Being a CS owner I guess I can't be too objective on this one but... before even finding out about the CS 1.5 years ago, the S3 sedan was the car that made me start looking seriously into my next car. I went to see the car in the flesh, got offers and test drove it but as nice as it looked (although maybe a tad too upmarket and serious) driving was the biggest disappointment. The AWD is nice for launching or when I absolutely want to put all 300bhp down in the rain (I don't normally want to anyway in those cases, at least not in 1st and 2nd gear) but the driving was such a disappointment... In a straight line it was great, but the understeer, the bodyroll (that was the S3 8V pre-FL) and the overall feeling from the car that it was being forced to follow, rather than actually welcome a fast pace ruled it out for me. It gave the impression of merely an ordinary car with good power and definitely not what I thought a Audi S model should drive like.
The Golf R I tried after was considerably a better driving experience although still a bit like it was driving itself without needing much input or adjustment from the driver other than the weight of his right foot. Sometimes that isn't so bad but it was not the right car for me at the time. I didn't expect the R to be that much better than the S3 to be honest. The CS won me because of its meaner and sportier character both in looks and feel. I think I'll struggle to find better seats in this price range than the Recaro buckets on the CS if/when I change to something else, they are exceptional both in comfort and grip. It's a slightly less comfortable car than the R (and the S3) though although nothing too extreme that wouldn't allow it to be a family driver. It rides way better and is more pliant than my previous car that ran Bilstein B8 dampers and H&R springs to match, the DCC prevents any shocks to your spine, but you will feel the potholes a bit more.
In regards of practicality, I got the little one's car seat facing backwards so i'm safe yet. I plan to put some protection once it's rotated forward as I have already got a couple of marks from careless rear passengers.
