GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk8 => Topic started by: monkeyhanger on 21 June 2025, 21:27
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I made a trip out to Liverpool today to collect my new RS3 and then drive it 180 miles home.
The collection was well executed, brought my little girl on the train and the car was shrouded when we got there for the little'un to do the reveal by whipping the cloth covering off.
All thoughts of whether it was a crazy buy not worth the extra completely evaporated not far into the journey home. It feels special in a way I've not felt about a car since my 2015 Golf R, sounds amazing with the exhaust flaps open - rumbly and popping on the gear changes, looks mean yet understated and drives great. I was even surprised my it's motorway efficiency.
(https://i.postimg.cc/1zmgn2Pk/IMG-20250621-205345.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/MnLZgsn5)
(https://i.postimg.cc/wvP3rBJz/IMG-20250621-205302.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/k6Qn6qfY)
(https://i.postimg.cc/s1CxV0w0/IMG-20250621-205225.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/gL4ms49v)
(https://i.postimg.cc/SQJZ3Q3v/IMG-20250621-203754.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mhWNF4bY)
(https://i.postimg.cc/qBSmTVdM/IMG-20250621-203639.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/ThjjVswZ)
(https://i.postimg.cc/XY0QrfJR/IMG-20250621-203542.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/TpCrSWn0)
(https://i.postimg.cc/0Nknf97Z/IMG-20250621-202634.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/rDH5yXnt)
Stabbed the throttle probably 20 times during the journey to go 40 - 80mph and tried to maintain 75mph by ACC most of the time. There were very few 50mph zones Vs my occasional commute down the A1/M18/M1 to Milton Keynes where about a quarter of the 240 mile journey is sat at 50. My S3 generally got 38 -40mpg on the motorway, without standing the throttle. The tight as a drum RS3 managed 36.4mpg, I'm convinced I'd have been pushing 38-39mpg without those bouts of hard acceleration. Sat on the motorway, the car seems able to push along at very low revs like my old 190TDI A4 did - happy to sit in the 50 zones in 7th gear at 1400rpm. Looks like it'll be thirsty around the doors though.
Tried to do some OBD11 work to ditch lane assist and alas, my old version is not recognised by the car to connect properly. The oil temp, 3 hours after I got home was still reading 51C - that's some amazing heat retention.
It's very well equipped as the base model plus "Tech Pro pack" - fully electric seats with 2 driver setting presets for electric adjustments, HUD, Matrix lights, auto parking (novelty) and pretty much everything you might normally expect from a recent VAG hot hatch.
I was worried how hard the ride might be, given it's 10mm lower than the S3 and the S3 ride is harsh/brittle Vs the Golf R. It's hard yet very compliant, in the same kind of way my old 2015 R on Pretoria's had an unexpectedly much better ride than a GTI on 18s.
Very pleased with it, will be looking to reinstall my dashcams into it tomorrow.
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I made a trip out to Liverpool today to collect my new RS3 and then drive it 180 miles home.
The collection was well executed, brought my little girl on the train and the car was shrouded when we got there for the little'un to do the reveal by whipping the cloth covering off.
All thoughts of whether it was a crazy buy not worth the extra completely evaporated not far into the journey home. It feels special in a way I've not felt about a car since my 2015 Golf R, sounds amazing with the exhaust flaps open - rumbly and popping on the gear changes, looks mean yet understated and drives great. I was even surprised my it's motorway efficiency.
(https://i.postimg.cc/1zmgn2Pk/IMG-20250621-205345.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/MnLZgsn5)
(https://i.postimg.cc/wvP3rBJz/IMG-20250621-205302.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/k6Qn6qfY)
(https://i.postimg.cc/s1CxV0w0/IMG-20250621-205225.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/gL4ms49v)
(https://i.postimg.cc/SQJZ3Q3v/IMG-20250621-203754.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mhWNF4bY)
(https://i.postimg.cc/qBSmTVdM/IMG-20250621-203639.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/ThjjVswZ)
(https://i.postimg.cc/XY0QrfJR/IMG-20250621-203542.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/TpCrSWn0)
(https://i.postimg.cc/0Nknf97Z/IMG-20250621-202634.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/rDH5yXnt)
Stabbed the throttle probably 20 times during the journey to go 40 - 80mph and tried to maintain 75mph by ACC most of the time. There were very few 50mph zones Vs my occasional commute down the A1/M18/M1 to Milton Keynes where about a quarter of the 240 mile journey is sat at 50. My S3 generally got 38 -40mpg on the motorway, without standing the throttle. The tight as a drum RS3 managed 36.4mpg, I'm convinced I'd have been pushing 38-39mpg without those bouts of hard acceleration. Sat on the motorway, the car seems able to push along at very low revs like my old 190TDI A4 did - happy to sit in the 50 zones in 7th gear at 1400rpm. Looks like it'll be thirsty around the doors though.
