[doug_999]

Originally Posted by dmboone25

http://st.automobilemag.com/uploads/...edan-cabin.jpg

I just think this looks so good.

And a far far improvement over the 2er.

Like I said, maybe it looks better turned on. I would however suggest you try one out in the flesh - my only experience was sitting in it at the auto show, but as I said before, ugh.

[dmboone25]

Originally Posted by doug_999

Like I said, maybe it looks better turned on. I would however suggest you try one out in the flesh - my only experience was sitting in it at the auto show, but as I said before, ugh.

Fair enough.

I am going to the Chicago auto show next Saturday - I will hope to have a lot more first hand impressions of the car afterwards.

[Benef1cient]

Originally Posted by Jadar

We just returned our 228i m sport lease and as much as my wife liked the interior it was total cheap shit. The interior door handles looked out of place, the slope of the passenger dash looked like a tumor (much improved on the LCI), the center console arm rest was way to high and everything looked so minimal and plain. Sorry. I drove an s3 last week and have to say the interior was much better than any 2er I have ever seen. But then again my current F30's interior is much better then the S3 so its what you like in the end. I do like the RS3 interior as well and I do not think it looks like crap like most have commented.

Maybe it's me or the well built and good looking interior of my GTI that is the problem. My plain tartan seats hold me better than RS sport seats and sit much lower. The GTI red led lights in the interior plus led accents look amazing at night and audi only have white leds with the alu trim - they do nothing for the interior really. The red roundels around audi's vents look plastic and cheap, steering is the same albeit some alcantara (if it was at least like in R8 or Audi TT RS...). Breaks were sqeaking like pigs at light braking after hard stops and faded two times in wet at 0 degrees celsius. Oh and the cold startup metallic ringing which all FL users are reporting is a common issue (filmed it even by accident). There is also less space inside somehow especially for rear passengers in the Audi.
Dynamically the car has almost no roll so it's hard to judge the limits properly on the road (again vs the GTI) and comfort setting of the suspension is similar to what Golf is in Sport. GTI settles quite fast and Audi baunces a lot.
Don't get me wrong I love Audi heritage and that 5 cyl engine but this chassis isn't made for this kind of power. It's a pity that this brilliant drivetrain is wasted and not placed in something like a Cayman platform instead of that flat 4.
Even the virtual cockpit i found to be limited although it seemed that it has endless possibilities of configuration.
Yes straight line speed is amazing, sound also although without as much pops and bangs as pre FL which was a dissapointment.
I had it for two days. First day was great, all the novelty, speed, sound. But during second day it started to wear off and fast, I was giving the keys back without any sentiment or regret.
All I wanted to say is that it's not a car for me or Henry Catchpole but maybe somebody else will also find my insights useful.

[RedCarrot]

I own an LCI M2 and have spent over an hour inside the RS3 that I had ordered (and ultimately turned down). I’d say it’s a toss up in terms of interior build quality and material quality between the two. The RS3 has unmistakablely higher quality (Napa) leather on its seating surface but I prefer M2’s seats overall. Reason being RS3 front seats have very little lateral support even with the highest side-bolster setting; they also look like chunky lazyboy chairs more fitting on their SUV lines.

RS3 center console is all plastic but it makes good use of texture to make it deceptively OK. The exposed cup holders and cigarette lighter do bug me a bit. Its virtual cockpit is excellent. I must admit though that it makes my stomach turn that this option costs $3200. M2’s navigation is a generation or two more advanced than RS3’s; same is true on the quality of the center screen.

[RedGT3RS]

Originally Posted by Remonster

Honda’s been doing electric power steering for decades, the S2000 had EPS and I don’t even know if that was their first attempt. They’ve had a lot of time to work on it.

That is true

The early 911’s weren’t so great but the current ones are good, turbo, carrera S, and esp the gt3’s

I am not sure but I feel bmw might be doing this on purpose since their cars are leaning on luxury more these days.

[mtoosexy]

Originally Posted by Jadar

We just returned our 228i m sport lease and as much as my wife liked the interior it was total cheap shit. The interior door handles looked out of place, the slope of the passenger dash looked like a tumor (much improved on the LCI), the center console arm rest was way to high and everything looked so minimal and plain. Sorry. I drove an s3 last week and have to say the interior was much better than any 2er I have ever seen. But then again my current F30's interior is much better then the S3 so its what you like in the end. I do like the RS3 interior as well and I do not think it looks like crap like most have commented.

