Drove a new golf r.

[Montoya fan]

I took a mk7.5 golf r for a drive the other day with the seven speed dsg and I have to say it seemed better than my 2017 s3. The new 8.0” touchscreen is awesome, the seats blow mine away and the ride quality was surprisingly much better. It was loaded with everything which means it had more features also. For ten grand less I was thinking it was a way better deal. Looks wise not sure, but quality, and fit and finish were equally as good. Anybody agree on this. Thinking about getting one.

[VWVW]

I took a mk7.5 golf r for a drive the other day with the seven speed dsg and I have to say it seemed better than my 2017 s3. The new 8.0” touchscreen is awesome, the seats blow mine away and the ride quality was surprisingly much better. It was loaded with everything which means it had more features also. For ten grand less I was thinking it was a way better deal. Looks wise not sure, but quality, and fit and finish were equally as good. Anybody agree on this. Thinking about getting one.

Well, yes. The 7-speed DSG is definitely better than the 6-speed in the 2015, 2016, and 2017 S3 in North America.

I'd keep the S3, if I were you though...it looks way better IMHO.

[MonzaA4]

I know the feeling. I also own a 2017 S3 and every time a new improvement is comes out, or a feature added, I have pang of regret and question whether I should upgrade. Features and 7-speed aside, I think the Golf R is way too anonymous. There something "special" about driving the S3 that you just can't get with a VW -- a combination of the prestige of the Audi brand and the exclusiveness of the S badge. That said, it's the transmission that's caused me the most grief. For my previous car (a 2011 A4 S-Line), I lucked out and got into the first model year with the new 8-speed tranny, whereas 2010 and before only got a 6-speed. But in the case of my S3, I felt super short-changed when they announced the 7-speed for 2018, only a couple months after I bought my car! So my debate was: Is it really worth upgrading? Short answer: No. I don't do too much long-distance highway driving as it is, so fuel economy difference is almost a non-issue, especially the way I drive! The car doesn't really even drone at highway speeds even with resonator deleted. So, buyer's remorse fades and you find a happy place. You can only make decisions on available information and there will always be something better around the corner. I plan on driving this thing like I stole it for as long as I have it and enjoy every moment. Consider doing the same.

[Montoya fan]

I had my wife drive my s3 home tonight with me following and I think I’m good now. Car looked great going down the road.

[BahnSpeed]

I took a mk7.5 golf r for a drive the other day with the seven speed dsg and I have to say it seemed better than my 2017 s3. The new 8.0” touchscreen is awesome, the seats blow mine away and the ride quality was surprisingly much better. It was loaded with everything which means it had more features also. For ten grand less I was thinking it was a way better deal. Looks wise not sure, but quality, and fit and finish were equally as good. Anybody agree on this. Thinking about getting one.

I was originally in the market for a Golf R but soon discovered that the R was not available in the US with the slick looking sexy sliding panoramic sunroof that comes with the S3. Hello S3 and haven't had a single regret yet! Just my $.02 but the S3 also wins hands down in the styling department compared to the plain jane R any day of the week!

[S3owner]

Honestly, don't expect a non-biased answer here as this is an Audi forum!

I was actually considering an 18 Golf R myself (coming from a 16 S3), but as everyone else mentioned I could not justify the plain look.
Same goes for B9 S4, IMO the design is too conservative. So I decided to keep my S3 another year:D

[18S3]

friend of mine with a stage 2 17 R drove my s3 and wished he went for the audi instead :)

[INYAUDI]

The real question about the new 7 speed is 1) forget fuel economy,drone, etc...how does it put the power down? Would assume less gears is better for more performance? Acceleration that is, who cares about speed when you’re at the top of 6th anyway. 2) How well is it vs the DQ250 in terms of durability with high tq?

[Why-man5]

Drove both the R and the S3 prior to my purchase, and for me the S3 was a much better car ... the fit, finish and materials, as well as the handling were much better in the S3... i also prefer the looks of it compared to the R...

[A4Law]

The real question about the new 7 speed is 1) forget fuel economy,drone, etc...how does it put the power down? Would assume less gears is better for more performance? Acceleration that is, who cares about speed when you’re at the top of 6th anyway. 2) How well is it vs the DQ250 in terms of durability with high tq?

The new gearbox is light years ahead of the 6spd and feels much better when cruising and giving it some stick. The local tuner here also is getting more power and torque on a stage 1 flash thanks to the new box - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rag6pKz6nw

I'm currently in the process of switching from my A4 wagon to a new R wagon after taking it for a drive.

[stevwang]

I shopped both. I end up buying the 18” S3 because the golf R just hurts my eyes too much.


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[davek2787]

I have a 16 s3 stage 1.5 with a tcu tune. I drive my car very very hard. Since i doubt i'm getting a similar payment for another s3 I'm pretty much sold on the 18 golf R.

[POPSS3]

This was a tough one for me a month ago. I was going to wait for the Golf R to come out and decide between the S3. But I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a 2018 S3 w/ the tech package and so glad I did. At least in my case, I was able to get my S3 for the same price of a Golf R. Coming from the GTI, I think I was done with the hatch and time for a sedan.

[big residual]

I have a 2016 R and a 2018 RS3. My frame of reference is a bit screwy -- I have done almost every mod you can do to the R and the RS3 is principally stock. For these specific two cars, neither loses and both win on different categories. The RS3 is a better daily driver, the R is a better track car. If I compare a stock R and a stock S3, most of the things I prefer about the R go away. The hatch part is better, the touchscreen head unit is better, and the driving position is better -- and no sunroof, which sucks for the track. The S3 wins on everything else. If you're buying used, there's really not much of a $ difference either last time I checked.

Honestly, they're all awesome car, so a lot of it down to what do you care about most.

[rob24g]

Agree with you on this.

Coming from a GTI I was done with hatches and wanted something different.

I have to say S3 definitely looks little nicer than an R.