Avon calling!

[JoeGTI]

Just looking at YouTube videos of the new/facelifted ID3. It definitely looks better, less "cuddly" and sharper looking, taken some cues from its Cupra Born sister. Interior also appears to be a fair bit better but still no backlit sliders and it still has the haptic steering wheel buttons - WTF!

[Exonian]

The slightly sharper styling should make the GTX worth a look but the normal ID.3 FL still looks about as attractive to me as a mk3 Golf 1.6 CL did back in the day 😴😴
And £40k !!!! Monkeyhanger paid about 28 pence for one a few short years ago.

If I wanted something like that it’d be a Born for me for sure, except I’d rather have the MINI EV as it’s a hoot to drive - but the range is too short for even my basic needs in the MINI so I’ll stick with my bonging Golf 

[M6TT F]

It’s crazy how much prices have increased for anything with half decent spec and performance. The 310 formentor is the only thing that I’m considering a test drive in. Anything else I’m remotely interested in, is over 50 grand, which I’m not willing to pay the monthly’s for.

[Exonian]

The Formentor is pretty badass, wouldn’t surprise me if you could get a decent discount or find an ex-demo for a reasonable price.

I’d be tempted with an S3. I think you can just about sneak one in under £40k (then just add aftermarket 19’s), and after the Clubsport that gets too much attention it might be nice to be invisible. My lad has a 2021 S-Line which is bong free and drives nice.

[Snoopy]

Just looking at YouTube videos of the new/facelifted ID3. It definitely looks better, less "cuddly" and sharper looking, taken some cues from its Cupra Born sister. Interior also appears to be a fair bit better but still no backlit sliders and it still has the haptic steering wheel buttons - WTF!

exactly what I thought when I watched them

[BillSan]

The Formentor is pretty badass, wouldn’t surprise me if you could get a decent discount or find an ex-demo for a reasonable price.

I’d be tempted with an S3. I think you can just about sneak one in under £40k (then just add aftermarket 19’s), and after the Clubsport that gets too much attention it might be nice to be invisible. My lad has a 2021 S-Line which is bong free and drives nice.

I thought S3's were the Audi equivalent of the Golf R so it surprises me that they can be had for under the magic £40k.

Worth my consideration if they are. 

[Exonian]

You’d probably have to plump for an in stock car to hit the sub £40k as they only just slip under the barrier and there’s bound to be another price rise imminent.

They lose some features of the Golf R such as IQ lights and heated steering wheel along with a more basic rear diff (I think), so no MaccyD drifts.
But you do gain leather seats, although they look more like 1970’s Transit van seats than the Lambo look they attempt to carry off.

Oh, and they have 14PS less than the drag queen R so no good for pub bragging or drive-thru showing off.
My train of thought would be to either buy a boggo S3 or cough up an extra £12 - £15k for an ex-demo RS3, no point in speccing up an S3 when the RS3 price suddenly becomes close.

[Ceefeesh]

I bought my GTI in June and before committing to the deal I went to an Audi dealer and looked at a S3 a few months old with around 4,000 miles. I had a 150bhp A3 s-line a few years ago. The S3 was very similar in finish to it and left me a bit under whelmed. I bought the GTI.

In November my wife bought a Q3 and while there I got talking to one of the salesmen who took me for a drive in a bright green RS3 with 400 mile on the clock. The acceleration was entertaining , it handled well and and was very well finished. It was circa £70k. I’m not sure how often you could use the performance without getting into trouble. It was a lovely car, very expensive and perhaps too much oomph for a daily driver. Recently I am thinking of a S3 again. An understated sleeper I think might suit me.

[fredgroves]

My clearing of the faults has yielded zero bongs this week... Might be worth a go for anyone else...

[Hertsman]

I bought my GTI in June and before committing to the deal I went to an Audi dealer and looked at a S3 a few months old with around 4,000 miles. I had a 150bhp A3 s-line a few years ago. The S3 was very similar in finish to it and left me a bit under whelmed. I bought the GTI.

In November my wife bought a Q3 and while there I got talking to one of the salesmen who took me for a drive in a bright green RS3 with 400 mile on the clock. The acceleration was entertaining , it handled well and and was very well finished. It was circa £70k. I’m not sure how often you could use the performance without getting into trouble. It was a lovely car, very expensive and perhaps too much oomph for a daily driver. Recently I am thinking of a S3 again. An understated sleeper I think might suit me.

We had a 2014 A1 S Line Black Edition and was looking at the new A1 S Line competition as company car with aim for wife to drive that and for me to keep the GTI TCR that had at the time, but we were so disappointed in the quality of the A1, efficient but dull interior, and the materials were not a patch on the 2014 A1, the door cards were rigid plastic, and the metal affect dash trim looked as if it would dent on minimal of impact.

We also looked at the new Polo GTI, and absolutely loved its looks, but hated the interior, it just felt really cheap and plasticky,

There is zero doubt to me, that this next generation of VW and Audi has really taken a downturn in cabin quality and the minimalist nature has added to that feeling of sparseness. 

One of my favourite cars in recent times was an 09 A3 Quattro, it was super solid and the interior materials were excellent.

The GTI TCR was returned, and selected a BMW 128Ti (less to lease than the A1 S Line competition) and replaced the 2014 Audi A1 with a 62 plate GTI.

Having said all that, the 128Ti interior is superb, but that cossetted cabin feeling and smoothness of drive and acceleration is proving maybe to be too nice, miss the DSG box dropping gears and little bit of rawness (hot hatch ness) in the drive overall, so how car drives does have equal importance, If could put the 128Ti interior in my GTI TCR would have the perfect car