I think the RS3 interior is Gorgeous!!!! Its just that silly gear shifter thing in the right hand... it only shifts up and back... how are you supposed to work that thing? is it a rally car?

[mtoosexy]

Originally Posted by dmboone25

Fair enough.

I am going to the Chicago auto show next Saturday - I will hope to have a lot more first hand impressions of the car afterwards.

I'm going on either Thursday or Friday, I will let you know if there is anything you CANT miss

[Jadar]

Originally Posted by mtoosexy

I'm going on either Thursday or Friday, I will let you know if there is anything you CANT miss

I get free tickets every year through work it's been a let down the last few years I skipped it this year.

[Teutonic]

Originally Posted by Jadar

I really think it just depends on the type of terrain you live in. I agree with most of the points you made and I have run conti DWS on our 2008 328xi back in the day and it was amazing. The one aspect like you mentioned is how versatile the setup is. But there are some things that are negative about it as well, like summer performance suffers if all year round on the DWS and also the DWS will not perform as well in those super freezing days as the compound as good as it is still gets hard.

You are correct, the all season are a perfect compromise for people like me. The vehicle is not a top performer with these tires on the summer, nor in the winter. But for summer I take the RWD as a fun.
The amazing thing about AWD is that if you have the xDrive (which BTW is actualy a great system) and give it the proper winter tires, that car is unbeatable.
For our case though, the Conti DWS are working great in both seasons (Canada has pretty much two seasons) and if you know how to drive you can squeeze a lot of fun from the vehicle. It is a normal thing to pass cool cars at very high speeds with our little AWD with DWS shoes. Works well if you know your car.
If it will be a FWD I will definetely pick the winter tires, but in this case, the AWD can compensate for the not so perfect Conti tire, resulting in a very decent snow machine.
Regardless the RWD, yes, it is true, it is douable, yet, this is not the term I am looking for when I am driving on lots of snow. RWD stuck on winter ski resorts is quite a normal sight lately.
In the last week we got half meter of snow in few days and -28C (almost -20F) and the vehicle with Conti DWS is still excellent. Actually the vehicle runs for almost 7 cold winters in Conti with no issues.

[Teutonic]

Originally Posted by dmboone25

The M2 is a slight notch above the average 2er’s interior, but that’s not saying much if I am honest. It just feels cheap, or low rent as I’ve said before. Not befitting of a $60,000 car at all - when you get into one of these, it’s for performance first and foremost, which I can understand but don’t necessarily agree with.

We all spend 100% of the time we drive inside the car - and the interior absolutely matters to me as a result. The F80 does quite well in this department -especially compared to the F87. It’s a bargain proposition for a reason. I’ve always thought that the comparable Audi or Porsche has the. Upper hand in the interior department - and the RS3 is no different.

We are on the same page, the interior is quintessential for me as well! I must love the interior. I like beautiful light colors (my Jaguar was on white interior), a beautiful layout, and a super coold sound system. 😁
I like the RS3 interior too, and while I am not in love at all with the round air vents, the thing is way above 2Series. I mean I can see a lot of care for the interior and a rich environment in comparison with the M2.

[SliChillax]

Wow even if the Audi was objectively better than the M2 handling wise which it isn't unless where you live it's snowing and raining all the time, my god it looks so dull next to the M2 I could never spend over 60k for such a bland looking car. I was also surprised to hear Henry say the M2 has a better interior, I haven't sat in the RS3 but I was never a fan of the build quality in the 2 Series. Have they improved it that much in the LCI?

[dmboone25]

Originally Posted by mtoosexy

I'm going on either Thursday or Friday, I will let you know if there is anything you CANT miss

Sounds good.

[baege]

i test drove the rs3 and did not like it
very evident turbo lag, space invaders dash, transmissio n lag, didnt sound all rhat great inside the car

much preferred m240i

[RedCarrot]

Originally Posted by baege

i test drove the rs3 and did not like it
very evident turbo lag, space invaders dash, transmissio n lag, didnt sound all rhat great inside the car

much preferred m240i

Agreed on its driving dynamic and (lack of) engine/exhaust sounds inside the cabin. It probably has some throttle lag baked in as well like all VW, Audi and P-car do. I found the MK7 GTI more agile, engaging and fun to drive at non-arrestable speed. It is fast in straight line and in corner on paper, but those performances just don’t quite translate to a rewarding driving experience.

