Anyone had a Mk2 LCR and a Audi S3?

[stevelcr]

Anyone had a Mk2 LCR and a S3?
As the title says really, my stage 2 Mk1 LCR will be going in the summer and I'm wanting something newer. Whatever I get will be going stage 2+, I like the Mk2 LCR but not sure on all that power with FWD. Also considering a TTS as my car is a garaged weekend car.

The Audi's seem preferable due to the Quattro and small things like heated seats etc but the LCR as usual is cheaper with lower miles.

So really I'm just wondering if anyone has owned either an LCR and S3 or an LCR and TTS and what your thoughts were?

Cheers, Steve

 

[LeonCR]

the S3 will never "feel as fast" as the LCR and once moving will probably be quicker

 

[big eck]

I personally think the Leon looks a bit better but if I could have found an S3 with the same spec a d mileage as my Leon at the same price I would have went for the Audi. Better resale and the 4wd traction is a plus. In the dry a stage 2+ Leon will be just as quick if not quicker on the move tho.

 

[stevelcr]

the S3 will never "feel as fast" as the LCR and once moving will probably be quicker

Not that fussed about out and out speed as I think the differences will be so small, more the overall package. At the moment the only thing I can think of for the LCR is the price.

I personally think the Leon looks a bit better but if I could have found an S3 with the same spec a d mileage as my Leon at the same price I would have went for the Audi. Better resale and the 4wd traction is a plus. In the dry a stage 2+ Leon will be just as quick if not quicker on the move tho.

Surely even in the dry the LCR still struggles to put the power down? Agree it looks slightly better though.

 

[betty_swollox]

I don't really get any wheel spin in the dry. In the wet is a different story tho

I'm the same as eck, would sve got S3 if there'd been one for the right price, and I don't genuinely think the S3 just looks like an A3 with different wheels and exhaust

 

[stevelcr]

I don't really get any wheel spin in the dry. In the wet is a different story tho

I'm the same as eck, would sve got S3 if there'd been one for the right price, and I don't genuinely think the S3 just looks like an A3 with different wheels and exhaust

Really? My TC light flashes away all the time in my MK1 LCR

 

[betty_swollox]

Really? My TC light flashes away all the time in my MK1 LCR

What tyres??

I get the light on when I'm booting it around corners a bit too fast but that's to be expected, on straights it's alright tbf

 

[big eck]

The mk2 Cupra comes with its own electronic diff as standard. Its no where near as good as the aftermarket items but it copes well with a standard car. The mk2 puts its power down wayyyyy better than my mapped mk1 LCR ever did. Remember the accelerator pedal isn't an on/off switch

 

[kevscupra]

Marshall who use to own my Mk2 LCR now has an S3.

I agree with the lads above LCR is a better looking car. Before I got my LCR I was between an S3 and Cupra, but the lower mileage, price and better looking LCR was the winner for me.

 

[stevelcr]

What tyres??

I get the light on when I'm booting it around corners a bit too fast but that's to be expected, on straights it's alright tbf

Eagle F1s all round.

The mk2 Cupra comes with its own electronic diff as standard. Its no where near as good as the aftermarket items but it copes well with a standard car. The mk2 puts its power down wayyyyy better than my mapped mk1 LCR ever did. Remember the accelerator pedal isn't an on/off switch

I know it's not an on off switch just like too be able to use all 360+ bhp and think the S3 could be better suited to that?

Marshall who use to own my Mk2 LCR now has an S3.

I agree with the lads above LCR is a better looking car. Before I got my LCR I was between an S3 and Cupra, but the lower mileage, price and better looking LCR was the winner for me.

That interesting, wonder why he changed, definitely a lot more for your money with the LCR

 

[herbie147]

To me the S3 looks too boring. The LCR looks far more interesting. I've had loads of high powered AWD cars and after buying my LCR, adjusting to FWD hasn't bothered me at all.

 

[Marshall]

As above I've had both, loved my R but hated my dealer and found the build quality not as good as my previous leon FR.
Looks is personal choice my R looked great and I think my S3 looks great too but maybe just a little more grown up.
As for power my R ran APR stage 2 and once on the move was a pretty quick car although on damp days or anything but bone dry roads traction was terrible even in 3rd.
Out of the box in standard form the R feels sharper low down although the S3 wins hands down higher up.
The S3 is better finished and the cabin is much more refined and seems built to last, each to their own but I really prefer my S3 over my R but that's my opinion and based on my usage.

When I had my R I had a traffic light Grand Prix with a Revo stage 2 S3 that a mate owns and it was significantly quicker, probably down to traction.

I find the S3 quieter inside and very comfortable although I did like the R seats.
Although they both share the same engine they are totally different cars to live with and as an Audi they command their price.

With the R you do get a lot for the money and they are and have proved to be a very robust and great overall package.
If I was looking for another car and had say £14k it could buy you a very low mileage 60 plate R or a 58 plate S3 with 60k on then it'd be daft not to go with the R.

