Autocar's hatchet-job on the RS3

[Alaric]

Having read some pretty reasonable things in the latest batch of RS3 reviews, following the UK launch this month, I was a bit taken aback by the negativity of this piece by Matt Saunders for Autocar.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/...drive)/257814/

Actually it’s not so much a review as a hatchet-job, since he mentions no plus points about the car at all, confining himself to a virtual diatribe about its ride and handling on UK roads. There’s very little to go on in the article itself, so it’s also worth reading the comments for a fuller picture of his underlying feelings, beacuse, at one stage, he chimes in to defend himself from some readers attacking his (allegedly) eccentric language and says quite bluntly

And why criticise the RS3 at all? Because having test driven it, I think it's a particularly poor, uninvolving and overpriced performance car.

Now I’ve read quite a few reviews of the RS3 and, while some have been extremely positive, a number, including Autocar’s last one, have been lukewarm but generally respectful. Yet I have never heard anyone who's driven it call it a “poor” car. It's worth remembering that when Autocar tested the RS3 in southern France in March, the driver at that time, while not uncritical, said that it "came close to greatness". I know UK roads are bad, but are they really so bad they can turn a car that comes close to greatness in France into a particularly poor one here?

At any event, I cannot remember seeing a review quite so severely (almost comically) negative about anything outside party politics (except maybe Apple fans criticisng Windows ). Saunders goes so far as to say:

we can’t help but conclude that this is one of the very last ways we’d spend £40,000 this summer in pursuit of a great driver’s car

and for his coup de grace

we’d advise any UK deposit-holder who’s been offered a premium for their place in the queue for an RS3 – a car which has apparently been sold out since the winter – to take the money and run

[Joker]

Look up his professional career or lack of it, I did and couldn't see any racing experience or anything else to make him remotely qualified to comment on the subject of even a look-warm hot hatch never mind the RS3.

[Alaric]

Look up his professional career or lack of it, I did and couldn't see any racing experience or anything else to make him remotely qualified to comment on the subject of even a look-warm hot hatch never mind the RS3.

And that makes it even more strange that he can act as mouthpiece for what used to be one of the most respected UK motoring magazines. I realise of course that everyone is entitled to their opinion and some people might not like a particular car at all, but Autocar here is putting this out effectively under its own name and so this is likely to be taken as its official assessment. The view is so unremittingly negative and so out-of-line with any that have gone before, I'm surprised they're willing to sanction it even implicitly without getting some kind of further opinion (after all there is a difference between criticising a car for supposed lack of steering feel or being "uninvolving" or even having a harsh ride, and more or less advising people that it's so bad they shouldn't buy it). And doesn't the magazine make itself look less than reliable as any kind of source of reasonable opinion when it can within six months provide three or more reports on the same car that are so wildly out-of-line with each other (the original January review by Greg Kable was actually very positive and the one by Mike Duff in March was not bad)! "UK roads" seems like a barely credible explanation for such diametrically opposite views.

[The RS6]

Scandals sell newspapers, and that's all there is to it

[Joker]

His comments.

Well most indenpendent reviews like you said were very favourable and the ones where it was compared to the 1M actually felt that the RS3 was the better overall car if not necessarily the most exciting, offering a better balance between a more cushioned ride and still offering decent handling. Having own most of the sporty Audis in recent years and a fair few sporty BMWs as well I am well aware of the effects of sports suspension combined with low profile rubber, generally the ride is firm but if this is worse than he expected then he was very native to begin with.

Maybe best stick with editing and leave the reviewing to those who actually know what they are talking about.

[tailpipe]

Okay, so he doesn't like the RS3 and tries to justify a subjective opinion with objective criticism. Is there any truth in what he says?

I thought the RS3 was supposed to have a brilliant suspension - hard enough to hustle the car around hairpins yet complaint enough not to be bone-jarring on a trip to the shops.

And what about the engine? Didn't he like that? Or the new 7-speed DSG gearbox? Everyone outside the Uk has praised the RS3's ground covering ability. Is it really unsuited to Uk roads?

Given the amount of time Audi has been working on this car, I thought it would be fantastic. This review has got me worried. Or is he only complaining about the price?

[The RS6]

Those comments coming from a guy whose car of the year 2010 is a Kia Sportage.

[Joker]

This review has got me worried. Or is he only complaining about the price?

Or is he just a dick.

Seriously, apart from this one review all of them have praised the ride quality of the RS3, in fact they have complained more so about the 1M in this respect and yet the first 1M test in the UK by Autocar didn't condemn it's ride at all.

Though on checking this test wasn't conducted by Mr Saunders which might explain it.

[ChicagoAudi]

Very interesting timing of the RS3 first drive as Sutcliffe states that BMW has provided AutoCar with a 1-Series M for roughly a year's use at no cost to AutoCar.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/anyth...s-m-coupe.aspx

[SteveCuz]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gej-2...eature=related

Nuff said.

Steve

[Alaric]

And what about the engine? Didn't he like that? Or the new 7-speed DSG gearbox? Everyone outside the Uk has praised the RS3's ground covering ability. Is it really unsuited to Uk roads?

Given the amount of time Audi has been working on this car, I thought it would be fantastic. This review has got me worried. Or is he only complaining about the price?

Well exactly. He didn't really mention anything except the ride. No good points at all. From his review you would think the car had no redeeming features.