[Em/1]

Originally Posted by Tracus

Interesting, as I was playing with the idea to buy an RS3.
I am looking for an AWD sports car and since the M3 and M2 are not I was looking at the RS3.
I don't like their air vents, yet I can learn to live with that if the car is worth the money.
I was considering the M2 but it will be a waste to keep it in the garage since I have at least 6 months of winter in here...

Winter tires are better solution than AWD; of course, if really have to be serious, both would be even more effective.

[Em/1]

Originally Posted by psuibmw

Am I the only one who found the English of this guy hard to understand

No! Actually turned on the CC, LOL!

[Em/1]

Originally Posted by Zombie_Head

Too many cars are stuffed with all sorts of tech, while it makes it easier to live with and safer (to an extent) it also means a lot more things tend to fail very quickly.

For example, i owned a brand new 2018 Golf R and it came with the front assist system. When it snowed, it constantly gave me "Front Assist System Malfunction" due to the snow covering the badge (where the sensors are) as well as the PDC at the front was also covered in snow and the car kept warning me of a collision.

If anything, we need much simpler cars, maybe navigation and an audio system, ABS/TC/DSC and that is it honestly.

Unless you have another meaning of car being loaded with "tech".

Forget NAV, just a screen to connect to phone!

[Em/1]

Originally Posted by dmboone25

Just the 981.

I haven’t had the M3 for very long - just coming up on my one year of ownership, but it’s not. Been a great car for me. I’m having the same winter out here in Naperville, and just don’t have the garage space for dedicated winter wheels/tires. Needless to say, the F80 has been sitting a lot lately.

I’m definitely considering a better “all arounder” - but I don’t know of the RS3 is the right one. Gotta find one to drive first.

Wait a minute; you are in Naperville and so you must have a garage, which means you must have the space! Put those babies up on the wall somewhere! I've got plenty of room in my dinky urban garage for three sets of winters.

[Jadar]

Originally Posted by mtoosexy

I think the RS3 interior is Gorgeous!!!! Its just that silly gear shifter thing in the right hand... it only shifts up and back... how are you supposed to work that thing? is it a rally car?

No only up and back lol but it's backwards too and shifts over to the right side it's very awkward.

[dmboone25]

Originally Posted by Em/1

Wait a minute; you are in Naperville and so you must have a garage, which means you must have the space! Put those babies up on the wall somewhere! I've got plenty of room in my dinky urban garage for three sets of winters.

This could be an option if my better half didn't also park in the garage AND have a ton of shit that we store out there. I will never understand how ladies accumulate so much stuff.

The other issue is that we are renting, so I try not to put too many things into the walls for ease of moving on @ the end of lease time.

[oceanview]

German Sport Auto magazine tested M2 and RS 3 along with the M140i and six other cars in December 2017

Long story short, overall the M2 gets the most points (77) followed by the M140i (72), the RS3 and the Mercedes AMG A 45 (both 68).

Sorry, just a quick google translation:
How the M2 moves, how he bites himself in driving commands, how he's heading changes, is attached to the gas and gives you the feeling of total control despite a certain individuality, is even in this cosmos another orbit.
Or in other words: RS 3, A 45 and Focus RS may be about sporty compact, but the M2 is a compact sports car.
With Audi and Mercedes are mainly long curves to the hanging section. You have to be careful when turning in, that the load does not touch your head from the line plops, over there again, it requires a lot of caution when accelerating out, otherwise you are buzzing in spite of the optional Vorderachssperre violently understeer. And then comes the BMW, dives using his active differential into the corner, the ideal line tweaks between his thick thighs, yodels like Tarzan and makes everyone else look pretty old.

Of course, dominated the RS 3 the trick with the proactive power allocation to the rear axle, only this leverage has its limits. Thus, the production of the lateral dynamics essentially depends on the front wheels, which are an idea wider for this than the rear ones. Basic problem: Diseases are not cured by relieving the symptoms. You have to tackle the root of the problem, or even better, stop it from happening, like BMW does.
The M2 is the only one who is not affected by the headlong virus, and sometimes even the one who sets the tone here - with timpani and trumpets. Certainly a balanced weight balance alone is not a guaranteed momentum, of which certain middle-class BMW sing a song.

Hockenheim GP lap time see pic

[shivaswrath]

Direct competitor to the RS3 is an M3....oh wait.