In November 2018 I bought a 2018 Mk 7.5 pre OPF, 6 speed DSG. In 2022 I bought a 2021 Mk 8 GTI with 5k miles which I owned for just over a year. On day 2 of ownership I noticed the top mount for both front shocks were creaking and they had to be rebuilt, thankfully under warranty. There were also paint defects and door alignment problems that were also rectified. The software had a few glitches but compared to other posts, nothing significant. It returned on average 28mpg. Maybe short journeys and my driving style were the cause! Considering it was to turn three years old in January 2024 and the end of the initial manufacturers warranty, I sold it in August this year with only 8200 miles. Due to the strange second hand market I lost just short of £2k which for 15 months I thought was ok.
I test drove a Clubsport in July this year. It was a couple of months old, had a few hundred miles with a couple of extras. In the peculiar market at that time it was about £4k more to buy than a S3. I preferred the feel of the S3 and in August I bought a new S3.
Overall I do not think the GTI was as well built as the S3 which I also think has a better spec. The software on my S3 has worked flawlessly. However, the GTI had some features which my S3 does not or I have had to pay to activate. The GTI had wireless phone charging, a storage net on the passenger side of the console and it had rear USBs and standard ambient lighting in the cabin. These are not standard on a S3, on which I had to pay for some functions of the Matrix lighting, traffic sign recognition software and if you want adaptive cruise control you pay for that too. For these functions I had to pay circa £500 for two years subscriptions.
The S3 has circa 70 BHP more and is four wheel drive. I think it is noticeably faster and handles better than a 245 GTI Mk 8, which I thought handled well. The engine and drive train are more akin to a Clubsport. It has some features familiar to 7.5 GTIs, heated seats, illuminated door sills, and a dashboard cubby under the light switch. Leather seats are standard too. It also came with an engine cover which I believe many GTIs still lack. Extras included on the S3 I bought were a reversing camera, parking sensors a B and O stereo, 19” wheels, red painted calipers and a space saver spare wheel and tool kit were also included.
With extras my S3 was nearly £45k list price although I believe I got a good deal and I paid much less but it was still liable to the additional higher tax rate. Over the couple of thousand miles I have covered the S3 is returning an average of 32mpg, 6 mpg more than my GTI.
There are many similarities between the S3 and the GTi given they are built on the same platform. I have transferred the good quality carpet mats across the so GTIs into the S3. Identical fit, one example demonstrating the common origin.
Overall I am glad I changed to the S3. I feel it is more grown up and (at my age) suits me better. I deliberately bought a Navarra blue S3 which has a chrome finish, not the black edition, to be different from my Mk 8 which was black trim. It is subtle which I wanted. For those considering changing to a new S3, use the Audi new car locator to establish what’s out there and ask many questions to confirm the exact spec of the individual car and what functions have to be paid for on the Audi Functions Store. To me it appears salesmen are ignorant or economical about the spec of cars or the cost to activate functions. These are a few early observations which I hope is informative.
Those experiences mirror my own. The S3 is a great car for the money. They're available without a ridiculous wait and come with both dealer discount and deposit contribution. 5 year factory warranty can be bought with the car too if you're planning on keeping beyond 3 years.
Actual physical buttons on the steering wheel and the climate controls are great. The Features on demand is a con. All the hardware is in place to give you ACC and sign recognition, but they want to charge you £100 a year each. You get leather seats instead of matrix headlights, and no heated steering wheel. Other than that it's got a nicer front end than a Golf (I still hate the droopy MK8 nose, it hasn't grown on me).
My only gripe is that 1st gear pickup is monumentally slow unless you knock the gearbox into S mode to shoot onto a busy road from a side street when a gap presents itself.