Tried to do some OBD11 work to ditch lane assist and alas, my old version is not recognised by the car to connect properly. The oil temp, 3 hours after I got home was still reading 51C - that's some amazing heat retention.
It's very well equipped as the base model plus "Tech Pro pack" - fully electric seats with 2 driver setting presets for electric adjustments, HUD, Matrix lights, auto parking (novelty) and pretty much everything you might normally expect from a recent VAG hot hatch.
I was worried how hard the ride might be, given it's 10mm lower than the S3 and the S3 ride is harsh/brittle Vs the Golf R. It's hard yet very compliant, in the same kind of way my old 2015 R on Pretoria's had an unexpectedly much better ride than a GTI on 18s.
Very pleased with it, will be looking to reinstall my dashcams into it tomorrow.
Looks great MH. How are you finding the Bridgestones?
The engine does take a good few miles to loosen up and I found mine to be more responsive in comfort mode and part throttle than full throttle in dynamic mode even after 750 or so miles, it almost seem to restrict the car, even after the typic run in mileage. The car now done just over 3000 miles and it’s loosened up nicely and has not used a drop of oil.
None of my Gols ever felt that tight during run in.
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Paul70: There's been a program in place on all the VAGs I've had since 2013 that limits output significantly until the cars hit 620 miles/1000km, then a bit of natural loosening up after that. It's already a beast, hard to imagine what it will be like when it fully opens up. Just installed my dashcams back in - hope they still work, I lost a few fuses for the tapper circuits, so am about to buy some more and then hopefully everything will work.
So far so good with the Bridgestones, haven't had them in the wet or cold, but hopefully Bridgestone Potenzas Sports are better than Potenzas S001/S005/RE050A than I've had previously.
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That's a great car MH, probably the last real fast (non EV) hot hatch. Enjoy it.
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Looks great and a bit of a mean machine in black. Sat in one at the dealers the other day but that is as far as I will get to ownership! :sad: Great driver position and cabin ergonomics look fantastic. Enjoy.
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The A3 marked rubber mats would have to go if it was mine!
Nice car though!
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Wow MH, what a Beaut. Perfect imho. Just what I’d choose (admire the top line Vorsprung but a wee bit overdone for me) Hope you Enjoy each mile in it.
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The A3 marked rubber mats would have to go if it was mine.
Nice car though!
I'll have to try and get customs as there's no S3 or RS3 variants available, but I've had them in the S3, they're old. The cloth mats that came with it are just bog standard too.
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Wow MH, what a Beaut. Perfect imho. Just what I’d choose (admire the top line Vorsprung but a wee bit overdone for me) Hope you Enjoy each mile in it.
Some crazy prices for the Carbon spec (£4450 for literally 10 bits of substitute/stick on carbon trim and a £650 upgrade to fussy wheels, standard plus Tech pro pack is well specced. I wasn't going to go black as I thought it wouldn't feel like a change, but the facelift interior is fairly different.
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Can I just say how welcoming the members are to guys like MH who remain interested and engaged to stay in touch.
Maybe we should re-titled this as “the friends of Mk 7s GTI forum”.
Many good people on here.
Really enjoy the posts from many whom won’t name.
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Or indeed the Mk8 forum!
We are all on the same interest sheet.
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Wow, the black seems to emphasise the sculpting of the RS3 rather than hide it.
I hope you’ve stocked up on car shampoo MH as the black will take some work to keep it looking fresh. Mind you all black cars can look pretty mean and moody when grubby, especially when they have badass physiques like the RS3 :cool:
Being a larger displacement (by hatchback standards) engine, does it pull well from very low revs or does the turbo take a bit of spinning up?
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Very nice indeed.
Re OBD11 tweaks, I’d say, similar to the MK 8.5, it’s not possible. Not at the moment anyway.
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Very nice indeed.
Re OBD11 tweaks, I’d say, similar to the MK 8.5, it’s not possible. Not at the moment anyway.
How about VCDS, have they cracked the FL/2025 models yet? The newer OBD11 and annual pro subscriptions are pushing towards VCDS money now. My original OBD11 cost £38 and a lifetime pro subscription was £30.
A lot of my identified tweaks are already selectable with the RS3's MMI, I really just wanted to turn off Lane assist and speed warning. These aren't to bad to switch off Vs pre FL - lane assist is now a long press of a single stalk button and speed warnings off can be assigned to the * button on the steering wheel.
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Wow, the black seems to emphasise the sculpting of the RS3 rather than hide it.
