Been looking at the AMG A45 as i want something quick yet also a bit more family & motorway friendly than the modded RS. Today i get a email from Audi (must of registered interest) regarding the new RS3, and i must admit it looks a corker. Which car would people choose and any pros & cons etc, i know the Merc starts at 38k but the costs mount up when you add extras, not sure yet whats extra on the Audi.

 

I the A45
I've had the RS4 and that really did bore me 90% of the time , just felt like any other Audi point to point , but the 10% time where the roads were clear I loved the rs.
Have you lost the love on the FRS? , I've gone through 6 cars over the last year or so after selling the UG rs and for all I've had quicker and cars that handle better I missed the rs so have bought another.

Out of the 2 you are interested in the merc gets my vote

 

No i love the FRS but the wife & kids refuse to go on any decent drive due to the noise and very harsh ride (modded & Eibachs). And maybe that i also want a few extra comforts.

 

Being an A45 owner the Rs3 does appeal but it looks ****, a3 never looks good not agressive enough, 5 pot is nice but not enough to warrant a look.

A45 lower emission better MPG etc...as fast and faster with a small box. And also more heads will turn with an aero 45 people won't look twice at an RS3 other than the wheels and possible exhaust it's an sline...
RS will cost about same once you've ticked a few boxes..

 

Neither, as the both Automatics.

Really feel Audi missed a trick not making the RS3 a Saloon and a manual, in the spirit of the B7 RS4.

I bought a S3 Saloon, and seriously don't regret waiting for the RS3. Quicker, yes, but just boring to drive and look at.

 

That's why I bought another , the missis said grow up....a week later it was on the drive.
Fooooking grow up .....life would be good if she would just go

A45 still gets my vote

 

S3 is best bet if you want Audi save cash

Guy near me has just got a 45 after having the old rs3 and prefers it old one had bad under steer.

Take them both out, you will feel more torque in the rs3 which may leave you thinking , but once you add the box to the 45 it's a whole new world.

 

Just tried spec the new RS3, extra for every colour apart from primer & they charge you for the nice looking seats. I got car up to 41k without adding very much.

 

I've added the same as my a45 and I stopped at 44k, they charge for red air vents and seat belts, I think in all honesty it will be near the same.

Unsure if Audi have this but the 45 comes with auto parking standard.
Sat nav vp can be done for 300 quid via Becker it's what I use.

You get nice seats with Audi I'll give them that. Wheel choice is a bit crap...

 

Drive them both over roads normally drive on, Personally I found the ride in the A45 terrible and you seem to sit lower down in the (front) seats, which may find getting in and out a little harder. These may be concern for you as states it for a as a more family orientated car
Obviously not driven a RS3 yet but my S3 is very easy to live with on a day to day basis.
Audi looks bigger for some reason as well, A45 interior looks lovely, the metal gearbox paddle for example, though I would be a little concerned about wear issues looking at my parents previous mercs after 2 years

 

Don't get the "rs3 looks boring compared to a45" thing. I honestly have a hard time telling an A45 from a diesel A class.

New RS3 looks interesting in print, according to top gear it's "the new hot hatch king and in a different postcode to the a45". They call it the next best thing to an r35 gtr

The 5 pot engine sounds good and not just by fitting a spark plug in the exhaust

 

Problem Audi have is you can't have the option like with th a45 to have it in a face.

Both cars can look like there younger brothers if that's what your after the subtle look, however the 45 can be in ya face with aero as no other aclass can have that as a factory option....

Drive em see what you think, but remember to do some fast corner, that's where the old rs3 failed

 

I'd take the Audi, as even though I'd look a ****, at least no-one will try jump in thinking I'm in a taxi.

 

Unreliable bags of German ****

 

RS3 for me, unique 5 cylinder engine.

Specced one up and it came to £48k! It is expensive but a standard 2lte diesel nowadays will easily get to £30k if you start with options. Going by residuals of previous RS3 they do hold their value well. 2011 cars up at £26k to £30k!!!


A45 just another in line 4 pot turbo.

 

Merc would be my choice

 

lets not start the ring lands and head gaskets thread again LOL

 

The irony eh?

 

Definitely the AMG

 

The RS Q3 has been getting some good press - a bit more family friendly too?

 

The Cosworth CS400 that "Thenewgalaxy" has for sale

 

A45 aerokit fitted asbo, with added exhaust pharrrrrrrrrrrp.

