[ZPrime]

As someone who went from an A5 Golf R32 to an 8J TTRS - you're making the right decision with the M2.

(I've only had the TTRS for ~2.5 years now and I already want out of it, although part of the driver behind that is the lack of space in the TT. I might be the first person ever to trade from a TT to a 2-series because the 2-series is more practical.)

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by ZPrime

As someone who went from an A5 Golf R32 to an 8J TTRS - you're making the right decision with the M2.

(I've only had the TTRS for ~2.5 years now and I already want out of it, although part of the driver behind that is the lack of space in the TT. I might be the first person ever to trade from a TT to a 2-series because the 2-series is more practical.)

You're not breaking new ground here. The 2 is a LOT more practical. The back seat can actually - shocker - function as a back seat for grown people. The only upside to the TT is the rear folded hatch load, but the 2 is a lot better for anything else.

[tstafford]

For me, AWD kills it. I want RWD on all track cars.

[akkando]

Originally Posted by Nortdort

I have been trying to choose between the two. While the engine and high tech interior of the Audi are very persuasive, ultimately I think the M2 will be my next car.

Currently have a 2015 Golf R. So it made total sense to move into an RS3: 4 doors, faster than my R, high tech options .... very much a direct improvement to my R but in sedan form. However that's the issue I am having: that like my GTI before to my R now to an RS3 it's literally driving the same car but with a better interior and a better engine.

Furthermore with the RS3 you need to add the tech package to get nav/cockpit/sound system and you tick a few other boxes and it quickly becomes a 62k car.

Also. It really does look exactly like an S3 with different rims and a better front lip. The sound of the 5cyl is INTOXICATING though.

For the M2 I have always wanted a RWD sports coupe and a M car. It is sufficiently different from the hatches I have driven for nearly 10 years and it looks very good to boot. Also it sounds rather good as well (but maybe less exotic than the RS3). It can also be had with a manual, something I have very much been looking to get again.

With all its positives it's biggest drawback is that it's not very family friendly. My main concern with the M2 is that I have a 1.5 year old son and getting him in and out of the coupe will be a PIA.

So when I weighed the pros/cons of the M2:

Pros:
RWD Sports Coupe
Manual
Looks great
Sounds great
Can use my USAA 2k incentive
5k cheaper than a RS3 before discounts
3 years maintenance included

Cons:
Basic interior(still looks good but no one will argue that Audi wins in this department)
Not family friendly
Less HP

Vs the pros/cons of the Audi:

Pros:
4 doors
400hp (rocket ship in a straight line)
AWD
7speed DSG
High tech/ nicer interior (virtual cockpit is really nice)
That 5cyl sound

Cons:
No USAA incentives
5k more
Sedan
Less appealing exterior
Same platform as my current car

So it boiled down to one question for me:
Is the engine sound, 35hp, 4 doors and the high tech/more refined interior worth 7k more than the M2?

As of this writing the answer is NO and I am in for the M2. The kid thing will be interesting but he is in my wife's car 90% of the time. So should be fine.

However, once I start to see the RS3s in person..... who knows what will happen. But then again 7k is 7k, hell of a lot of money.

A manual (and rwd) M2 will hold it's value better than an RS3 I think. Of course no guarantees there.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by tstafford

For me, AWD kills it. I want RWD on all track cars.

Perfectly fair. That said if you broaden your world view beyond track day cars things like the RS3 can make a lot of sense for certain folks out there.

[tstafford]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

Perfectly fair. That said if you broaden your world view beyond track day cars things like the RS3 can make a lot of sense for certain folks out there.

Absolutely. If I didn't care about tracking it, the RS3 seems terrific. Audi interior is so damn good - and the M2 is pretty bad IMHO.

FWIW - my DD is AWD (Tesla MS).

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by tstafford

Absolutely. If I didn't care about tracking it, the RS3 seems terrific. Audi interior is so damn good - and the M2 is pretty bad IMHO.

FWIW - my DD is AWD (Tesla MS).

Yeah so you've got that covered. M2 is great for a compromise track car. Compromise as in something that's excellent at the track yet supremely usable in normal daily operation. Not many that do so well in both worlds.

