Why not RS3 vs A45 AMG ?

I think a Golf R with the 5-cylinder motor would be an amazing package. A "Golf RS"

Is it me or does everyone and their dad drive a Golf R? There are so many on the roads compared to the mk6 R and mk5 R32 when they were released.

No matter what's the others say: I think Dan did a excellent review! I genuinely enjoyed it!

The Golf quicker round the track than the RS3. Who'd have thought that? Amazing result. Golf R it is then and save £10K. Great video.

It would have been fairer to compare the Golf R to the S3, not the RS3, considering the Golf R is basically an S3 with a different body.

rs3 sounds better

Is the Golf R not pretty much the same car as the S3? Why not include the S3 in this

"And the 4WD system that can send 100% of it's torque to the rear axle. I don't know when it does that,perhaps when you're parking or something..." Epic line of review. You can feel the frustration :D Good job EVO (Y)

I'd still like the audi over the vw. 5Cyls sound amazing plus audi interiors are beautiful.

For everyday road use, i think the audi has it for me for its looks, sound and cabin.

golf r every time for an everyday car. it just hits the sweet spot and feels balanced in all ways. I have looked at 'upgrading' but haven't seen anything that ticks all the boxes like the R

It's almost as if the reviewer wanted the Golf to win. As a road car the Audi is a brilliant and comfy road rocket, great engine etc I'd def choose it over the Golf

The wheels of Golf R are simply amazing!

Perfect side to side view comparison at the end. Genius!

A very good review. Exactly my experience when I test drove these 2 cars.

golf r is one of the best overall cars ..

not much acceleration in the Audi? how come? bro are you driving in the Dynamic mode or the comfy?

question: (not to be done for everyday driving on public road but) what if we put harder compund tyres on the rear axle on both the car? would they behave much better on track? and in the case, the "esp" would match automatically on that setup or one should remap the chip for that?

just goes to show the difference between the perception of professional reviewers like this gentleman and an average driver like myself. I test drove a 2016 RS3 today and I was absolutely gobsmacked. Unbelievable car.

The Audi is too expensive for a Hatchback. Would save my money and get the Golf R.

i love the lap thing with the still frames!

Woot! As a U.S. 2017 Golf R owner, this video fills me with joy :)

Good review guys. I wish you guys could review the 6 speed manual version of the R. The bigger 2.5 litre engine does hold the RS3 back quite a bit - tends to understeer too much.

its clear that he prefer the golf r than the rs3, I think he is even advertising them...

golf r in that colour is just gorgeous

Great review, Dan. Thank you. Looking forward to seeing how the face lifted Mercedes AMG compares to both RS3 and Golf R. Then, of course, there is the forthcoming Volkswagen R400.

In those last shots of the Golf R taking corners, it looked like the rear axle was definitely rotating the car nicely out of the apex.

Golf R eats RS3 value for money, and performance all round. Throw on a stage 1 or 2 from apr, still a lot cheaper than the rs3. Golf R is the benchmark hot hatch, period.

Nice work Evo.

What traction mode was the Golf R in on the track? Mine gets VERY tail happy with TC disabled.

Many thanks for that video. I have a Golf R and was going to buy an RS3 but you've given me something to think about... Hmmm

To my eyes the interior of the Audi is nicer just my opinion however

OK, watching that review back a second time, it couldn't be more obvious that they wanted the Golf to come out on top before they even started (wouldn't be surprise if he owned a Golf R) the review. I bet he drove the Golf to win the lap time test.

Wow, incredible result! Great review ;)

Awesome review Dan well done

This is such a one sided video.

The RS3 doesn´t feel faster in a straight line? It is a second faster to 100Km/h. It uses the same chassis with wider front tires 255mm compared to 235mm rear rubber to make the car more balanced. 30 Kg more weight ^^ forget about those 2% of weight disadvantage. And about the Audi S(port)3 it shouldn´t be as sharp as a Golf R(ace) obviously....Audi bashing at its finest. And for everyone thinking I´m an Audi fanboy, although I like audi I do understand facts. havning driven both An Audi S3 and a Golf R apart from the softer suspension in the S3 they can´t hide their relation in the way they drive.

Love your review mate. Nice and clean no obnoxious bullshit. Just information clearly delivered. Love it.

this was a great review props!

Once I'll be old enough, Im'ma buy the GTI, R, and the RS3 in that order. GTI is my dream car though. And I know it has less hp and it's FWD, but it's more iconic. And most importantly, I'm a VW fan.

audi fan boys were buzzing to watch this video until 5mins 7 seconds and 5mins 27seconds lol

nice review, especially the track session

Absolutely love driving my 10 year old R32 with sport Haldex controller on the road with the usual restrictions but corners are good and roundabouts can be fun !

If you want rear axle instability then go drive a Focus ST.

can we see a RS3 vs A45amg??

Great review. As an appendix I would love to see times and thoughts on the APR Tuning Golf R.....

excellent review. really gets into the driving and feel of the cars

You're talking about fractions of a second on a track...so basically in the real world where everyone are traffic light racers the RS3 is gonna tear some arse

This should not be tested by an amateur driver..😂😂

great battle...i was not expecting this outcome

If you did the same thing from a standing start over 2 laps what would the difference be? In my opinion that would be a more accurate test.