I hope you’ve stocked up on car shampoo MH as the black will take some work to keep it looking fresh. Mind you all black cars can look pretty mean and moody when grubby, especially when they have badass physiques like the RS3 :cool:
Being a larger displacement (by hatchback standards) engine, does it pull well from very low revs or does the turbo take a bit of spinning up?
It does seem to pull well from low revs, and the gearbox seems to make far smarter choices than the S3's ever did - no DSG brain farts so far. It does look like an S3 on steroids., with the venting flares on the back of the front wings and other RS3 specific styling.
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Finally they’ve got DSG perfected…
Just in time for the electric takeover!
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An interesting read. I changed from a Mk8.5 GTI to to an A5 avant 3 months back. I do miss the speed of the GTi and keep looking at RS3s. The very strong residuals are a big selling point as I guess this will be the final ‘performance’ petrol car Audi do. Motorway are currently estimating about a grand more than I actually paid after PCP discounts for my A5. Which is what is feeding these sill ideas of changing after a few months
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The piggy bank could be getting cracked open again already then Sharpe!
I can think of worse things to invest in!
I’ve always been a massive RS3 admirer.
I saw an immaculate black 8.5 GTI pass me the other day as I was wandering through a local holiday park, it immediately reminded me of you!
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The sensible option would be to stay with the A5, after all the reason for changing was to have more space! The poor unloved GTI is up for sale again on Autotrader…. The Rev Comps winner obviously wanted cash more that the car!
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The sensible option would be to stay with the A5, after all the reason for changing was to have more space! The poor unloved GTI is up for sale again on Autotrader…. The Rev Comps winner obviously wanted cash more that the car!
Saxton 4x4?
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Yep, only £90 less than I paid brand new!
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An interesting read. I changed from a Mk8.5 GTI to to an A5 avant 3 months back. I do miss the speed of the GTi and keep looking at RS3s. The very strong residuals are a big selling point as I guess this will be the final ‘performance’ petrol car Audi do. Motorway are currently estimating about a grand more than I actually paid after PCP discounts for my A5. Which is what is feeding these sill ideas of changing after a few months
There's stock cars coming through, so no wait, and £7-8k discounts on stock vehicles is achievable, or was these last 2 weeks as we approach quarter's end with sales targets to meet. Have a scan of the new RS3 listings on Auto trader then go there with a cheeky offer.
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An interesting read. I changed from a Mk8.5 GTI to to an A5 avant 3 months back. I do miss the speed of the GTi and keep looking at RS3s. The very strong residuals are a big selling point as I guess this will be the final ‘performance’ petrol car Audi do. Motorway are currently estimating about a grand more than I actually paid after PCP discounts for my A5. Which is what is feeding these sill ideas of changing after a few months
Selling my S3 recently, I set up on Carwow and Motorway simultaneously, they work the same way - dealer auction after uploading photos and details. The car fetched about £400 more with Carwow and they are a lot less hassle to deal with.
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If anyone was even considering an RS3 new, then the discounts have just got even better. Carlisle Audi have 3 x Mythos Black Metallic standard spec RS3s brand new in stock with red brake calipers for £53995, a whopping £8421 off list. Almost wish I'd waited. I got the tech pro plus pack and effectively paid £2800 more (taking into account the service pack I got), but would've happily foregone the Pano roof, electrically adjusting front seats, full keyless, auto parking (gimmick) and a few assistance systems to save another £3k.
Looking further into it, it would seem there's now a £5k deposit contribution, so I'd expect other retailers with stock cars to follow suit and offer bigger discounts. Tempted?
Have a look for new cars on Auto trader, filter RS3 and sort price lowest to highest to see what the dealerships have in stock.
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Carlisle Audi Tempted?
Haha. Seen it already. Also the DtD discounts…..
There’s a Yellow Vorsprung but 60 miles away from me…
Having to sit on my hands, haha.
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Carlisle Audi Tempted?
Haha. Seen it already. Also the DtD discounts…..
There’s a Yellow Vorsprung but 60 miles away from me…
Having to sit on my hands, haha.
Yellow's not my colour, and Vorsprung was beyond what I was willing to pay for a car - It's basically carbon spec (which is £4k for some carbon fibre embellishments over standard spec, which looks a bit Halfords to me (especially Sportback rear carbon spoiler) and some IMO fussy wheels with a value of £650 upgrade over the standard wheels) and the tech pack pro (which has some genuinely useful kit and seems relative value for money) and the adjustable dampers that you can't spec on their own.
If you want a soft ride at times or frequently drop Granny off at the Bingo, then the dampers might be a must have, but for me, I'm impressed with how the RS3 rides Vs the brittle ride of my old S3.
Best value/mix of kit for me is standard spec and Tech pack pro, but most of the stock cars on Auto trader with Tech pack pro are seemingly gone. Looking at what's available on Auto trader, it would seem that me and 10 others bought towards the end of June.
