Topic: Test Drive: 2015 Audi S3

[Noto]

I can neither confirm nor deny that the following occurred, but here's a story that you may all find interesting:

On the way home from the cottage, there was an idiot behind me with his high beams on.  I pulled over to let him pass me, but then he slowed WAYYY down.  To avoid this from continually happening, there was a flat, straight section (80km/h zone) and I took my opportunity and passed 7 cars in the Corolla.  Topped out at 140km/h and had no issues passing.

With that being said, I maintain that if you're buying a car to track, then you should maybe consider the stock times...but short of that, the minuscule differences between the CLA, WRX, S3, etc. as far as performance goes should not be the deciding factor.  Liveability should be.

[dirtyjeffer]

while trap speed can be important, a better measurement is the 80-120km/hr time as that is considered "the passing move"...nobody lays down quarter mile times on the street (or they shouldn't be), but brisk accelerating and passing can certainly be done safely and regularly.

[Noto]

but brisk accelerating and passing can certainly be done safely and regularly.

Absolutely - that's true even in my Corolla.

...but I don't think that anyone would suggest that the CLA45's capabilities are different enough from the S3's to warrant choosing one over the other by 'performance' alone.

[SeaBlueS4]

but brisk accelerating and passing can certainly be done safely and regularly.

Absolutely - that's true even in my Corolla.

...but I don't think that anyone would suggest that the CLA45's capabilities are different enough from the S3's to warrant choosing one over the other by 'performance' alone.

Absolutely....
Before I bought the S4, I test drove it, the S5 and the 335ix, G-37x and EX35 plus the C-350. Have no idea what the theoretical 0 - 100kph or 1/4 mile times were on any of them. Also know that, even driving fairly hard, I came no where close to those times either.

The C-350 did not feel as fast or enjoyable to drive quickly as the others so I ruled that one out. The rest were in the "plenty fast enough for a daily driver car" that were fun to drive, enjoyable to accelerate hard in and had plenty of power in reserve for fast overtakes & merges etc.

The actual performance "numbers" played no bearing at all on my purchase decision - that was driven by (in no particular order), looks, interior features, available manual transmission, price, size (trunk and car seat fitment ease), gas mileage etc.

[bluelines]

Count me into this camp, too. In some ways, the better the car the less it becomes about the minutiae of 0-100 or 1/4 mile bragging rights.

To me the Audi just has a more sophisticated, polished feel to it than the CLA, and will probably make its owners feel much better about their purchase over the long term. I can't imagine anyone getting used to the interior quality and design details of the Audi but wishing they could have a basically imperceptible 0.3 second improvement in an acceleration measurement.

If the Audi wasn't quite fast enough to back up the S badge and styling, that would be one thing, but clearly it's by any reasonable measure a very fast car.

but brisk accelerating and passing can certainly be done safely and regularly.

Absolutely - that's true even in my Corolla.

...but I don't think that anyone would suggest that the CLA45's capabilities are different enough from the S3's to warrant choosing one over the other by 'performance' alone.

Absolutely....
Before I bought the S4, I test drove it, the S5 and the 335ix, G-37x and EX35 plus the C-350. Have no idea what the theoretical 0 - 100kph or 1/4 mile times were on any of them. Also know that, even driving fairly hard, I came no where close to those times either.

The C-350 did not feel as fast or enjoyable to drive quickly as the others so I ruled that one out. The rest were in the "plenty fast enough for a daily driver car" that were fun to drive, enjoyable to accelerate hard in and had plenty of power in reserve for fast overtakes & merges etc.

The actual performance "numbers" played no bearing at all on my purchase decision - that was driven by (in no particular order), looks, interior features, available manual transmission, price, size (trunk and car seat fitment ease), gas mileage etc.