Finally: Getting a new car on Friday!
I now see how rusty I am when it comes to posting about cars.
Even more so when it comes to posting about my own car, since it´s been 10 years since I had a new one. Yikes
(I have a hunch that sharing the story of how my trusty old Honda Cr-V had parts of its brake tubes replaced, isn´t going to blow anyone´s skirt up).
So for me it´s really nice to allow myself to not only talk about cool cars again, but being able to actually DRIVE one as well. So please forgive me if I milk the situation for all it´s worth
I realize that some people in here seemingly are able to get a supercar as an impulse buy, and that anything less than a Koenigsegg probably won´t raise any eyebrows in this company.
Also, as some of you probably know, my country has an almost 200% tax on cars, so that also puts a limit on how expensive a car even relatively successful people can afford.
Yes, I´m trying to excuse myself and explain why a 1997 Fiat Punto is a supercar in Denmark
So, with that in mind, you probably want to skip this post if you´re hoping for an earth-shattering automotive revelation.
Alright, on with the long-ass story:
In the beginning of this year, I slowly started to allow myself to think about getting a new car.
Budget was tight, so I was simply trying to be practical, thinking along the lines of getting a used Golf or A3 to replace my aging Honda.
Then I came across a video with the new 718, and my blood started pumping.
It looked amazing and the reviews were (mostly) super positive.
I used to have a 986S which I absolutely loved, and I´ve never really been a super fan of the 911 even though it´s THE iconic sports car.
But WTF? I was watching the videos...and had to crank up the speakers to confirm what I thought I was hearing: It sounded...wrong?!?
Where was that raspy, screaming flat-6 sound that is the very heart of the Boxster? Why did it sound like someone farting in a can??
WTF had Porsche done to this car in the name of eco-friendliness and emission regulations? A 4 cylinder? In a Porsche?? With some lame excuse that it was a throw-back to some old 4-pot model from ancient times? Really??
So it went from being something I could aspire to getting, to a "supercool looking and great handling Porsche I´d never be interested in spending my hard-earned money on". Bummer.
Perhaps the previous model would be an option then? A used 2013-15 Boxster S?
I carefully sneaked into my local Porsche pusher and saw a gorgeous Silver 2012 model S with appr. 30K on the clock. Only major drawback was a red interior. Not a bright red, but unfortunately more wine red.
It still looked great, though, although it could turn out to be a nightmare when I had to sell it again.
So I asked them to run the numbers on a leasing deal. (Here in DK most exclusive cars are leased nowadays, since it can help reduce some of the high taxes.)
After a couple of weeks of research and back and forth with the dealer, the monthly expenses for driving a 4 year old Porsche were simply way, way too high for this deal to be attractive to me.
Argh! Back to the drawing board
Originally, when I started thinking about getting a new car, I had looked at the Audi A3, and was thinking about getting a model with a 150-180 BHP engine.
I knew the build quality was very good, and the overall driving experience would be nice albeit never exhilarating or superfun. OTOH I could save a bundle of money and still drive a nice car.
So off to the Audi dealer I went.
They convinced me to try out the new facelifted A3 with the 1.4 liter 150 BHP ULTRA engine and 7-speed S-tronic.
My initial reaction was "why try this slow-ass car with a handicap gearbox??", but since the 190 BHP big brother with Quattro wasn´t home, I was "stuck" with this.
As fate would have it, I had to go on a 2 day business trip to another part of the country, and so they let me borrow it for the trip. And THIS is where I suddenly realized how I had been living under an automotive rock for the past many years:
The build quality was simply stunning for a small hatchback, and so was the performance - at least to me.
THIS much power in a 1.4 liter engine?? It easily passed 200 km/h and was pulling very very nicely in most any gear at any rev. WTF?
I still struggled with the gearbox.
I love stick-shift, and have always thought it to be the "right way" to drive a car. So it took me a few hundred kilometers to get the hang of it, and realize that perhaps, just perhaps, it wasn´t a handicap gearbox after all
After returning the car I got very busy with work, which then again allowed me to start thinking about maybe getting an even more capable car. I was thinking a 190 BHP Quattro version of the new A3 might be the right way to go.
So back to the dealer.
Unfortunately, they still didn´t have that as a demo car, and "all" they could offer me was a trip in the 2016 S3.
So there I was, in a hatchback that was on par with the Boxster speedwise at half the cost.
