Subaru WRX STi vs Audi S3 Saloon

Does the new Subaru WRX STi live up to its predecessors – and can it match the new Audi S3 Saloon?

On paper these cars may not seem like obvious rivals but both have 296 brake horsepower and distant rarely heritage to call upon for their performance kudos with 407 newton meters the subaru has a fraction more torque than the 380 newton meter ld but it’s where that talk arrives that really makes the difference in the subaru you’ve gotta wait until 4000 rpm to

Get pete talk whereas in the punchy audi it arrives at just 1800 rpm meaning these cars have got very different characters at 33,000 245 pounds with a six-speed manual gearbox the audi s3 is more expensive than the subaru but the twenty eight thousand pound 995 wrx clearly doesn’t have the premium badge and that market cabin of its audi rival so let’s find out

How this pair compare on the road there was a time when we thought the new wrx wasn’t going to come to the uk but fast and subaru fans can relax because it’s finally here now in an age when cars are accused of all feeling the same and looking the same there’s no doubting that if wrx doesn’t feel or look like anything else on the road a lot of performance car fans

Will forgive the subarus cabin because this car is all about the driving experience and if you’ve driven the wrx before then this new car will feel very familiar first of all the boxer engine sounds the same you’ve got that unique sound from about 4,000 rpm as you start to work it hard you’ve got a gearbox that’s got quite a short shift on each change but it’s a

Slightly notching quiet mechanical feel and the steering as well is really very typically subaru because you’ve got very fast very fast steering that’s at the same time quite light which can be a little bit disconcerting it’s also got quite aggressive self-centering so at first it can fit make the car feel quite pointy a little bit unnerving once you get used to

It you realize that that’s a contributing factor to what makes this car to us our agile the other factor obviously is those dips that if it’s quite aggressive and again as before the old car you can adjust the diff using the controller down here and even it’s less aggressive settings you can really feel it working and traction really is never an issue on the road

So you find the right bit of road and you can really start to enjoy the subaru there’s a usual subaru firm strong brake pedal and this is so much great the body controls really taut it comes to the ride is a firm ride and you can feel that wheels reacting to imperfections but from memory i think it’s a bit better in the old car and it’s not so uncomfortable that

You’d find it unbearable so even on a typical british back road like this the car is pretty stable over bumps doesn’t get knocked offline or unsettled by mid-corner bumps then if you keep working the engine about 4000 you’re never sure performance never short of acceleration and body controls really good and once you go up to speed the steering starts to feel

A little bit more natural it does at lower speeds this is a car that you really will enjoy on the average british road okay we’re not surprised with how they subaru handles and performs by how’s it going to compare to the audi s3 saloon okay so now we’re in the audi and it’s a really interesting comparison this test because really these two cars in some ways

Couldn’t be more different and yet they’ve got exactly the same power and very similar performance on paper obviously the first thing you notice when you get into the audi is the interiors in a different league to the subaru so the new a3 is probably got one of the newest daddies on the market it’s got one of the nicest cabins at how do you make and then that’s

A real contrast that a dated cabin of the year of the subaru the driving experience is completely different from the subaru – obviously where the subarus really vigorous all the time you know the engine needs to be worked hard on the steering reacts to bumps in the road and it’s got quite aggressive self-centering super always feels vigorous always a bit sort of

Raw they had is the complete opposite it’s very relaxed just drives like any other well sort it fast audi but the performance is there this engines got exactly the same power as the subarus engine of seats a 2-liter turbo torque is down on the subarus on 27 newton meters less in the suit we doesn’t really get going until 3000 the audi look really instant power all

The time if you don’t feel oh you have to work the engine so hard out of tight corners like this one it’s just on the throttle instant power and it’s just right there on it with the dry select system in the dynamic mode you get quite a sort of induction noise and it feels not as vigorous as the subaru but just as fast in the road if i’m honest and the handlings

Pretty accomplished as well nothing feels as sharp as a subaru so steering’s not as sharp and the way that the diffs work is not as aggressive but there’s plenty of traction decent body control the car turns in nicely it’s not a thrilling car on a road like this but it’s just very very accomplished very easy to drive quickly and i suppose that’s really the point

Of a fast audi in terms of the ride quality dry cement allows you to adjust the dampers in the sportiest setting it is fairly firm maybe you’re still a fraction less burn than the subaru go to the comfort settings and actually relatively comfortable you do still get a sense that the primary rides quite comfortable but the large wheels still thump into big imperfections

But this is definitely a buggy with every single day and not feel like you’re having to make major compromises which probably gives this a bit of an advantage over the subaru which unquestionably does have a lot of compromises but a next really big question is which the two is the fastest well to answer that question we’re going to head off the road and onto the

Track and have it also express off the line both cars have superb traction but the audi’s nearly a hundred kilograms lighter than the subaru and that shows by the time we reach sixty miles an hour the s3 punches to 60 in five point four seconds whereas the subaru is two-tenths behind at five point six seconds the audi hits 100 miles per hour in 13 point three

Seconds stretching its advantage over the subaru which comes across the line thirteen point seven seconds so which car comes out on top in our unique test well subaru fans will love the unique sound of the wrx is boxer engine and the cars unique character but the audi has a much nicer cabin it was faster in the drag race and it’s a nicer car to live with day to

Day yes it’s more expensive but if you want a fast comfortable and stylish performance saloon the audi s3 is the one for us form its cars taking on two wheel drive rivals click on the left to see the golf r take on the set leon cupra r and click on the right to see the mercedes amg a45 take on the bmw m135i and don’t forget to click on the auto express logo to subscribe to our channel

Transcribed from video
Subaru WRX STi vs Audi S3 Saloon By Auto Express