Kicking myself now, those DTD prices with £10k off list are £2k better than I got 2 weeks ago, when there was only about £1850 in deposit contribution Vs £5k now. I got a good deal, but it could've been an epic deal. There is stock around, so no need to wait an age for these cars either. If anyone is tempted, a deal like that will come with a crap p/x offer for what you currently have. I got £3500 more for my S3 via Carwow (which were better than motorway) than the dealers were looking to give in p/x.
Some of those Auto trader ads seemingly don't even seem to be passing on the full £5k deposit contribution - maybe the ads need an update, given that increase in deposit contribution only happened yesterday.
60 miles from Carlisle - are you in or around Newcastle too?
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I am a few miles out of Newcastle. Born and bred as they say…Agree with you about lower spec Rs3s. The yellow just caught my eye (wounded my eye) and agree about the Vorsprung - too dear, out of reach and not for me. Probably best we’re not visiting Carlisle soon…haha. My wallet stays shut. Congrats tho for your purchase, even if deals are improving.
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I made a trip out to Liverpool today to collect my new RS3 and then drive it 180 miles home.
The collection was well executed, brought my little girl on the train and the car was shrouded when we got there for the little'un to do the reveal by whipping the cloth covering off.
All thoughts of whether it was a crazy buy not worth the extra completely evaporated not far into the journey home. It feels special in a way I've not felt about a car since my 2015 Golf R, sounds amazing with the exhaust flaps open - rumbly and popping on the gear changes, looks mean yet understated and drives great. I was even surprised my it's motorway efficiency.
(https://i.postimg.cc/1zmgn2Pk/IMG-20250621-205345.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/MnLZgsn5)
(https://i.postimg.cc/wvP3rBJz/IMG-20250621-205302.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/k6Qn6qfY)
(https://i.postimg.cc/s1CxV0w0/IMG-20250621-205225.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/gL4ms49v)
(https://i.postimg.cc/SQJZ3Q3v/IMG-20250621-203754.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mhWNF4bY)
(https://i.postimg.cc/qBSmTVdM/IMG-20250621-203639.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/ThjjVswZ)
(https://i.postimg.cc/XY0QrfJR/IMG-20250621-203542.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/TpCrSWn0)
(https://i.postimg.cc/0Nknf97Z/IMG-20250621-202634.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/rDH5yXnt)
Stabbed the throttle probably 20 times during the journey to go 40 - 80mph and tried to maintain 75mph by ACC most of the time. There were very few 50mph zones Vs my occasional commute down the A1/M18/M1 to Milton Keynes where about a quarter of the 240 mile journey is sat at 50. My S3 generally got 38 -40mpg on the motorway, without standing the throttle. The tight as a drum RS3 managed 36.4mpg, I'm convinced I'd have been pushing 38-39mpg without those bouts of hard acceleration. Sat on the motorway, the car seems able to push along at very low revs like my old 190TDI A4 did - happy to sit in the 50 zones in 7th gear at 1400rpm. Looks like it'll be thirsty around the doors though.
Tried to do some OBD11 work to ditch lane assist and alas, my old version is not recognised by the car to connect properly. The oil temp, 3 hours after I got home was still reading 51C - that's some amazing heat retention.
It's very well equipped as the base model plus "Tech Pro pack" - fully electric seats with 2 driver setting presets for electric adjustments, HUD, Matrix lights, auto parking (novelty) and pretty much everything you might normally expect from a recent VAG hot hatch.
I was worried how hard the ride might be, given it's 10mm lower than the S3 and the S3 ride is harsh/brittle Vs the Golf R. It's hard yet very compliant, in the same kind of way my old 2015 R on Pretoria's had an unexpectedly much better ride than a GTI on 18s.
Very pleased with it, will be looking to reinstall my dashcams into it tomorrow.
That looks sweet - love the RS3. Would like to get one in a few years when I move on from the Mk7.5. How is feel of the steering wheel? Can't get my head around why Audi didn't just stick with the previous gen wheel. I've seen a saloon in white which looks really nice also. Many happy miles :smiley:
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Steering feels great (especially if you generally grip the top of the wheel), and for me looks great in that the FL has changed enough to feel like a completely different car from the 2023 S3 I had, along with the ambient lighting (was standard spec for the S3 but due to the Ukraine war causing a shortage of wiring looms, my S3 didn't get built with it). The only thing wrong with the steering wheel is haptic buttons (the S3 had standard press buttons), but haptics aren't that bad.
I wasn't too fussy on colour when combing though the national new stock (white, yellow, Kermit green were a no-no for me), with Daytona Grey probably my first choice of but glad I went with black in the end - looks so mean and stealthy. The black front end contrasting like any other colour looks like Bane's mask in Batman.