To the driver of the Audi S3 on the A465 this morning

Oh, I don't know.

I quite like the S3. Probably wouldn't buy one, but if it were a company car, I'm sure I could make full use of it's performance :-)

So suddenly you're good enough driver to roll over all other aspects, like the best part of 100 PS, yet you would not even entertain the concept that I got the drop on that weany 1.8 156 t'other night?

Different circumstances.

We're talking a nice twisty road not 'getting the drop' coming off a roundabout.

This was definitely a case of driver ability rather than catching someone by surprise.

And yes, the S3 driver was definitely trying hard, judging by the amount of braking he was doing in silly places, like at the apex of a bend.

I quite often think that when I see the rich mummies in their Range Rovers that would be much better suited to driving a car they could actually judge the width of, like a Smart car.

Peter

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You mean, this time it was you getting the drop on somebody, rather than I?

My mate has one - golf, it is not.

No, I mean this time it was me _out driving_ the other driver over a stretch of around 10 miles (incl. the bit where he overtook though the village, and the few miles of double-lined twisties before I got past.

This is a very different situation to you managing to 'get the drop' on someone who was baulked at a roundabout.

Really??? In what way? The engine? Oh... no. The chassis? Oh.. no. The Handling? Oh... no. The Dash? Oh yeah, that's like the Skoda isn't it.

whatever

At least my Volvos are distinct from models in the same family - something VW don't seem to give a toss about.

I thnk you've got a point there, but here's another one - was the original shape (late shape 100) A6 based on a Passat, or was that just the later ones?

I ask as, to my knowledge, they didn't ever put the 5-cyl TDI in anything other than the 100/A6 (unless you count VW LT vans).

Peter

If you don't understand what we're on about, go try a selection of the following:

VW Audi Skoda Seat

They're all pretty much made the same way out of the same bits.

It's a simplification, of course, but the A3 has always disappointed me because it's just a tarted up Golf.

That said, I've not tried the new A3. I hope it is still a tarted up Golf, because the new Golf is a nice piece of kit.

But if the only thing going for the Audi is the badge and the "prestige," VAG can forget about selling me the A3, I'll take the Seat or Skoda version, thank you.

I'm not sure as older VWs aren't my thing but I thought the older passat was a transverse engine - like the old Audi 80 - from memort - being the transverse setup too.

The 5 cyl TDI turned up in the Volvo.

I've driven the following golfs: Golf IV, TT, A3, Leon, Octavia.

Of them, the Leon is the best thought out, most driver focussed and best to drive. It's also one of the cheapest - the 1.4 is fun, the Cupra is genuinely quick.

Only the Golf is worth buying for the badge, the A3 feels like a small car for big money, the TT is for puffs (out of interest, type puffs into the predictive text on your phone and look at the alternate suggestions) and the Octavia is great value but a bit soft and they don't float.

I do hate this phrase. Do you mean, "I'm actually wrong and recognise the fact, but can't even be bothered to justify myself"?

Come on, what's so different between the A3 and the Golf then?

...which vastly favours his much more powerful 4x4 car, than your weeny-power FWD !!!!!

Either his S3 wasn't an S3, or you are Colin Mcrae :)

Agreed. And I agree that it does make a difference to performance.

However, you don't need much in the way of power/grip to overcome a lack of driving prowess ! I've never been on any special courses, never been to a track day, never hooned around in a car park, in fact I've never really done anything other than drive from A to B - and I cope just fine in the TI.

"ability" ? Any old klutz can drive a fast car, fast. It doesn't really take any special skills. As I said in my previous post, I've never been on any special courses, never been to a track day, never hooned around in a car park, in fact I've never really done anything other than drive from A to B in my 9 years of driving - and I cope just fine. In a decent car, it's simply a case of point and squirt.

New S3 gets the lovely 250bhp 3.2 V6, instead of the old 220bhp 1.8T.