# Bye bye TTS - hello RS3



## dbm (Apr 17, 2008)

Well, a sad day has come, but also a joyous one. After almost four years and 81k miles of happy motoring in my TTS it has now moved on to a new home. It was a fantastic car and never missed a beat.

Here's my new precious:

























I know some might say I should have gone for a TTRS, but I fancied more of a change and have always been a big fan of 5-door hatchbacks. As a practical, fast and discrete car there's nothing to really match the RS3. It's still early days (36 hours of ownership so far) but the early signs are fantastic and the car is both a relaxed cruiser and an agile B-road missile.


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## moro anis (May 27, 2010)

Does it have the same engine as the TTS?


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## CraigW (Mar 19, 2009)

Cracking looking car. Just think its a shame Audi didn't go with a dual exhaust at the back

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## hugy (Dec 4, 2007)

Nice car and good luck with it.
I wonder why Audi didn't make a 3 door version,the 5 door doesn't do it for me.


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## Ruffmeister (Sep 27, 2011)

Niiiice! 8) Congratulations  Hope the RS3 serves you just as well!


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## RockKramer (Feb 15, 2012)

moro anis said:


> Does it have the same engine as the TTS?


Engine from the TT-RS


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## VerTTigo (Nov 14, 2009)

moro anis said:


> Does it have the same engine as the TTS?


Shame on you!! :x


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

VerTTigo said:


> moro anis said:
> 
> 
> > Does it have the same engine as the TTS?
> ...


Indeed. Get your coat... :lol:


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## RockKramer (Feb 15, 2012)

Looks like detention for you Moro :lol:


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## jays_225 (Nov 4, 2009)

:lol: looks beautiful congrats on your new motor i wish they had the same exhausts as the rs5 or rs4 but it looks beautiful.


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## Phil_RS (Mar 2, 2010)

hugy said:


> Nice car and good luck with it.
> I wonder why Audi didn't make a 3 door version,the 5 door doesn't do it for me.


I read a quote somewhere that Audi's answer to this was if someone wanted a 3 door the TTRS was the car for them.


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## dbm (Apr 17, 2008)

Yes, 5-door only is to increase differentiation from the TTRS. To be honest, personally I prefer the Sportback body anyway, different strokes and all that.

The torque is amazing, and the 7th gear makes it very relaxing as a cruiser. Just getting used to the weight and balance - it rolls more than the TTS as you would expect.


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## Patrizio72 (Mar 22, 2011)

How much can you pickup RS3's for nowadays? im considering a 5 door replacement car for my Focus


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## rcmorgan (Jun 28, 2009)

Lovely,lovely car.The colour and 5 doors works for me too.
I'm toying with one of these.....Is there a huge difference in performance compared to your TTS?
I forgot about the 7th gear....I would want a relaxed cruiser too...


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## JETLAG (Nov 23, 2005)

Nice looking car!!!

In SA the RS3 is priced the same as the TTRS


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## Simon H (Jun 22, 2008)

Well done Matey,
Lokks great in Daytona, very discreet, and menacing at the same time. Any mods planned, or keep it as is ?. Not from Preston Audi then ?, regards, SIMON.


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## easty (Aug 23, 2005)

nice. although i always think this version doesnt look different enough from the lesser models, same comment to the TTRS i suppose.

I parked next to one the other day in the same colour and it had blue lamborghini brake calipers - they looked amazing!


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## hugy (Dec 4, 2007)

Phil_RS said:


> hugy said:
> 
> 
> > Nice car and good luck with it.
> ...


I suppose that makes sense


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## dbm (Apr 17, 2008)

There has been a number of ex-manager cars released by Audi as far as I can tell, all 1 year old with low mileage, most retailing around the £40k mark.

Simon - Preston offered me an insulting part-ex and their car was a poor fit for my preferences. Cambridge gave me a good valuation and were very helpful. The spec on my new car is off the chart, it has pretty much every extra except the bucket seats, which is handy as my arse is too big for those!


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## vwcheung (May 19, 2010)

Now all it needs is a REMAP!


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## Patrizio72 (Mar 22, 2011)

vwcheung said:


> Now all it needs is a REMAP!


Thats the first thing i would do to it


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## moro anis (May 27, 2010)

powerplay said:


> VerTTigo said:
> 
> 
> > moro anis said:
> ...


Sorry, didn't see the "R". I thought it said S3 hence the question.


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## TootRS (Apr 21, 2009)

moro anis said:


> Sorry, didn't see the "R". I thought it said S3 hence the question.


Oh aye :wink:


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## rcmorgan (Jun 28, 2009)

Early days of ownership I know but what are your first impressions/comparisons????


