The new mark 8 Golf R has the same E diff if you're looking to get into a fun, 4 wheel drive, sliding, hot hatch. The only real issue I've heard with them is that the infotainment is moronic to use. Recommend waiting for a mid cycle refresh when the VW executives realize they messed up and change it.
The RS3 is such an insane looker and great drivers car. I managed to do a 3.1 second run to 100km/h high up in the Greek mountains and then 3.3 seconds in winter conditions in Poland. Insane car!
So pumped for the RS3. Here in America we don't even get the A45-S, just the limp wristed basic A45. But even if we did get the S trim, I'd still go for the RS3 because of that 5 cylinder engine. Been saving up to buy one!
Stop calling these hot hatches, these are hyper hatches... Or super hatches. A Golf R, S3 and A35 is a high end hot hatch, where a Golf Gti and a A250 sport are the real hot hatches
These are really fast. And then there’s GR Yaris, which is probably a lot slower but I think that’s closer to the definition of a old school hot hatch. Not a Toyota fan but man I really want one
@@thelewisshow555 more fun in a last-gen Golf R than in a Yaris GR? Did you even drive the Yaris before spouting that ridiculous nonsense? The last-gen Golf is very well known for making the shortlist for the most boring hot hatches you can buy, and that ain't necessarily a bad thing because it's a good daily. But that won't stop some of you experts from attributing bullshit to it. No wonder the car community makes fun of Golf fanboys. Take my advice and actually drive a few cars before having opinions on them. If you can't then listen to reviewers, their words carry more weight than your imagination.
For my experience driving cars on summer and winter tires. Sure the winter tires have less grip but the character of the car still stays the same but gets exagerated. If the car oversteers naturally it will oversteer more, if it understeers then it will do it more on winters. These are all rear wheel drive cars however. Not sure about front wheel drive based cars though.
@@memememine1 car on winer tires are not that sharp as the same car on sticky tires. Piriod. I can feel the difference between Pzeros and Cup 2 tires. The difference is massive.
@@stopp23 there's a difference in response. But the character of the car doesn't change. A dodge hellcat wont suddenly understeer because you put winter tires on it.
@@leokaravasili9649 your a few steps behind bud. Let me catch you up. Less grip absolutely winter tires don't grip dry or wet tarmac well. Subjective feel we have already covered. There is a slower turn in response and build up of load due to the sipes and taller blocks. Steering feel wasnt that bad and honestly kinda felt like a soft sidewaled summer or all season tire (imagine a psas) Chassis balance remains the same in my experience. Since all 4 wheels have the same tires whether more or less grippy the balance between front and rear will be the same. I have tried the same e90 m3 and 718 Cayman S on summer and winter tires.
I love both cars for different reasons. But just love the aggressiveness a45s and I prefer the front nose of the a45s. I am a Mercedes man I owned w204 6.2 c63 and that thing was raw. Condensing the a45s is a 2.0 it’s a fruity we engine. A45s for me
Love the RS3 but interior isn't special enough over lesser A3 models in the range. Just a shame that you can't have a slightly more exciting interior considering this is the range flagship
The Audi would have to be profoundly inferior to the Benz in basically every other way to make me take the A45 over the RS3 purely because that is how much I prefer the engine in the Audi to the Benz. I can repect a good turbo 4, my current daily is a tuned Mk7 Golf R, they can be very effective, but they are just too mundane at the price point. Five cylinders on the other hand, with their rarity and the root note shared only with V10s, sound and feel special.
I'd take the RS3 too. The A45 looks really great (even though I liked the hatchback looks of the older model better, and the new one looks like they tried to make small car look big), but it sounds like Audi have paid attention to what the RS3 will be like to live with.
I think that the dashboard of the Merc is too fussy. Minimalist looks will stay looking good for longer. You can't beat the 5 pot engine which still has plenty of potential for a sharper tune. RS3 for me.
Lol no actual way you think the merc interior is inferior to the bland audi. In years to come I’d still rather sit and look at the interior of the aesthetically pleasing merc over the audi or any vw product thats out now. I also like mbux much better.
