VW Golf R v Audi S3 - review & 0-60mph, 1/4-mile and brake comparison!

.............................................................

It's time for a VW Golf R vs Audi S3 group test!

As we all know, both the Golf R & S3 are part of VW Group, so as a result, they’re both very similar under the skin - and that's no more evident when you check out the engine stats! They’re both packing 2-litre 4 cylinder engines, although while the Audi can produce 310hp & 400Nm, the Golf R edges it with the ability to put down 320hp & 420Nm!

So on the face of it, you’d expect them to be pretty similar, but will that be the case once Mat gets his hands on them? Will the Golf's slight increase in power be noticeable once he's on track? And even if it is, would he rather find himself sat in the S3's cabin?

You'll have to stay tuned as he walks you through all the key details you need to know, from thoughts on the exterior design through to the boot capacity! Oh, and of course, make sure you stick around for the launch & brake tests!

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:31 Price
01:11 Exterior Design
02:02 Interior
03:58 Back Seats
04:58 Boot
05:51 Drivetrain & Brakes
06:54 Engines
07:45 Audi S3 - 0-60mph & Brake Test
08:24 Audi S3 - Driving
11:18 Golf R - Driving
13:54 Golf R - 0-60mph & Brake Test
15:16 Verdict

.............................................................

Awkward haggling is a thing of the past with carwow. Choose your perfect car with our configurator tool and let the country’s best dealers compete over you. Compare the five best offers by price, location and dealer ratings and choose the one that’s right for you – no hassle, no haggling, just a great deal. 

[MatWatsonCars]

Hi Mat here: if I was to give you either of these cars for free which would you take?

[RDJ]

4 seconds from 0 to 60... in a Golf. When I was young that was Ferrari territory.

[nimishgoyal]

Did anyone notice that Mat didn't get kicked for mentioning "Nürburgring"

[ollieellwood]

Mat : Paddles are too small

VW : Makes bigger paddles

Mat : Paddles are too big.

VW :

XD

[Lakisleon]

Who could imagine 30 years back, that a Golf will be as fast as an F40 at 0-60.

[carwow]

You can only have ONE - so which are you choosing, the Golf R, or the S3? VOTE below!

[roadstargaming]

Looking at this now so I know what to buy in 10 years.

[tanaymathure]

Matt not getting kicked after the “N Word” felt weird

[riditsrivastava]

The thumbnail perfectly shows how I would describe Mat

[jetx]

Golf Team secretly gave the R a better tune as revenge for Audi not letting them use the 5 cylinder engine lol

[chrisdooley]

That R is making way more power than advertised lol

[Poorschedriver]

"i'd have an audi s3 that drove like a golf R"
RS3- Am I a joke to you?

[khweziphillips]

Small paddleshifts: Mat is not Happy

Big paddleshifts: Mat is still not happy!

He doesn't like the Golf, no matter what! Lol

[allamrajukarthik]

Editors are really having fun on a whole another level these days...🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Da__goat]

The interior of the S3 just makes it 100x better, even if they are using the same engine, the interior is worth every penny

[lihlezamisa]

Matt- "Where as the Golf puts out 320hp"

Everyone else : ALLEGEDLY!!

[kramnam]

🤣”Why have we got a Ford?? What happened?” Ace. Top quality episode

[flaringstar]

yknow, i'll be honest. having worked at both Audi and VW dealers, test driving both the S3 and Golf R... i gotta say the R was hands down the choice. i felt almost the exact opposite of what mat felt in the R. the material made it feel more rigid and not like it'll break on you or like you have to be gentle with it. it may look it, but it honestly feels better built, they know people are going to track them because that's what the R is for, it's the tip top golf trim, period. where the S3 is like "yeah it's got a better engine now, so it can keep up with the R but... we all know there's an RS3 or hell, a TTRS." every time i got into an a/s3, the interior felt so... mute. it felt downplayed and less like a luxury car than the upper tiers or even dare i say, the Golf R. the S3 feels like a GTI in a way, as it feels like its gonna be trying to do what it's siblings can, but it just can't. there's no real reason to pick an s3 over a golf R. it's still 60/40 front bias 4wd VW 4motion, not quattro, don't let the badges confuse you. that engine is transverse, not longitudinal. an a4 is actual quattro and you can feel the difference. heck even an RS3 isnt quattro. it's still AWD i guess but not to the same degree as quattro. the only thing i really DONT like about the R is the haptic buttons. WHY THE HAPTIC BUTTONS, CMON PLEASE GUYS NOT LIKE THIS. oh well, it's not a dealbreaker. the ambient lighting is fantastic in the R. the S3... less so. the infotainment systems i'll ignore cuz most people just use carplay or android auto anyway. steering wheel feels better and thicker on the R than the S... overall, there's really no question in my mind as to which i would pick.

[jameshenry]

I watch your videos so often with my son, I swear if his first words are “Carwow”.

[mr.t]

german car: *exists*
Mat: "YAAA!!!"