I want something that's worthy of pulling out of the garage, not something best suited to be kept on the drive as the daily plodder - which is the Audi image of the RS range imo.

 

Also..... I'd be surprised if the RS3 still doesn't show some major understeer. It has wider tyres at the front, than the rear........... that's not a great idea and suggests it still has some major issues.

 

I went to the delaers yesterday which by luck is right next to the Merc garage. Obviously they didnt have a RS3 in but they shouwed me the S3 which is almost identical and we then took it out for a spin. Quite suprised at the pace of even that, going to take the wife & look at both cars again tomorrow. 12 week waiting list no matter what i order.

 

RS3 without a doubt. Better engine, better gearbox, newer, looks better, will be quite a bit quicker, 2.5T vs 2.0T. (A45 AMG = Audi S3/Golf R performance. RS3 as Evo report, in a whole new Post code from the 2.0T cars)

The RS3 is a tarted up A3, the A45 AMG is a tarted up A class. The only thing that troubles me with the RS3 is its lack of standard equipment, Sat nav and Cruise control are optional extras, that's a crime in 2015 I had a play around with the configurator and got it upto £52k for a nice spec and that's without the Ceramics option which is coming later on this year. Too much money on a fast hatch and of course no discounts available yet.

At least with the RS badge, it's unique to the Audi RS cars, the AMG badge on the other hand is farcical, badged on A class diesels

For me, although the A45 is a great car and a great package, the RS3 moves it up a notch, 2.5t vs a screaming highly stressed 2.0 4 pot is always going to be a major plus point. Looks are subjective but the A45 has never been a looker in my opinion. Couple of pics below...

 

come on leo you don't know if its a better engine, your speculating .....

this was the advice i got when i nearly bought the S3 from a very well know Car website helpline.

Going for the BMW avoids potential problems with the DSG/s-tronic
transmission on the Audi.
do we know if its a differing version or same unit ?

that RS3 looks crap

As i said above both cars look understated and bobby basic, the benefit of AMG is that if you want it in ya face and different u have Aero, RS has nothing...

 

I've never like the looks of the A45 AMG either. The saloon version looks better though.

 

are they doing a saloon 1 ? that would be interesting...

Ok now this i would be interested in

 

I am not speculating, I have owned 2 TTRS's so I'm very well acquainted to the 2.5T engine, masses of torque everywhere in the rev range and peak power made between 5500-6800 rpm. It's not your typical 200rpm peak power dyno plot, the 2.5T flattens for 1300rpm and is the reason they are so good.

The S-Tronic DQ500 box again is an absolute peach too, rock solid and nothing like the old DSG boxes that had issues. I had over 250 launches on my transmission with not one hiccup to report.

As for performance, I set an 11.3 @ 123mph time back in 2011 in my TTRS, so far the A45 AMG's are struggling at 12.0 @ 115mph. That is a like for like comparison too, 425hp or so. The Audi has a much better launch control system over the Merc too, my old TTRS managed a 3.0 0-60 time

If you know anything about racing, those sets of figures are chalk and cheese, the TTRS in that example above would be a couple of lorry lengths ahead after just a 1/4 of a mile. The 2.0T in the Merc is boosting at an already high 1.8 bar of boost when it leaves the factory, this means it's screaming hard to make its power. I'm currently running about in an S3 (8V) with the same 2.0t engine as in the Golf R, posted an 11.9 1/4m time a few months back but it's nothing like the 2.5t engine.

Different tastes, in those pictures above, I think the RS3 is the nicer car.

I was looking forward to the RS3 release and have been going on about placing an order for the last year but when I realised the spec and seen the first press pictures, it put me off, I just don't think it's special enough from the pictures I have seen and I was disappointed that they didn't increase the power by a bigger margin. I then binned the idea of the RS3 and placed an order for its bigger brother, the RS6.

RS3 would be great in saloon form, there's a gap in the Audi line up for it and think it would sell well if they boosted power to around 400hp.

As for the RS3 vs A45 AMG debate, as Evo have stated, the RS3 is the new hot hatch king in a different league to the 2.0t AMG and Golf R cars. I suspect we may see a Mercedes refresh of the A45 but not really sure how far they can push the already highly strained 2.0T engine.

 

now the RS6 is nice....im with you there

you do have some good in you...