One thing he has succeeded in doing is destroying the credibility of Autocar, such as it was. A magazine that can publish two diametrically opposite views of the same vehicle, with the only explanation being the country it was driven in, is obviously not somewhere you'd want to go to find out if a new car is any good. I occasionally used to buy it if an interesting vehicle was being covered, but I won't be doing so again, not because they criticised the RS3 but because their drivers clearly can't be trusted.

As to whether the review has any objectivity, I'm skeptical. Reading between the lines I think he was trying too hard to sound like a supposedly experienced motoring journalist with all the fashionable views. He said the car understeers which I'm sure is true if you drive it hard on a track. I'd be very surprised if you can cause the understeer to manifest itself on a public road unless you are completely insane. The Top Gear reviewer in the latest magazine said it could be made to understeer if you:

...have the space and the cojones to find out because on a dry public road you'll
never find out where the limit lies - the RS3 just grips and goes

He then goes on to say:

I guarantee you'll chicken out of cornering speeds before the car does

So, that comment of Saunders is clearly horseshit as far as any normal driver is concerned.

As for the ride, I don't really believe it can be that bad going on other reports, but I guess you'll be one of the first to find out. Don't you take delivery next month? I be really interested to hear your experiences when you get your own car. Here are a couple of seriously positive reviews to cheer you up (which you may have seen already of course):

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/...s-simply-magic

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/audi/rs3-2011/

[tailpipe]

I have been thinking about this. With the internet being such an open source of objective fact-based information about products and services, it is surprising that such a reputable magazine should risk its credibility by publishing such a scurrilous piece. What Matt Saunders has written defies belief. quattro Gmbh does not make duff cars. Period.

Past reputation speaks louder than any two-bit journalistic crap. The B7 RS4 was brilliant. The C8 RS6 was brilliant. The TT-RS was and is brilliant. The B8 RS5 was and is brilliant. Of course, I am biased, being a die-hard Audi fan. But even if these cars aren't perfect, there is no way they can be described as crap or a waste of money.

Is the RS3 a cynical marketing exercise? The only rational grounds for criticising it is the price. Yes, it is steep. But it costs the same as a similarly equipped Golf R which doesn't have the same engine or gearbox.

I think the real problem here is fear and jealousy. Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen are producing better and better cars. I think the competition is feeling the heat.

[Joker]

The sad truth is journalists are the publication equivalent to hookers, pay them enough and they will all tell you what you want to hear, I openly criticise EVO for this and it looks like Autocar are no different, the very fact that a shiny new 1M coupe has arrived on their door does explain why it's ride hasn't come under criticism and might explain why its nearest rival is now receiving such damning remarks.

[Alaric]

I have been thinking about this. With the internet being such an open source of objective fact-based information about products and services, it is surprising that such a reputable magazine should risk its credibility by publishing such a scurrilous piece. What Matt Saunders has written defies belief.

Indeed. It does seem to be going a bit far to advise buyers to pull out of any product in such an unequivocal way. I'd have been worried about the legal consequences if I were him.

Is the RS3 a cynical marketing exercise? The only rational grounds for criticising it is the price. Yes, it is steep. But it costs the same as a similarly equipped Golf R which doesn't have the same engine or gearbox.

I think a lot of crap is talked about the price. It's perfectly in line with other German models. I also priced up a Golf R and for the same level of equipment it's only about 10% cheaper. If the Golf R had that engine and transmission it would make the RS3 look over-priced, but it doesn't. Also the nonsense about the options list taking it to £50000 that you hear occasionally is ridiculous. The car is well equipped as standard. Unless you want the Recaros or the Audi exclusive stuff it's hard to get it over £43000 and that's with the Bose sound system and a 5 year warranty! So yes, £40000 is a lot of money but if you're going to buy new, I can't think of any competitors with that performance and practicality. The icing on the cake is that the residuals are looking excellent too which means the actual cost isn't as bad as it might seem up front.

[Alaric]

Here's a review dated the same day as Autocar's:

http://www.cartechnica.co.uk/car/fir...t-Drive-Review

It's hard to believe they're describing the same car!

[tailpipe]

Alaric,

Thanks for posting that. What a terrific review. Spot on in my view.

I am still fuming about Autocar's hatchet job. The RS3 has a better engine and gearbox than the VW Golf R, the same AWD system, more-or-less the same chassis, and a quattro Gmbh tuned suspension (i.e. it ought to be quite a bit better than that of the Golf R's) - all in all, the RS3 should be a step-up from the Golf R. At the very least it should garner 4 stars, just as the Golf R did.

I still fear that the RS3 may be too firm on UK roads. That is a deal breaker.

[Alaric]

I still fear that the RS3 may be too firm on UK roads. That is a deal breaker.

That's an entirely understandable concern given the mixed messages we're getting from the reviews. I just found this new UK test in Autoexpress:

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carrevi.../audi_rs3.html

Comment on the ride, here, is reassuring:

Around town, the RS3 proves very easy to live with –

unlike most S or RS-badged Audis, the ride is actually pretty good. It’s firm
but not crashy.

Most of the comparative reviews I've read say the 1M has a harder and more uncompromising ride than the RS3 in everyday use. Strangely though this is not seen as a negative point by the BMW's many fans in the motoring press who seem only interested in how rapidly it can be power-slid round a dry track. I think they are genuinely mystified that the UK's 500 RS3's are long-since sold out whereas, allegedly, there are still 150 of the 450 1M's available.

[Joker]

The reason why all the RS3 are sold is because Audi is the more popular brand in the UK. Probably our ever changing weather where you can get all four seasons in one day...... even in June (lol) might explain it.