E92 DCT M3 vs 2018 RS3

TTony · 10-10-2018, 12:00 AM

Saw an E90 M3 next to an RS3 today, surprised at how large the RS3 looked next to the E90 due to the different proportions.

pbonsalb · 10-10-2018, 10:14 AM

Cars get bigger. Today’s 3 is as big as a 5 from years ago.

sibhusz06 · 10-11-2018, 12:16 AM

The RS3 is in the near field of the pic so will look bigger, also as pbonsalb stated, the newer successor of every car is always larger. The F80 M3 is as large as the E series M5. Big cars aren't as fun to drive due to their wheelbase.

I guess the way I look at it is, is paying 70k for a new RS3 buying you that much more of a car than a 25-30k E90 M3. Thats a personal decision... I personally wouldn't spend 40k more for a car thats only a tad faster, and slightly better handling at the expense of higher insurance, sales tax, property tax etc etc

TTony · 10-11-2018, 07:41 PM

Some interesting stats

E90 / E92 M3
L = 180.4" / 182"
W = 71.5" / 72"
H = 57" / 56"
Wheelbase = 108" / 109"
Weight = 3715 lbs / 3649 lbs

RS3
L = 176"
W = 71"
H = 55"
Wheelbase = 103.6" (looks like a longer wheelbase than the M3 but isn't)
Weight = 3593 lbs (includes AWD!)

617E90M3 · 10-17-2018, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sibhusz06

The RS3 is in the near field of the pic so will look bigger, also as pbonsalb stated, the newer successor of every car is always larger. The F80 M3 is as large as the E series M5. Big cars aren't as fun to drive due to their wheelbase.

I guess the way I look at it is, is paying 70k for a new RS3 buying you that much more of a car than a 25-30k E90 M3. Thats a personal decision... I personally wouldn't spend 40k more for a car thats only a tad faster, and slightly better handling at the expense of higher insurance, sales tax, property tax etc etc

But the RS3 has way more mod potential then an M. M3's are not the car to own if you want to go fast, this is coming from somebody that's boosted already.

BrewRifle · 10-17-2018, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 617E90M3

But the RS3 has way more mod potential then an M. M3's are not the car to own if you want to go fast, this is coming from somebody that's boosted already.

I dunno man, but I think a car that can run low 11's and high 10's to be pretty damn fast. This is of course a boosted M3.

617E90M3 · 10-19-2018, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrewRifle

I dunno man, but I think a car that can run low 11's and high 10's to be pretty damn fast. This is of course a boosted M3.

Even boosted you are talking mid 120's to low 130's if you have a 650 kit.... there are bolt on e85 RS3's running 9.8 @ low 140's.... That's not even in the same league haha.

BrewRifle · 10-20-2018, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 617E90M3

Even boosted you are talking mid 120's to low 130's if you have a 650 kit.... there are bolt on e85 RS3's running 9.8 @ low 140's.... That's not even in the same league haha.

Why not just buy a run of the mill vette and slap some crap on it to run your highly praised 9.8?

I couldn't care less, there will always be a car/vehicle that will spank the next haha. The RS3 is not even remotely in the same league as these M3s when you incorporate the entire experience, not just going in a straight line. If straight line speed is all you care about I highly suggest a different car for you.

Just to clarify, we are talking about a car that debuted in Europe in 2007 vs some new kid on the block correct?

bvrider1 · 10-20-2018, 01:29 PM

let me pull out the measuring stick.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 617E90M3

Even boosted you are talking mid 120's to low 130's if you have a 650 kit.... there are bolt on e85 RS3's running 9.8 @ low 140's.... That's not even in the same league haha.

617E90M3 · 10-21-2018, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrewRifle

Why not just buy a run of the mill vette and slap some crap on it to run your highly praised 9.8?

I couldn't care less, there will always be a car/vehicle that will spank the next haha. The RS3 is not even remotely in the same league as these M3s when you incorporate the entire experience, not just going in a straight line. If straight line speed is all you care about I highly suggest a different car for you.

Just to clarify, we are talking about a car that debuted in Europe in 2007 vs some new kid on the block correct?

Lol, S65 is just not the best platform for power, cost vs performance is sky high. Again... I own a highly modified E90, and I fucking love it, and wouldn't trade it the way it sits for an RS4. But the RS3 motor is fucking stellar. It's a LOT of car for 50-60k Sticker.

jaehshim · 10-21-2018, 08:24 PM

i love the audi 5 cylinder, so much Audi sports history in that engineering, the 5 cylinder turbo RS with quattro. Performance hands down, this is a great basis for tuning for sure.

The problem with that car is not the engine or the tech. it's the platform, chassis and design. I went to an Audi dealer to look at A3/S3 for a friend, and walked out in 10 minutes. That A3 looks so cheap in and out, the rear seat is smaller than the E90 or GTI. Especially in with the S2/RS3 seats, you can't even put your legs straight in the back seat. And the ext/interior? It looks like Audi walked up to a Audi factory garbage can, picked up some stuff and put em on a flat black plastic dashboard. The MK7 GTI feels more luxurious than this crap...

Audi logo? yea but quality is worse than a base VW model
Luxury? none
Design? RS line, but there's no aggressiveness at all, Civic Type R looks more fat in the rear than this thing
Ergonomics and size? useless backseats, why create in a sedan? (I've lived in UK before, the RS3 or old S3 hatch looks and works so much better in daily)
Price? Not cheap at all
Performance? It's there, but if it's missing all the above mentioned qualities, I might as well just get a used GTR and smoke this thing everyday

TTony · 11-17-2018, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrewRifle

Why not just buy a run of the mill vette and slap some crap on it to run your highly praised 9.8?