If on the other hand you told me you live in MN, need to get a kid in and out of the back and want to enjoy the occasional track day for shits and giggles we are having a completely different conversation.

End of the day none of the cars we are collectively looking at are bad. Some are just better depending on circumstances.

[norberts]

I am a newcomer to this thread and have a quick question.
I'm starting to look for replacement for my M235i and I am on the M2 list but also considering the RS3.
Does anybody know what is a good reliable Audi forum where I can ask some specific questions? (The bimmerpost of Audi if you like)

Thanks.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by norberts

I am a newcomer to this thread and have a quick question.
I'm starting to look for replacement for my M235i and I am on the M2 list but also considering the RS3.
Does anybody know what is a good reliable Audi forum where I can ask some specific questions? (The bimmerpost of Audi if you like)

Thanks.

vwvortex is decent and there's a huge RS3 thread.

[Transfer]

Originally Posted by Nortdort

I have been trying to choose between the two. While the engine and high tech interior of the Audi are very persuasive, ultimately I think the M2 will be my next car...

If you can stomach used, you could also look at E90 M3s for the 4 door M car with an amazing V8, although admittedly does not have the low end punch of an RS3 or M2.

Unless you have to have the 4 doors, AWD, and subjectively fancy whiz bangs, I think the M2 is the better car. Especially if you want a manual.

[Nortdort]

Originally Posted by Transfer

If you can stomach used, you could also look at E90 M3s for the 4 door M car with an amazing V8, although admittedly does not have the low end punch of an RS3 or M2.

Unless you have to have the 4 doors, AWD, and subjectively fancy whiz bangs, I think the M2 is the better car. Especially if you want a manual.

I have looked at e90s 2013s are hovering around 40k or so, depending on miles etc... so that is an option. I have driven a couple of them and they are very nice.

Test drove a M240 this weekend to get an idea of the interior of the M2, and really its not THAT bad. Its no worse than my Golf R, but sure its a little basic.

Regarding the Audi. For about 12k less you can get an S3 and slap an APR tune on it for 800 bucks (warranty concerns aside) and get the same straight line performance as the RS3 and have all the wiz bang tech. Granted you don't get the 5cyl engine or that exhaust note or the "RS Badge bragging rights", but you could do a lot more fun things with 12k than listen to your exhaust haha.

[DivideBYZero]

I'll just leave this here...

[Transfer]

Originally Posted by Nortdort

I have looked at e90s 2013s are hovering around 40k or so, depending on miles etc... so that is an option. I have driven a couple of them and they are very nice.

Test drove a M240 this weekend to get an idea of the interior of the M2, and really its not THAT bad. Its no worse than my Golf R, but sure its a little basic.

Regarding the Audi. For about 12k less you can get an S3 and slap an APR tune on it for 800 bucks (warranty concerns aside) and get the same straight line performance as the RS3 and have all the wiz bang tech. Granted you don't get the 5cyl engine or that exhaust note or the "RS Badge bragging rights", but you could do a lot more fun things with 12k than listen to your exhaust haha.

Yeah not sure why people think the 2er interior is low rent. I happen to like it quite a bit and I have had zero rattles in my 23 months of use. The seats are incredibly good as well although not very fancy looking.

The S3 is certainly an option but if you're like me, the noise aspect really counts and a 4 cylinder will just never make the same good noises as a 5, 6, or 8. Not to mention it won't be as sharp as the RS.

[achenator]

Hate to say this but the Audi interior is too nice for me lol. One of the reasons I won't buy any Audis right now is I already have a 17 R8 v10+. Driving a car with all the virtual cockpit and interior upgrades daily would take away the specialness of getting in the R8

[stefan]

Originally Posted by Transfer

Yeah not sure why people think the 2er interior is low rent. I happen to like it quite a bit and I have had zero rattles in my 23 months of use. The seats are incredibly good as well although not very fancy looking.

The S3 is certainly an option but if you're like me, the noise aspect really counts and a 4 cylinder will just never make the same good noises as a 5, 6, or 8. Not to mention it won't be as sharp as the RS.

The S3 makes no sense at all. Why wouldn't you get a Golf R and at least have a proper transmission? It's not as fast as it seems on paper, stock at least, and pushes bigtime in the bends even when you aren't flat out. The motor does not sound good and it's super peaky.

