Let me start by saying this: I am an Audi fan. Ever since my dad got his old 2002 Audi A3, for some reason I fell in love with it. So when my boss asked me if I was interested in testing one out (I work at an Audi dealership now) I was more than happy to do that. He told me it was a 2002 S3, which seems odd as there is plenty of newer versions. However, I still got to test one out, and it would still be faster than my '89 Toyota Carina.
On Judgement Day, I met up with our resident photographer "George T." (nobody at work knows his last name; not even the boss) at 8:30am behind the garaging facilities at our local test track. And when I say local I mean 45-minute-drive-local. Anyway, we were sitting around, planning the day, sipping iced coffees and chatting away like two "posh" fags who have more money than brain. All of a sudden, we heard an ordinary sounding car drive in, and didn't think much of it. This was then followed by something much more beasty. I thought it was a muscle car, because it roared and whistled away like your average V8-with-a-Vortech American boat. Both cars then came into view, the regular sounding Audi S3 first, and then, wow, it was a... Golf R32?
So there we were, staring in disbelief at the latter car. It wasn't just that nobody had told us this would be a two-car meeting. It was that the V8 I heard was after all, a Golf. Enough about that though, I was very eager to get into the Audi, so we finished our coffees (not wanting to spill anything inside) and then got into the S3, which was in a beautiful grey colour. I started by getting used to it all, and then got to serious business - this is what I found out about the car.
Now the Audi S3 is not a bad thing. However, I am sad to say that it's not that much of a good thing either. At least not as much as I had hoped. The VW caned it in every way imaginable. It was faster, looked better, more muscular and it actually sounded wild. The 02' S3 has a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, which pushes out 220HP at 5,900rpm. Torque figure is around the 280Nm mark from 2,200 to 5,500rpm. This means the 4WD, 6-speed manual driven car does the quarter mile in about 15.45 seconds, before reaching a top speed of about 245km/h. One thing I didn't like when seeing this car in the flesh, is that the styling is just too subtle. It doesn't look like it could be potentially dangerous.
The other car that we tested, the VW Golf R32, came out a year later than the Audi did. This means VW had one year to see how the rival was doing, and then make a car that would eat it alive. It has 20 more horsepower(237HP), 40 more Newton meters of torque (319Nm), weighs 40kg more (1,460kg) and does the quarter mile in .470 seconds less (14.92). The 3188cc V6 is also run by a 6-speed transmission, and also has a 4WD drivetrain. It is longer, narrower and shorter, yet it still looks a whole lot more bulgier. And unlike the Audi, this one looks like it could eat supercars for breakfast before going out on a leisurely Sunday drive.
I am very embarrassed to say this, as I am a die-hard "4 silver rings" fan, but this time the Golf R32 has outpowered, outsmarted and especially outdriven Audi's top of the range hatchback. These are two quick pictures that were taken by the track cameras for us, the rest are still getting put on and checked, I might show you them too. Oh well, I guess it's now back to driving a Carina for me...
Note: This is my first "long" report ever, and I am 14 years old. If it is a little bad, sorry.
On Judgement Day, I met up with our resident photographer "George T." (nobody at work knows his last name; not even the boss) at 8:30am behind the garaging facilities at our local test track. And when I say local I mean 45-minute-drive-local. Anyway, we were sitting around, planning the day, sipping iced coffees and chatting away like two "posh" fags who have more money than brain. All of a sudden, we heard an ordinary sounding car drive in, and didn't think much of it. This was then followed by something much more beasty. I thought it was a muscle car, because it roared and whistled away like your average V8-with-a-Vortech American boat. Both cars then came into view, the regular sounding Audi S3 first, and then, wow, it was a... Golf R32?
So there we were, staring in disbelief at the latter car. It wasn't just that nobody had told us this would be a two-car meeting. It was that the V8 I heard was after all, a Golf. Enough about that though, I was very eager to get into the Audi, so we finished our coffees (not wanting to spill anything inside) and then got into the S3, which was in a beautiful grey colour. I started by getting used to it all, and then got to serious business - this is what I found out about the car.
Now the Audi S3 is not a bad thing. However, I am sad to say that it's not that much of a good thing either. At least not as much as I had hoped. The VW caned it in every way imaginable. It was faster, looked better, more muscular and it actually sounded wild. The 02' S3 has a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, which pushes out 220HP at 5,900rpm. Torque figure is around the 280Nm mark from 2,200 to 5,500rpm. This means the 4WD, 6-speed manual driven car does the quarter mile in about 15.45 seconds, before reaching a top speed of about 245km/h. One thing I didn't like when seeing this car in the flesh, is that the styling is just too subtle. It doesn't look like it could be potentially dangerous.
The other car that we tested, the VW Golf R32, came out a year later than the Audi did. This means VW had one year to see how the rival was doing, and then make a car that would eat it alive. It has 20 more horsepower(237HP), 40 more Newton meters of torque (319Nm), weighs 40kg more (1,460kg) and does the quarter mile in .470 seconds less (14.92). The 3188cc V6 is also run by a 6-speed transmission, and also has a 4WD drivetrain. It is longer, narrower and shorter, yet it still looks a whole lot more bulgier. And unlike the Audi, this one looks like it could eat supercars for breakfast before going out on a leisurely Sunday drive.
I am very embarrassed to say this, as I am a die-hard "4 silver rings" fan, but this time the Golf R32 has outpowered, outsmarted and especially outdriven Audi's top of the range hatchback. These are two quick pictures that were taken by the track cameras for us, the rest are still getting put on and checked, I might show you them too. Oh well, I guess it's now back to driving a Carina for me...
Note: This is my first "long" report ever, and I am 14 years old. If it is a little bad, sorry.