I would never commute in a Corvette. The RS3 matches almost directly to the E90 M3 stock vs stock (except it gets better gas mileage and has a better interior...). They are also now running many RS3's in low 9's at a highly praised 140-150mph. I seriously wish my 625 kit did that.

Lt1camaro · 12-15-2018, 10:27 PM

I own both the E92 M3 and a 2018 RS3. Both are completely different drives.

M3 is definitely the better feeling and enthusiast focused car. It's the car that I always look forward to driving.

The RS3 feels like more of a sporty daily car. I have gotten it to understeer on the backroads I usually take my E92 M3 on. I have also noticed that the steering wheel is a bit too light and doesn't communicate well with what the car is doing. Suspension and transmission are rock solid though. The car also sounds cool, with the low down 5cyl sound, but gets drowned out by the turbo at the higher RPMs.

Overall the RS3 is good, but if you are coming from an E9x M3, you won't be fully satisfied.

Groundhog · 12-29-2018, 12:16 AM

Ok, so how come there are almost no new RS3's available for sale in the U.S.?

10-10-2018, 12:00 AM	#23
TTony Lieutenant 271 Rep 553 Posts Drives: E92 M3, Macan Turbo, IS350 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: San Jose iTrader: (1)	Saw an E90 M3 next to an RS3 today, surprised at how large the RS3 looked next to the E90 due to the different proportions. Attached Images
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10-10-2018, 10:14 AM	#24
pbonsalb Lieutenant General 5216 Rep 10,603 Posts Drives: 18 F90 M5, 99 E36 M3 Turbo Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: New England iTrader: (4)	Cars get bigger. Today’s 3 is as big as a 5 from years ago.
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10-11-2018, 12:16 AM	#25
sibhusz06 Second Lieutenant 109 Rep 234 Posts Drives: 2011 M3, 2012 X35I, 2007 911 Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: DC iTrader: (0)	The RS3 is in the near field of the pic so will look bigger, also as pbonsalb stated, the newer successor of every car is always larger. The F80 M3 is as large as the E series M5. Big cars aren't as fun to drive due to their wheelbase. I guess the way I look at it is, is paying 70k for a new RS3 buying you that much more of a car than a 25-30k E90 M3. Thats a personal decision... I personally wouldn't spend 40k more for a car thats only a tad faster, and slightly better handling at the expense of higher insurance, sales tax, property tax etc etc
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10-11-2018, 07:41 PM	#26
TTony Lieutenant 271 Rep 553 Posts Drives: E92 M3, Macan Turbo, IS350 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: San Jose iTrader: (1)	Some interesting stats E90 / E92 M3 L = 180.4" / 182" W = 71.5" / 72" H = 57" / 56" Wheelbase = 108" / 109" Weight = 3715 lbs / 3649 lbs RS3 L = 176" W = 71" H = 55" Wheelbase = 103.6" (looks like a longer wheelbase than the M3 but isn't) Weight = 3593 lbs (includes AWD!)
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10-21-2018, 08:24 PM	#33
jaehshim Major 492 Rep 1,374 Posts Drives: E90 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: NE iTrader: (3)	i love the audi 5 cylinder, so much Audi sports history in that engineering, the 5 cylinder turbo RS with quattro. Performance hands down, this is a great basis for tuning for sure. The problem with that car is not the engine or the tech. it's the platform, chassis and design. I went to an Audi dealer to look at A3/S3 for a friend, and walked out in 10 minutes. That A3 looks so cheap in and out, the rear seat is smaller than the E90 or GTI. Especially in with the S2/RS3 seats, you can't even put your legs straight in the back seat. And the ext/interior? It looks like Audi walked up to a Audi factory garbage can, picked up some stuff and put em on a flat black plastic dashboard. The MK7 GTI feels more luxurious than this crap... Audi logo? yea but quality is worse than a base VW model Luxury? none Design? RS line, but there's no aggressiveness at all, Civic Type R looks more fat in the rear than this thing Ergonomics and size? useless backseats, why create in a sedan? (I've lived in UK before, the RS3 or old S3 hatch looks and works so much better in daily) Price? Not cheap at all Performance? It's there, but if it's missing all the above mentioned qualities, I might as well just get a used GTR and smoke this thing everyday __________________
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12-15-2018, 10:27 PM	#35
Lt1camaro Lieutenant 185 Rep 477 Posts Drives: 2016 535i, 2015 435i, 2013 M3 Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Ontario, Canada iTrader: (1)	I own both the E92 M3 and a 2018 RS3. Both are completely different drives. M3 is definitely the better feeling and enthusiast focused car. It's the car that I always look forward to driving. The RS3 feels like more of a sporty daily car. I have gotten it to understeer on the backroads I usually take my E92 M3 on. I have also noticed that the steering wheel is a bit too light and doesn't communicate well with what the car is doing. Suspension and transmission are rock solid though. The car also sounds cool, with the low down 5cyl sound, but gets drowned out by the turbo at the higher RPMs. Overall the RS3 is good, but if you are coming from an E9x M3, you won't be fully satisfied. __________________ Current Car List 2020 F87 M2 CS - Hockenheim Silver 2020 F97 X3M- Phytonic Blue
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12-29-2018, 12:16 AM	#36
Groundhog Private 3 Rep 84 Posts Drives: R-compounded Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: West Coast iTrader: (0)	Ok, so how come there are almost no new RS3's available for sale in the U.S.?
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