash mounted screen hides away in to the dash when engine is switched off...very neat though I would be worried about the motorised unit failing.
Alcantara on steering is plush and feels really nice...also touches of alcantara on door cards and centre console is plush and adds to the motorsports feel.
Steering in dynamic mode weights up a tiny bit but still feels too detached for me - not ideal for driving on these type of roads. I suspect the issue is the wider front tires, tire pressures and alignment...would prefer to see 235 section tires upfront for more feel and 255 moved to rears. Another thing I kept feeling at WOT was the front lifting...which the TT-RS does in stock trim...root cause, which we have done a great deal of work in this area, is rear squatting. Overall, the car needs the chassis to be balanced out...but that steering really isolates the driver too much from the road surface...I just could not feel what the car was doing...and turning the steering has that momentarily delay before reaction. Using throttle to get the car round a bend only causes rear squat and front losing tarmac bite - planted!...that is the word...RS3 is not planted all round.
In comparison and getting back in the TT-RS that was planted and I can feel every grove in the road...car feels more alive and steering wiggles in my hands over the same tarmac...I am constantly tugging at the steering wheel to keep that car pointing where you want as seen in the video of me and Max driving...that is what I mean about 'feel'.
In the RS3, steering is not responsive and as a driver of a DSG car....on roads like we were on I want to be controlling the car by doing something rather than just point and squirt...which is not much fun. Having sat in the RS3 with Max driving and watching playback of him driving the TT-RS...there is definitely two emotions here...in his RS3 he could have been driving a Cadillac...not much energy exerted in any movement...great on motorways but on roads like we were on, you will want a driving experience.
The exhaust note is fantastic...crackles and pops on downshifts...pretty fun and could do that all day just for the fun factor. Max had optioned the factory Sports exhaust and it sounds better in stock trim than my TT-RS sports exhausts in stock trim. The only thing the RS3 lacks is the note dies as the revs builds up and I know exactly what to do there to get the sound that will suit my taste...which is what I did on the TT-RS. But make no mistake here...for speeds up to 60MPH, the exhaust is intoxicating.
Interior and seats...fab; class; simple layout; everything is intuitive and Max did not tell me about any of the controls when we swapped cars and I did not tell him anything about my car either...I found the 'Sports' button ...which is called Drive select in the RS3 and you just press to cycle through...in the Golf MK7R that is the 'Mode' button.
The electronic handbrake is similar to the 7R and has auto hold and auto release provided you have the driver seat belt on...you simply stop and remove the keys and it auto engages. Start engine and put seat belt on and you can drive off as it auto disengage...you can also operate it manually...I could live with that tbh however still prefer good old fashion pull of the manual system...just feels safe and reliable.
Engine - the 2.5 L in the RS3 feels as strong as the TT-RS Stage2 map...from 1k rpm up to 3.5k rpm...in the midrange the TT-RS Stage2 is stronger and pulls stronger...if you ever run in to an RS3 in stock trim on an open straight road...stay in 5th gear and you will keep ahead in your Stage2 TT-RS. That RS3 is not 370BHP...feels 400BHP from start to 60MPH...above that it starts to die..could simply be heatsoak even in the cold weather but drop off is apparent...the Golf MK7R is the same as it is stock trim also.
On twisty roads as we were...3rd gear is your best friend...and for me the reason I went to Stage2 from Stage 1 was that ability to get 0.5 gear change back...If I had Stage1 and was playing with Max I would be flicking between 2nd and 3rd gear on these roads and in the conditions experienced. In my Stage2, 3rd gear is everything I need and here you can see the TT-RS pulls strong. Max would have been flicking from 2nd to 4th gear as I was when following him and even then I could not keep up driving his RS3 chasing him in my TT-RS. If a Stage3 TT-RS would give me more lower & wider spread of torque so that in the same scenery as I was playing with Max I could be in 4th gear then that would be fantastic!
DSG - hmm...great for launch control...great for straight line pilots...great for long journeys or in traffic...that is it for me. For driving on twisty roads and using the manual mode, I found it blunted the engine power...from the video of me chasing Max watch from 1:52 to 2:55 and am in 3rd gear only...and ahead I kept braking to leave a gap between us...he would have been struggling between 2nd to 4th gear...DSG cannot give the level of control over engine torque to allow the RS3 to play in 3rd gear on roads like these...the need to go to 2nd gear for tight bends and 4th gear for picking speed is the hindrance and hence for me DSG does not have the level of control over the engine torque that I would need...in MT as I was driving in the TT-RS...I can happily get close to the redline and still have torque in the bag to keep up without the car feeling strained as the engine begs for a gear change because torque flattens out...that for me is the difference between the DSG in the RS3 and the MT in the TT-RS ...that is key for me and will grow frustrated.
Do I ever envisage an auto box behaving right for me in the narrowband driving on a fav road or track...hmmm, have to try one first....thought PDK-S would have been right but that was not so good on spirited road use so am not so sure auto-box can replace MT.
On closer examination, I note that DSG in the RS3 does run out of steam as the revs builds past 3.5k...hence the need to change down to get in the higher torque band...software map may solve the issue however the stock car was struggling.
So the first test on wet roads was interesting and fun...next test is on track and we will bring the Golf MK7 R with either MSS Sports or MSS Track Pack fitted to see where we are at...
...after sampling the RS3, I have shifted my betting money on to the more well setup TT-RS for the track battle...though the Golf MK7R may have something to say about that...it looks ready from pix attached...we shall see if it is all it is cracked up to be in its pomp.
Ohh, weight of the TT-RS made no difference - both cars felt about the same weight to me... not that you can easily judge car weight when driving but the RS3 did not feel particularly agile or 'lite'...just felt nose heavy.
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