Sorry man, if there one thing the Merc runs away with it, its the interior. Nothing in its class comes close, its also far less clumsy or fussy than most audi interiors
I had a 67 (late 2017), plate RS3 and the engine really is everything the car is about. On the road it is scary fast and frankly: a lot more than you need. It beats the A45 in whatever trim because the engine is much better and the sound is awesome. But having a ‘drift mode’ on one is asking for trouble because the speed you can go into corners with it is totally insane. Anyway: two great little cars but the RS3 is a better car because it had that 5 cylinder engine. And whatever journalists say: that has never changed. The RS3 has always been more refined and easier to live with, even my wife liked driving it. Anyway I enjoyed this video but if you want a very nice and very expensive nice hot hatch then get the RS3 and you will not be disappointed
I love the 5 pot engine, but in this, the mercs engine is a work of art. its so perfectly balenced and the power delivery is pure savagery. Cannot beat a handbuilt engine either.
@@thelewisshow555 power delivery is savage I agree, but it doesn’t have the sound of the RS3. Can’t disagree with an AMG being a great engine (given my avatar!), but having a mini R8 engine is special in a hot hatch 😁
I had a saloon RS3 and the noise is unbelievable. I miss it so much after I chose to sell it due to a change in circumstances… there isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t look on AT to potentially buy another… any other car just doesn’t do it without the noise of the 5cyl…
As an out and out BMW fanboy, all I can say is that the RS3 is absolutely iconic!!! It is amazingggg!!! Have you seen the tuned RS3's in Europe? An icon. The Audi RS3!
@@mauricetoussaint7283 Ironic post given that you have a Porsche in your profile. A company that offers rear wheel drive(with a manual). Good luck with that in the wet, champ. Such a useless comment on your behalf.
@@Alby911 'Good luck in the wet,with that" If you find rear wheel drive intimidating in the wet then you can't drive. A skilled driver will relish wet weather in a rear wheel drive car!
The summary conclusion is spot on. I had the A45s and traded it in for the RS3 Y, exactly for the reasons mentioned. The MAG is always angry, edgy, noisy and its fake engine sound, the very loud tyre/road noise and the too hard bucket seats became annoying on longer drives. The RS3 is the much better daily with nice engine sound and good comfort, thanks to suspension and seats, making it enjoyable on longer drives as well. Performance wise, both impress, but the RS3 has the edge and its front ceramics provide convincing stopping power.
I own an A45s edition one, and have to disagree with your comment that it is a harsh ride on the road. I find this model A45 far more comfortable and quieter than the previous iteration. Far more! If you put the car into comfort mode it simply becomes a regular A class mercedes, very luxurious and comfortable (not harsh at all). But when you want to have some fun, put it into Sport + and it becomes an absolute monster, and incredibly fun to drive! I find no delay in power output at all either, power is always instant. I love the RS3, I have always been a fan of it, but I think the A45s takes the prize in this iteration of super hot hatches. Great review though, always love the A45 vs RS3 battles!
@@pazera66 The current A45s that I have does not sound as good as the older one for sure. I do miss the sound, but I’m talking comfortability and performance.
@@pazera66 Ive had a A45 for 4 years, it was the 280kw upgraded 2016 model. Tbh the inrerior was all plastics, even the driver seat adjustment panel went inside the door.🧐 The other thing that really pissed me off -I had to change 3 sets of front tyres, MB had no answer on how to fix the issue after numerous wheel alignments and balances.The inner tyre wear was an absolute joke & every time had to cough up $900 for 2 pirellies. Stop & start engine didn’t work , distronic plus worked whenever it wanted to work,noisy brakes after 12000 km travelled, the plastic triangular from the driver’s seat kept on falling off. Every 3000 km I had to fill up with engine coolant MB mechanics at the local dealership were so clueless and said to me it’s normal to fill up engine coolant. Go figure. I’ve tuned it to 317 kw and it was a beast, but other than that it wasn’t a good experience for me.Sold it with 25000 km on the clock. Worst car ever.
These Top Gear presenters can make any car looks boring … You ppl need to go back to 07-08 and take a look at your predecessors and the soul they could bring to every vehicle they touched. No names needed, we all know the real OG’s.