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## dbm (Apr 17, 2008)

rcmorgan said:


> Early days of ownership I know but what are your first impressions/comparisons????


The engine sounds fantastic, with a quiet 'whuffle' until you give it some beans or switch on the 'Sport' mode - then it gains a deeper growl. The torque is much stronger, and acceleration is effortless. The car feels like it isn't trying, but then you look at the speedo...

The car is obviously heavier and has more body roll than the TTS, and I'm still learning how to peddle it through the bends with confidence. I have a couple of local roads which I benchmark all my cars on, so I an compare quite objectively against the TTS.

The other main difference is that the RS3 is a real 'Q' car. In 5 days of ownership I think one person has looked at it twice. The TTS turned heads regularly.

Finally, the car is a smooth and relaxed cruiser. 70 mph is just 2000 rpm in 7th gear!

All in all, I am very happy with it.


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## rcmorgan (Jun 28, 2009)

That sounds just what I'm after in every respect! I think the grey is pretty much the optimum colour too..


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## Pauldaymk2tt (Jun 24, 2012)

Nice motor. Not RS enough for me 
The RS range is rawww look at me big exhaust pipes flared bits just looks like that is what the s3 should have been 
Bet it goes like stink thou ! Liking the big deep front grill thou I must say !


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## rcmorgan (Jun 28, 2009)

Everyones different but I guess that's exactly why I'd like one!
No big exhaust's or book shelf spoiler ,but still that wonderful sound and understated performance....


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

I think it looks great - if a little rich for my tastes.

If I was sepnding that sort of cash I'd just want a bigger car :roll:

What colour is the interior? That grey and red leather are my favourite colour combo - on a TT anyway.


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## neilc (Aug 8, 2011)

I am sure its lovely , but I am worried about Audi using DSG for all its RS models now :? Its a shame I know DSG can be great but some of us still like to twirl a stick around.


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## rcmorgan (Jun 28, 2009)

I agree! I love being in control of what gear I'm in......I would love it if the RS3 was manual,I'd happily forfeit a tiny bit of performance...


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## dbm (Apr 17, 2008)

In terms of cost, the spec of S4 or S5 I would have been wanted was £10k more, so in some respects it's cheap... The RS3 is in the same kind of performance bracket as a 911, too, (at least in a straight line) which again makes it a cheap car for what you are getting.

The car is plenty big enough for my needs. There's just me and my missus, no kids or any on the horizon, so I don't need to use four seats every day. They're just there if I need them. The flexibility of the rear hatch and dropping the seats makes it very practical too. The car interior is all black.

Today I drove a 280 mile round trip, in comfort, and averaged 32mpgs whilst travelling at UK motorway speeds. I'm very pleased indeed with that.

And I'm getting more familiar with the dynamics of the car. It is ballistic, and very agile. It's an awesome car.


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## Leebo310 (Sep 22, 2011)

jays_225 said:


> :lol: looks beautiful congrats on your new motor i wish they had the same exhausts as the rs5 or rs4 but it looks beautiful.


+1


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## Leebo310 (Sep 22, 2011)

dbm said:


> In terms of cost, the spec of S4 or S5 I would have been wanted was £10k more, so in some respects it's cheap... The RS3 is in the same kind of performance bracket as a 911, too, (at least in a straight line) which again makes it a cheap car for what you are getting.
> 
> The car is plenty big enough for my needs. There's just me and my missus, no kids or any on the horizon, so I don't need to use four seats every day. They're just there if I need them. The flexibility of the rear hatch and dropping the seats makes it very practical too. The car interior is all black.
> 
> ...


You need to update your avatar and signature now by the way


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## caney (Feb 5, 2004)

Kell said:


> If I was sepnding that sort of cash I'd just want a bigger car :roll:
> 
> .


That's why I went for a s5 in the end over a rs3,it's still a nice car though but not enough boot space or room in the back for me.


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## Matt B (Apr 8, 2007)

caney said:


> Kell said:
> 
> 
> > If I was sepnding that sort of cash I'd just want a bigger car :roll:
> ...


You dont sit in the back do ya :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## caney (Feb 5, 2004)

Matt B said:


> caney said:
> 
> 
> > Kell said:
> ...


Ha ha I walked into that one Matt


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## rcmorgan (Jun 28, 2009)

Was able to sit in a grey RS3 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.Very nice indeed! I reckon I will be able to adapt to
a DSG too :wink:


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## dbm (Apr 17, 2008)

The S-Tronic on the RS3 works differently to that on other models - it is more of a 'true' manual. The box won't change up automatically in Manual mode, and it will refuse to change up if you are requesting too low revs (my TTS would 'store' the request and change up as soon as it could). It takes some getting used to compared to the TTS version!

