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Hyper sense

There seems to have been a lot of hype over the new Golf R. Probably justified hype. However, with a starter price of £28,930, it will be at least £3,000 more than a discounted Audi S3, which was itself always thought to be too pricey and a bit lacking in ‘feelback’ through the wheel on the road. Are they really the same car as regards feedback and is the S3 now good value and the Golf R overpriced, or is that just market positioning? I need to know before everyone else cottons on and S3s lose their discount.

Asked on 12 December 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
Read my test of the S3 at www.honestjohn.co.uk To get the S3 working properly you have to drive it with hard acceleration from the apex of a corner. Then, turn-in is fantastic. Never brake too late or exit on a trailing throttle or it will understeer. So I'm with you on this. The Golf R has 5 more bhp, but why pay £3,000 more for it?
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