Honda had this system for the rear drivetrain on the Legend from 2007. It was called: SHAWD. Super Handling All Wheel Drive. It used the same system of clutches to apportion drive to each rear wheel. Nothing really new here.
Those front, lower, bumper side intakes on the RS3 make it look like the hideous, outgoing, Civic Type-R. Audi has been making some really nice looking cars as of late, but this front end, misses the mark completely.
I have sat in both cars and while the Merc is flashier and more impressive with joined screens and aluminium, the Audi is still better in material quality. The Merc has a lot of hardand ugly plastics in the cabin that you just don't notice immediately
@@mickvastesaegher2140 Audi better than the Merc in quality no doubt, but I'd say the previous gen Audi interior trumps the current one. BRING BACK THE ROTARY KNOBS
The thing is, these two cars are pretty much level pegging, but the RS3 has just come out so there's about 7 years to go of this gen, whereas the Merc is almost halfway through this gen's lifespan, plus a facelift is just around the corner. Always feels like the Audi is on par in performance for a couple of years but always behind on interior/tech. Story of the battle goes..... New A45S comes out and it's A45S > RS3.... then Audi brings out an RS3 and it's RS3 = A45S.... and then Merc brings out another A45S and it's A45S > RS3 again. Basically, Audi always playing catch up, but never better.
Try the M3 or M4 or even a M340i or the equivalent 4-series, I would have said the new and upcoming C63 but the 4-pot needs to be seen on that car before making a statement on it. Overall, it would be better if you keep the C63 as Merc won't be making a V8 C63 again.
Nonsense about the ride in the A45s. In comfort its absolutely fine. And so are the optional bucket seats. This comes from a 52 year old bloke. I test drove the RS3 and A45s back to back. The RS3 felt like an awesome engine in search of a chassis. Unsettled under hard braking. Great looking and nice interior, but the whole thing felt like it was close, but no cigar. The merc meanwhile felt locked to the road, much more positive and engaged. Way more confidence inspiring than the squidgy Audi. Better driving position, better steering. It would be unfair to measure its dynamics against my GT4, but as a fast hatch, the merc is top of the heap at the moment. I have my name down for a Civic Type R and if they price that in an offensive manner, I will just pay the remaining gap and get a lightly used A45s as my daily driver. Keenly awaiting the CTR reviews and pricing...
I owned an A45s+ for two years, now have the new RS3. The Audi is infinitely the better car. The seats in the Merc were too hard on longer journeys and the driving position in the Audi is way better. Interior a lot better in the Audi and tech is better too. RS3 sounds better than the vacuum cleaner Merc and in the RS mode, the RS3 is really dialled in. Brakes are better on the Audi, albeit mine has carbon ceramics. Looks wise, the Audi absolutely destroys the dumpy Merc. I never gelled with the Merc, but only had my RS3 for 7 months and love it.
Both are excellent cars, and I agree about which car I would drive day in day out. The A45 feels more aggressive, nicer seats IMO but is not quite up to the build quality of the Audi. Also, the UK main dealers with an AMG department will top up the fluids for free if required. And they will negotiate over the price, and you have access to their AMG goodies section when you buy one. Oh, and the AMG is front wheel drive until you really push it, so gets good mpg for what it is when around town... The RS3 sounds great, is easier to put into dynamic mode and IMO better built. The dealers do not like haggling as they feel it _cheapens_ the RS brand?! My 2c, the M2 always felt more alive, and you can put the seats onto the rails to sit low. Great sound and handling, but you have to be a good driver to get the most from it. The above 2 are easier to access their potential in all weather. The RS3 is a more _relaxed_ drive, even in dynamic mode whereas the A45 is more aggressive. The RS3 'pops and bangs' are when downshifting and the A45 are when upshifting. To be honest, both are excellent cars and can drive extremely fast, but for a few more £'s when the options are added the M3/4 is a choice to consider...
Both the Audi and the Merc are FWD until needed, the reviewer really messed up the way he worded it. Both these systems can send up to 50% of the power to the rear, and both can send the power available to the rear axle (again, max 50% of the total power) to any of the rear wheels. These AWD systems are practically Haldex with an added an electronic diff at the back. They're both virtually identical in principle of operation. I personally don't understand this fetish with part-time AWD systems, I understand they save fuel but you don't really care about fuel when you buy either of these cars. The AWD system in the Focus RS for example was much better and it would've helped both these cars feel more organic. Both of these have been criticized for feeling artificial to drive, and that's why.