[Nortdort]

Originally Posted by stefan

The S3 makes no sense at all. Why wouldn't you get a Golf R and at least have a proper transmission? It's not as fast as it seems on paper, stock at least, and pushes bigtime in the bends even when you aren't flat out. The motor does not sound good and it's super peaky.

Oh I know how good the Golf R is as I currently own one haha. And truthfully I would rather just get the 2018 Golf R instead of the S3 if I went this route. Was just trying to compare apples (RS3 interior/performance) to apples (S3 Interior/performance with tune).

Hatch+manual + 10k less >>> Audi niceties + Sedan

[stefan]

Originally Posted by Nortdort

Oh I know how good the Golf R is as I currently own one haha. And truthfully I would rather just get the 2018 Golf R instead of the S3 if I went this route. Was just trying to compare apples (RS3 interior/performance) to apples (S3 Interior/performance with tune).

Hatch+manual + 10k less >>> Audi niceties + Sedan

I swear it drives better than the S3 too but it could have been fluke. I drove them both but a long time apart.

[j_3_f_f]

I put in deposit for MY18 M2 this week but also decided to put another deposit for RS3. Both should be available in mid nov if all goes as planned. I can't decide!

[norberts]

Originally Posted by Nortdort

I have been trying to choose between the two. While the engine and high tech interior of the Audi are very persuasive, ultimately I think the M2 will be my next car.

Currently have a 2015 Golf R. So it made total sense to move into an RS3: 4 doors, faster than my R, high tech options .... very much a direct improvement to my R but in sedan form. However that's the issue I am having: that like my GTI before to my R now to an RS3 it's literally driving the same car but with a better interior and a better engine.

Furthermore with the RS3 you need to add the tech package to get nav/cockpit/sound system and you tick a few other boxes and it quickly becomes a 62k car.

Also. It really does look exactly like an S3 with different rims and a better front lip. The sound of the 5cyl is INTOXICATING though.

For the M2 I have always wanted a RWD sports coupe and a M car. It is sufficiently different from the hatches I have driven for nearly 10 years and it looks very good to boot. Also it sounds rather good as well (but maybe less exotic than the RS3). It can also be had with a manual, something I have very much been looking to get again.

With all its positives it's biggest drawback is that it's not very family friendly. My main concern with the M2 is that I have a 1.5 year old son and getting him in and out of the coupe will be a PIA.

So when I weighed the pros/cons of the M2:

Pros:
RWD Sports Coupe
Manual
Looks great
Sounds great
Can use my USAA 2k incentive
5k cheaper than a RS3 before discounts
3 years maintenance included

Cons:
Basic interior(still looks good but no one will argue that Audi wins in this department)
Not family friendly
Less HP

Vs the pros/cons of the Audi:

Pros:
4 doors
400hp (rocket ship in a straight line)
AWD
7speed DSG
High tech/ nicer interior (virtual cockpit is really nice)
That 5cyl sound

Cons:
No USAA incentives
5k more
Sedan
Less appealing exterior
Same platform as my current car

So it boiled down to one question for me:
Is the engine sound, 35hp, 4 doors and the high tech/more refined interior worth 7k more than the M2?

As of this writing the answer is NO and I am in for the M2. The kid thing will be interesting but he is in my wife's car 90% of the time. So should be fine.

However, once I start to see the RS3s in person..... who knows what will happen. But then again 7k is 7k, hell of a lot of money.

This is pretty much my position just from the other side. In 2015 I was comparing the R with the M235i and S3, I decided on the M235i which I'm driving now.

Early next year I'm up for deciding again, this time between M2, RS3 and Golf R (mostly because of the value prop.). I have a three year old and a three weeks old so I will too need to use my next car about 10% of the time for offspring hauling.

Right now I'm leaning towards the RS3 because the same reasons you mentioned. More doors and more power. But also I'm itching to try an Audi which I never had (after several BMWs and a Porsche). I have a few more months to decide so I'm keeping my eyes on reviews and comparisons.