Unfortunately it was also half the Boxster when it came to my emotional response and "freude am fahren".
However, for all its shortcomings in the passion department, it showed me why the S-tronic was a more obvious and logical choice.
So there I was again. Stuck. The last thing I want is a semi-expensive car that induces a semi-emotional response in me.
Back and forth I went for weeks, and since it took Audi forever to get the price on the new S3, there wasn´t much I could do but wait and focus on other things in life.
That is until I got a call from an Audi sales rep suggesting I could lease an RS3.
In fact, it wasn´t even leasing, it was their new "Audi Select" concept, where you could RENT an Audi for 6 months, then swap it for another model and drive that for 6 months. And the price would include everything except fuel.
Of course, the RS3 was quite a bit more expensive than the S3, and more than twice the price of a fully-specced 2.0 Quattro. It wouldn´t make sense. Would it?
Only one way to find out: Back to the dealer yet again.
As you all know, the RS3 is basically a standard A3 looks wise.
Little upgrades here and there: From the upgraded sound system to the sports seats, alloy pedals, larger rims etc..
The usual low-key upgrades Audi has always offered. A welcome anonymity to some. Too underplayed for others.
Well yes, there was this minor detail of a 2.5 liter 5 cylinder engine with (officially) 367 BHP.
Sounded good on paper, but surely it couldn´t be worth the premium over the S3.
Again, I discovered what I didn´t realize I had been missing for all these years: Just turning the key and I suddenly understood why driving this car would not be anything like the 1.4 or S3.
I found myself screaming "holy fuck!" and "Yaaaahoooo!" at least 50 times during my 1-hour test drive, and even recorded it so I could make a more rational decision when emotions had settled after the drive.
THIS was the emotional reaction I was looking for. THIS was so much more involving and fun than the S3, and the sound SO much more intoxicating than any new 718.
I´ve attached a soundbite from a youtube video for you to enjoy, if you haven´t already heard the RS3 symphony.
No, the RS3 is absolutely not a track-tool, nor will it ever be as precise a car as a Boxster. Far from it.
The steering is too light and numb, and the new quattro system still renders the car very neutral in any situation. Not much fun to be had with sliding or just wagging the tail a bit. The RS3 is much too planted (or boring, some would say) for that to happen.
It´s a point-and-steer pocket rocket with built-in practicality (passenger seats and a trunk) and made-for-Danish climate handling.
Compare it to a Porsche (or any dedicated sportscar), and it won´t even be a close call when it comes to precision and sizzling track - and backroads fun.
But then again, the pricetag is much lower, and the practicality level of the car much higher.
On top of that, I very much like the notion of being under the radar and not flashing an exotic vehicle. At least that´s how I feel right now.
And besides the more practical aspects, it has an engine that absolutely puts any new 4-pot Boxster to shame. Both in terms of the sound and power.
Someone said that the new R8 V10 plus is the 911 they wish Porsche had built.
I´d add that the 5 cyl RS3 engine has the soul and charisma that I wish Porsche had given the new 718.
And speaking of power, I never did understand how a 367 BHP car with 1500+ kilos could do sub-4 seconds 0-100 times.
Turns out that all the RS3s have plenty more horses than officially stated.
I spoke to a tech guy who had dyno´d 5 stock (no cat removal or remapping) RS3s, and 4 of them had 410+ BHP and one had 390 BHP. Another example of automotive marketing politics, I reckon.
Begs the question if the new, facelifted 2017 model will simply have the very same power as the current model (just hitting 400 BHP), or if that one will crank out 430+ horses or more. Time will tell.
Very long story short: On Friday I am greeting my (almost) new ride (2K on the clock).
And I honestly feel like a 10 year old schoolboy, which is very nice when you´re quickly becoming an old geezer. It will be truly great to finally again be able to enjoy a fun car, and I cant wait.
For me this is not only a "nice car". It symbolizes something more. I think those who know me a bit probably understand what I mean
As for specs, it has - I believe - everything except magnetic ride and park assist (not sure if that´s part of the MMI nav package).
Apart from the incredible engine note, I´m anxiously waiting to try out the B&O sound system. I´m told it´s supposedly great, and it never hurts to have some Danish design in my car :)
I´ve attached some showroom images of the specific car, taken by the dealer.
I´ll probably post more when I get the car.
All the best. Lasse
Audi RS3 Sounds.mov