Great vehicle our 2019 Audi RS 3, now at 37,637 miles of which 27,057 miles have been fast back roads runs 3 days a week as weather permits. Equipped with Michelin 245/40/18 wheels on Neuspeed RSe10 18x8.5 alloy wheels, as the stock skinny 235/35/19 configuration only lasted 3 days! Been driving 64 years and this Audi is certainly a great performing vehicle. Many ask about its Nardo Gray color, which seems to be very popular. Great machine indeed, based on my 64 years of high speed driving in a great many various model/make automobiles.
Great review of both vehicles. The Audi wins in my opinion hands down! They're subtle assasins and being in my late 30s, I'd feel embarrased driving the Merc as it looks a little juvenile and loud! I've also never got over the interior of the newer Mercs. I test drove one and didn't even get to the end of the road before turning around and handing it back. I wasn't a fan (personally) of the steering nor the outside noise. Build quality was poor for a 3 year old car. Just my opinion. I have the S3 and it always fascinates me when people attempt to race me not realising what it actually is. Maybe the RS3 is the upgrade I need:)
And nowhere near as good, the interior on the focus is an absolute joke & don't get me started on the suspension a transit van has more comfort especially if you have the recaro bucket seats 😕
It only won because the merc backed off at the start. In the first 2 secs you can see the car drop back and the car stops squatting from the acceleration
Emm no its not. Hyundai i30N has better driving feel and much better sound. We can argue whether rs3 being more comfy and premium feel makes up for it. For me it does not.
The new Lotus Emira looks incredible value - well, the base version is 60k!! Not as fast in a straight line and great practicality but wins in everything else.
if the interior quality was as good as its bigger brothers, paying 80-100k euros for these cars wouldnt bother that much. its just too cheap for that pricetag
Sure do. New RS3 Nurburgring lap time is 7:40. The previous generation was done in the TTRS, which would probably be even faster than the RS3, was 7:48. For reference, the new RS3 is 4 seconds faster than the Tesla Model 3 Performance, despite that car having more HP.
The only thing is, which is going to be more capable and responsible to stage 2 (remain on stock turbos) tune… Sometimes tunes can change a car totally.. Although the performance is similar stock…. being a larger displacement 2.5 and additional cylinder … I’m assuming the RS3 may have a bit contrast after a tune compared to the A4?
Love it how everyone keeps saying that the carbon brakes are great for the track, except anyone that actually tracks their cars, never actual have carbon brakes since you'll use them up in less than 1 track season and it's like $10k+ plus to replace. I have yet to see a anyone with ceramics on the track unless it's a super or hyper car. 😂
@@TerribleUsernameAmirite It's my daily. Track it one day and then drive the kids to school the next morning. I don't even bother to take out the booster seats in the back when I'm tracking it. 😊
I have 2 years last A45S and now wait on RS3… i drive her and little bit disappointed.. no sound no pops and bangs and on first place no spirit of racing “sporty”… little bit boring and sterile… Audi is now more “daily” car
Both cars are pretty cool I personally would have the Merc purely due to the looks. In saying that I would never ever part with that amount of money for a hatchback. Maybe I'm just being tight but I couldn't justify it to myself.
@@thelewisshow555 I'm not sure how an 8 second slower car on the Nurburgring is better? Do explain. All else is subjective in terms of design, so doesn't really count.
@@thelewisshow555 we respect your opinion, but can you please explain your opinion? How is the a45s better than RS3? It's slower to 100, slower to 200, slower from 100-200 slower on track and brakes are worse to🤭
A45s is a much better car to drive ! And I have to say owning a new RS3 for 2 years and now changed to the A45s the 45 is not firm on the road when driving every day ! I would choose the 45 over any Audi any day now !
The only thing that bothers me is that uncovered windowsill. You have a black Interieur and you always see the green on the inside. That’s a nogo for that pricepoint of about 75000€
