New Garage resident - 2018 Audi S3

So with the 2015 GTI having reached the end of its factory warranty coverage, a search commenced for its successor... as I'd learned from experience with my Mk5 GTI that serious mechanical issues can arise just after the warranty expires.

 

The brief for the Mk7 GTI's successor was very similar to that for the Mk5's. Pre-owned compact sedan or hatchback with remaining factory warranty, four doors, AWD, ~300hp. I had dropped "manual transmission" from the spec as there are so few late model cars that offer one. 

I drove a number of cars since the Spring, including an Alfa Romeo Giulia (beautiful, fun to drive, great 8-speed ZF automatic, but increasingly hard to find a pre-owned one), Cadillac ATS (a little big, powerful but didn't seem really quick, best steering wheel I've ever held), Jaguar XE F-Sport (also beautiful but larger, with complex and confusing screen interface), and Genesis G70 (nice but new, and too large and luxe). I also drove a couple of Audi S3s which I loved, unsurprisingly. It's an attractive 4-door sedan and the right size, being based on the same corporate MQB platform as my GTI. Its 2.0 litre turbo four kicks out 292hp, and puts the power down through its Quattro AWD system. Boxes ticked.

But while I came close to buying a white 2017 S3 from a local VW dealer, I couldn't get comfortable with that car as it had some "stories"... a lease return from BC, it had a $9K collision repair on its Carfax report and several runs through auctions before it landed at the VW shop.

 

So I kept my eye on autotrader.ca and the Audi Canada website's used listings, and came across this lovely 2018 S3 Technik in Navarra Blue, located at the franchise dealer in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

After some email exchanges with their salesman, we made a deal that included me trading my GTI towards the S3. This was really important to me, since while I have always sold my own cars privately, the GTI would be at a price point where many people would need financing and that makes private sales complicated. In addition, the pandemic means that offering test drives is not really possible, so trading the GTI was a mandatory part of any new car deal.

 

Having negotiated the price and made a deal subject to test driving the S3, I drove the GTI out to Saskatoon a week ago last Monday. It's an 800km trip more-or-less and since I enjoy highway driving, it was a pleasure to escape the city for a bit. I stayed at a hotel near the Audi dealer and rolled over to the shop first thing on Tuesday morning.

While I test-drove the S3, the dealer staff drove my GTI and confirmed that all was as described. All that remained was for me to go get a bank draft and arrange a transit permit from SGI (which it turns out I needn't have done since MPI allows plates to be transferred to a new car for a week after purchase... grrr).

 

With the deal completed I jumped in the S3 and headed for home via Regina and Brandon. The car's great on the highway - it's equipped with a 7-speed DCT ("S-tronic") gearbox that usefully reduces engine speed at cruise, when compared with the previous 6-speed unit.

The car also came with "Technik" equipment, which notably includes the fabulous "Virtual Cockpit" dash - which I felt was a must on my new S3. What the car didn't include, unfortunately, was a front license plate bracket... fortunately I had a temporary solution in the garage.

 

The S3 also came with winter wheels and tires (shown) in addition to the stock 19" wheels which I also brought home with me. I don't mind the black wheels but kind of wish that the previous owner had gone with red-painted brake calipers. Would've been a nice pop of colour to go with the lovely Navarra Blue paintwork.

The interior is certainly a nice place to spend time. Upholstery is leather of course, but sports seats weren't specified, which is OK. The Audi MMI interface takes a little learning and doesn't seem as intuitive as my old GTI's touchscreen. I'll get used to it though.

I love the car so far - it's a real rocket (0-60 in under 5 sec) and performance is very configurable through the Drive Select menu. It's really sharp looking outside and comfortable inside, but is a size that makes it handy and nimble. I think it'll be sticking around for awhile to come.

2018 Audi S3 Technik, Navarra Blue/Black

Black Optics, Advanced Handling Packages