 

[stevelcr]

To me the S3 looks too boring. The LCR looks far more interesting. I've had loads of high powered AWD cars and after buying my LCR, adjusting to FWD hasn't bothered me at all.

What kind of power you running in the Leon? Interesting you should say that when others seem to have gone the other way?

 

[stevelcr]

As above I've had both, loved my R but hated my dealer and found the build quality not as good as my previous leon FR.
Looks is personal choice my R looked great and I think my S3 looks great too but maybe just a little more grown up.
As for power my R ran APR stage 2 and once on the move was a pretty quick car although on damp days or anything but bone dry roads traction was terrible even in 3rd.
Out of the box in standard form the R feels sharper low down although the S3 wins hands down higher up.
The S3 is better finished and the cabin is much more refined and seems built to last, each to their own but I really prefer my S3 over my R but that's my opinion and based on my usage.

When I had my R I had a traffic light Grand Prix with a Revo stage 2 S3 that a mate owns and it was significantly quicker, probably down to traction.

I find the S3 quieter inside and very comfortable although I did like the R seats.
Although they both share the same engine they are totally different cars to live with and as an Audi they command their price.

With the R you do get a lot for the money and they are and have proved to be a very robust and great overall package.
If I was looking for another car and had say £14k it could buy you a very low mileage 60 plate R or a 58 plate S3 with 60k on then it'd be daft not to go with the R.

Nice little write up there mate, I'm torn at the moment, got a bit of time to think and S3 is winning by a nose at the moment. Thanks for all the comments

 

[herbie147]

What kind of power you running in the Leon? Interesting you should say that when others seem to have gone the other way?

My LCR is 320/320 at the moment. Going to buy bits for stage 2 shortly

Yeah well I'm 40 year old and thought it was time to get away from Impreza's and Evo's etc. Wanted something a bit less conspicuous with plenty of creature comforts, the LCR fitted the bill with me. My Evo could only be used as a weekend toy, would be murder as a daily driver. Sold my Evo and my Audi Avant daily driver to fund my LCR. It's great just having one car again.

I do like Audi's, had a few of them, but I wouldn't consider paying X amount for an S3 with 60k on the clock when you could get an LCR cheaper with circa 20k on the clock.

Each to there own though. With the front wheel drive you just have to adjust the driving to the conditions. I only like a hoon about when it's dry and sunny anyway.

 

[Crafoo]

S3 will be quicker off the line, but when you're rolling it would be different

 

[idjbell]

I had a 57 plate S3 before getting a 60 plate LCR. At the time I needed the extra rear doors and couldn't afford to replace with a 60 plate S3.

However last week I traded my 60 plate LCR for a 62 plate LCR. The difference this time is I could afford the S3, but in the end couldn't justify paying £9k to £10k more for a similar spec/age/mileage car that has the same engine!

The key thing that made the S3 so great was its amazing traction and ease to live with. But that also made it dull. My wife's FR was more exciting to drive than the S3. Which is how I ended up in the LCR in the first place.

If money was no object then we'd all have the S3.

The comment about them being different drives is spot on. The S3 has great traction, but unless you dump the clutch on starts you'll be lucky to pull much of a gap on a well driven Golf Gti in the dry. The gearing on the S3 feels painfully short, as if to make up for the extra weight. The cabin feels amazing. The drive a bit conservative. The seats are down right awful (unless you get the buckets) and the car would have needed something like £3k of extras to make it on par with a LCR. Mind you, you can actually have a hands free call in an S3 above 50mph!

The LCR on the other hand will feel faster, easier to get off the line and geared right. Of course add some water and it can be a bit of a handful. The seats are great and to drive is better than the S3. The "speaker" enhanced engine note makes every drive an event. It's more practical. The boot is bigger (my S3 boot mat has room on every side). The rear feels bigger too. You can have 19" wheels without having to adjust springs and insurance!

Economy is no different between the two in the real world. However Audi dealers are a million times better than Seat.

For me the choice the second time round felt odd, I was desperate to step back up a rung. Looking at Golf R's and S3's. But £26k+ for a 62 plate with sub 10k miles was just stupid. On the other hand a good deal of haggling and £16.5k for a 62 plate LCR was just a wiser choice for me.

 

[Crafoo]

If money was no object then we'd all have the S3.

I wouldn't, I much prefer the look of the LCR

 

[idjbell]

Ps to settle the speed question I also have both issues of Evo when each car was released and tested by them. The S3 was quicker to 30mph from a standing start, but in every other in-gear time the LCR was 0.1 second quicker.

 

[big eck]

My stage 2+ Cupra (380bhp) against a stage 1 Dsg S3 (320bhp owners claims). I was a bit cautious off the line as you can tell lol

http://youtu.be/XeevEZQvkB8