[stren]

Test drove an RS3 today - It was fun, way more spacious for rear legroom than the M2 as you might expect (At 6'5" amazingly I could fit in the rear behind my positioned driver's seat albeit with cramped headroom). Audi's fancy display beats out BMW's, but I didn't feel like the seats were any better although they were manual only. For everyone saying that the cabin is nicer and that the M2 is a bit more low rent, well I wouldn't agree beyond the fancy display (why doesn't BMW support android auto yet though??). Bizarrely the engine bay had a ton of space behind it towards the fire wall not a big deal and probably a result of the differential positioning but it looked like it would have been better for weight positioning to be further to the rear. Overall it was fast and fun, though not as fun as the M2 even though the engine felt more special. It was still more fun than I expected though and I would say comparable to a Mk7 GTI turned up to 11. As you'd expect lots of understeer and very much a front biased feel for the power. No problems with traction in a straight line ever, again as you'd expect given the semi awd. Launch control was fine and easy to use although the car does log the number of launches which makes me wonder if warranties will be denied. I was surprised though that the car continually goes out of manual mode. One particularly annoying example is if you are hard on the gas while in manual mode the car will downshift for you whether you wanted it to or not which means that manual mode is never more than a suggestion. I'd give the MDCT the edge because of that. It will also automatically upshift at redline which is not such a big deal to me. In other words the manual mode seems usable for a track, but not so useful in daily driving, while the MDCT is better for daily driving manual shifting. The M2 gets the edge for fun and the track (rwd, balanced handling, lower feel, 6mt) and looks (hips), the RS3 is faster in a straight line, more practical, more money and more of a sleeper. Both are good cars.

[akkando]

Originally Posted by stren

Test drove an RS3 today - It was fun, way more spacious for rear legroom than the M2 as you might expect (At 6'5" amazingly I could fit in the rear behind my positioned driver's seat albeit with cramped headroom). Audi's fancy display beats out BMW's, but I didn't feel like the seats were any better although they were manual only. For everyone saying that the cabin is nicer and that the M2 is a bit more low rent, well I wouldn't agree beyond the fancy display (why doesn't BMW support android auto yet though??). Bizarrely the engine bay had a ton of space behind it towards the fire wall not a big deal and probably a result of the differential positioning but it looked like it would have been better for weight positioning to be further to the rear. Overall it was fast and fun, though not as fun as the M2 even though the engine felt more special. It was still more fun than I expected though and I would say comparable to a Mk7 GTI turned up to 11. As you'd expect lots of understeer and very much a front biased feel for the power. No problems with traction in a straight line ever, again as you'd expect given the semi awd. Launch control was fine and easy to use although the car does log the number of launches which makes me wonder if warranties will be denied. I was surprised though that the car continually goes out of manual mode. One particularly annoying example is if you are hard on the gas while in manual mode the car will downshift for you whether you wanted it to or not which means that manual mode is never more than a suggestion. I'd give the MDCT the edge because of that. It will also automatically upshift at redline which is not such a big deal to me. In other words the manual mode seems usable for a track, but not so useful in daily driving, while the MDCT is better for daily driving manual shifting. The M2 gets the edge for fun and the track (rwd, balanced handling, lower feel, 6mt) and looks (hips), the RS3 is faster in a straight line, more practical, more money and more of a sleeper. Both are good cars.

The dual clutch automatically shifting would drive me nuts. I drive the MDCT in manual every day, and I kind of get annoyed that it will stop a stall. If it thinks the car might stall it will down shift, but I am already pressing the paddle/knob for a down shift and then it shifts down two gears which blows. I wouldn't want any more automation than that.

[BMoney]

Originally Posted by akkando

The dual clutch automatically shifting would drive me nuts. I drive the MDCT in manual every day, and I kind of get annoyed that it will stop a stall. If it thinks the car might stall it will down shift, but I am already pressing the paddle/knob for a down shift and then it shifts down two gears which blows. I wouldn't want any more automation than that.

Ive had a 2018 TT RS for a couple of weeks now and the DCT doesn't upshift or downshift automatically when in manual mode. I've bounced off the rev limiter before. The RS3 should be the same. Sounds to me like maybe the shifter wasn't moved to the manual position. The paddles would be more in a semi auto mode if not.