markcincinnati

I believe the S and RS cars (we have currently) are all automatic transmissions -- either the DSG or 8-spd tiptronic -- only the "lower performance" vehicles are manual transmissions. And, the reasons when all is said and done are virtually all economic. It is true, the DAP offerings don't play well with manual transmissions. Yet, I have to believe if the market for manual transmissions was strong that some brilliant engineers and programmers would have "figured it out" and made DAP work with manual transmissions.

I already mentioned my last manual was -- well, my last manual due to the writing on the wall -- a 2003 allroad. My next car was a 2005 A6. I "predicted" that the car that I would want to replace the allroad would simply not be offered in a manual. I take no pleasure in being right.

The thing is, my 2014 S4 DSG (and I did test drive a manual S4 at that time) was so much better than any manual I'd ever had, I really only missed the stick shift when I wrote about it here. Behind the wheel, I probably said (but not outloud), "Thank god I got this DSG -- driving up the gears using the paddle shifters popped off shifts so much quicker than I ever could."

The RS 3 S4 argument, for me gets to two things:

#1 The size of the two cars -- the RS 3 is just too small (but this is totally personal)
#2 The RS 3 interior is "too cheap looking" especially when you get behind the wheel of the S4.

The exterior of the RS 3 is quite good looking -- but I live on the inside of the car and the RS 3 just looks too much like an "economy" car -- when contrasted/compared with virtually all other offerings from Audi. I suspect this will be addressed -- but not until at least the next model year's production.

An RS5SB is coming soon -- it will have the same wheelbase as the S4, more cargo room and some folks believe the RS5SB is "better looking" than the three-box S4 (or RS4 even -- if such a thing was available in the US). The issue, even with the RS5SB is one of the same issues I have with the S4 -- I don't track (and won't ever -- at least not using MY car), so where, where specifically can "one" use the power and capabilities of an S4 let alone an RS5SB?

My purchase of the RS version would be for "ego" reasons -- certainly not because I would think I would need that much power and not because I think I can use that much power (other than an increasingly rare fartlek run). Heck, I was loaned a new A6 2.0T last week and son of a gun the thing seemed plenty powerful on my commute home (via Interstate-275 around Cincinnati).

All of the above is meant to suggest that the RS3 and the S4 -- both at a $60K+ number -- are "somewhat" competitive (price). It would, I think, all boil down to "performance." The RS3 probably wins that argument -- it may be more "fun" behind the wheel too. Yet if you need a bit more space and the next step up in "premium-ness" the S4 wins that argument.

Leading me to the conclusion -- you should "drive it like YOU live." You really can't go wrong with either car -- you simply need to test them both (at least twice, back to back) and on one test, drive the S4 last and on the other test drive the RS3 last. See how you feel, how you evaluate the experiences and go from there (and don't look back).

For me, too, the fact that I just don't want a black interior -- you can't pay me to buy one, in fact -- argues against the RS3.

Hopefully the RS5SB can be had with a Magma Red leather interior.

Sam Giancana

I cross shopped. Finally got to sit in an RS3 last week. Interior did feel cheap compared to the S4. The dealer had a market adjustment of $10k on the window. Forget that. Anytime a dealer does things like it no wonder why people think of them as crooks.

JohnEnglish

Dealers said they've been told it'll have the same option list as the RS5 coupe which means it'll have a black interior with red stitching available.

markcincinnati

I'll pass. I wonder if you can Audi Exclusive it then?

JohnEnglish

In Europe? Probably. Here? I don't know.