It's a fantastically well rounded car. I easily get 30+mpg on long runs (better than my TTS) and it is absolutely ballistic when you want it to be.

Just need to get used to the body movement compared to the TTS


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## caney (Feb 5, 2004)

dbm said:


> The S-Tronic on the RS3 works differently to that on other models - it is more of a 'true' manual. The box won't change up automatically in Manual mode, and it will refuse to change up if you are requesting too low revs (my TTS would 'store' the request and change up as soon as it could).


Thats the one thing that bugs me about mine! In manual mode it still changes for you :roll: its something Mrc Tuning are working on


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## rcmorgan (Jun 28, 2009)

Me at Goodwood...


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## dbm (Apr 17, 2008)

Beware of temptation! :lol:

I did an overtake today, the acceleration is amazing! [smiley=mexicanwave.gif]

And apparently my car was previously run by Audi's Royal department, so the seats may have been polished by Kate's or Pippa's bum! [smiley=gorgeous.gif] :-*


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## rcmorgan (Jun 28, 2009)

This may be a naive question but when you overtake do you select a lower gear with your left hand or let the gearbox sort it out??


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## dbm (Apr 17, 2008)

I always select a gear in advance, either by:

Putting the stick in 'Manual' and dropping a cog or two[/*]
Using the paddles to drop a gear or two, this over-rides being in 'D' for about 30 seconds[/*]
Putting the stick into 'S' which will automatically drop down into the 'best' gear for sporty performance.[/*]

If you just floor the accelerator then the kick down will drop gears, however it will take a fraction of a second to do this (maybe even a whole one if you're unlucky) and this can leave you very exposed during your overtaking maneuver. Also, the 'box learns your driving style whilst in 'D', so if you drive in a harsh manner it will become a harsh 'box. Better to leave 'D' for cruising smoothly (which trains the 'box to be smooth) and then one of the above methods for quick driving.

There is definitely a style you need to learn to use S-Tronic.


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## phope (Mar 26, 2006)

dbm said:


> And apparently my car was previously run by Audi's Royal department, so the seats may have been polished by Kate's or Pippa's bum! [smiley=gorgeous.gif] :-*


Or Charles & Camilla perhaps used the back seats...


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## dannyboyz4 (Sep 19, 2004)

Like it. Tasteful and nice. 

Good choice.


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## MP (Feb 22, 2008)

dbm said:


> Beware of temptation! :lol:
> 
> I did an overtake today, the acceleration is amazing! [smiley=mexicanwave.gif]
> 
> And apparently my car was previously run by Audi's Royal department, so the seats may have been polished by Kate's or Pippa's bum! [smiley=gorgeous.gif] :-*


Harry had a grey RS3 for a while, there's some you tube footage of him arriving at sandringham in it

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1092254


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## rcmorgan (Jun 28, 2009)

How's RS ownership going? Any new discoveries??


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## dbm (Apr 17, 2008)

To quote MacDonald's - I'm loving' it 

The car is actually very relaxing to drive the majority of the time, far more so than my TTS was. And it has presence without shouting 'look at me'.

I'm still learning the handling, but it continues to impress. The cornering grip is phenominal. I'm very pleased with the car.


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## Real Thing (Nov 2, 2011)

MP said:


> dbm said:
> 
> 
> > Beware of temptation! :lol:
> ...


For Sale at West London Audi now: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4055140.htm


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## rcmorgan (Jun 28, 2009)

There's a few more RS3's in sensible colours coming onto the market at the moment.....
Time to start looking seriously I think now


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## dbm (Apr 17, 2008)

You know you want to  :lol:


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## rcmorgan (Jun 28, 2009)

I just might....
Has your gearbox settled down now? I've read alot about premature up changes too :?


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## dbm (Apr 17, 2008)

The 'box has settled down a lot, but it still occasionally fails to shift. The controls are more tightly sprung than my TTS was, however, so it could be as simple as me not pushing / pressing quite hard enough every time. It only happens very occasionally now.

Can't say that I've experience the box up-shifting inappropriately. It does shift up quite early on low throttle, but that is to save fuel. I always use Manual mode when gear selection matters, so this isn't a problem for me. If you use a bit more throttle it does hold the hear longer than the TTS would.

Overall, I would say this is the best DSG I've used (inspite of the niggles).


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## dbm (Apr 17, 2008)

Gave my car it's first hard wax polish this weekend:


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## rcmorgan (Jun 28, 2009)

Nice job


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