I prefer the the Bmw M135i with x drive. Why? The BMW puts a bigger smile on my face and you can´t put a price tag on that

Great review. I was torn between purchasing the Golf R or the Audi S3 Sedan. Decided to go with a Subaru WRX instead :)

Good review mate!

very good review and commentary well done. Just bought a Golf R

the gti clubsport will be enough fun on the track

"Golf's gearbox is just fractionally quicker" rubbish.

what would you choose; 2011 m3 e92 or rs3 2015?

I have a 2016 R on 91 octane. Would you put an upgraded turbo (+ intercooler) into the R to add 100HP? The fuel pump and DSG could support that, yes? My goal is the ultimate sleeper. So, it must remain quiet. Keep the stock exhaust and downpipe.

Great sound...just a shame that 5 cylinder engine is away out front.

"..these aren't track cars, but lets test them on a racetrack anyway..." worst review ever... The RS3 has a smooth and silky engine, strong DQ500 gearbox and lovely interior. Plus an aggressive Haldex AWD that reacts much quicker under acceleration than the S3 or Golf R. So that's where extra $$ goes!!

Would love to see the facelift 5f cupra 290 dsg7 against the 2020 golf r on track. Please make that happen to show the difference of the fwd cupra against the 4motion golf.would love to see how much the 290 beats the R by. Awesome review btw👏👍

Just FYI ! The Haldes AWD System is IDENTICAL on BOTH of these vehicles ! (including S3)

Nice honest review, RS3 for me!

Video all about Golf R from start. But which is better for everyday driving. No one cares about track cars. Clearly guy wants all cars to slide ..his main issue with both cars. Get a bmw. Safer and more steady car is better then one that slides whenever you go fast and turn corners. 9/10 people will never race it on track.

Tyres ? & surely geo can be adjusted. (I prefer the R but love that 5 cyl engine).

Amazing video Well done.

Summary of almost all recent journalists review of hot hatches: blah blah blah, this car is ok, blah blah blah, but the golf is better, blah blah blah.

rs3 fan boys incoming

Great video and a fascinating outcome. I think though that the main component in whichever car is faster is being overlooked somewhat. The driver. A skilled and committed driver makes whatever car he or she is in the fastest from A to B on a typical British road should a race situation develop. Especially in two closely matched hot hatches. 👍

With alloy control arms and a decent rear sway bar, the RS3 improves significantly in terms of handling. I have owned both and they are a lot of fun but with the RS3 moving back to 4cyl in its next form, I will probably be going back to a Golf R

Goodness gracious... he's soooo negative... These two cars are amazing. I'd be soooooo happy with either car!

I'm sure they are both really nice cars but I don't get it. For the money, if a person wants something faster / sportier, there are so many other options out there. These cars are like those SUV's that try to be sporty. Just winds up being more expensive than it should be.

With the conclusion of the vid aside, fantastic review. Well done Dan -- especially if you wrote the script yourself. :-) Great transitions and flow. Mostly, auto reviewers make cliche statements and fail to disclose the 'why' in detail. Great, nerdy detail of the strengths and weaknesses of both cars in terms of *driving dynamics*. I'm very critical about automotive reviews. I cannot say enough good things about this one. Short, simple, to-the-point, and even the video editing of the hot lap comparison was done right. A+ It's sad to see the comments below. These are the people that, unfortunately, force manufacturers to make decisions that produce more A-to-B vehicles, not drivers' cars. Some people below don't understand that if two cars share the same platform or have the 'same' haldex awd system, it doesn't mean they should handle the same at the track. Suspension tuning & chassis setup is where engineers have to make the most noticeable, thus the most critical compromises. And these two things are clearly not the same on both cars. I love Audi but do not like its pigheadedness. If only Audi had the same head while designing all of its cars as it did with the B7 RS4, current RS6 and the R8.

love this vid. i never even thought of comparing my mk7 to an rs3.... but i knew itd smoke an s3. i love seeing people on the highway with their low end "luxury sports sedans", and then seeing them disappear into my rearview.

why do the golf seats look like they're from 2004

you are just paying for the audi badge. I actually think a two door golf r is better looking than an audi rs3 as it only comes in 4 door.

Great Review!

How do you compare golf R to audi RS3? ? GOLF R and Audi S3 RS3 v A45 AMG v 135M ect. ..

Wait. You said that the Golf R doesn't come alive like the Seat Lean cupra R does because it's a FWD car?? I don't know about you but I'll take a AWD car any day all day over a FWD Car!!

I love my 2016 Golf R!!!! It does everything right. It has no where as good a soundtrack however as my 2004 R32 did. Nothing like the sound of that VR6. It does handle far better however and transitions very very well through the turns.

Great review! 😄

+EVO what is the name of the song used right at the very end?

These motoring journalists spout some absolute nonsense. Who gives a crap about how a car performs on track. Surely it's about everyday driving ability on the road.

Great RS but I take R and spend 10k€ to make it 500 hp :)

what tires used on each of the cars?

It is merely not about braking fluid, the issue is the chassis, which is not allowing speed to be carried through the corners. So to correct this issue, heavier braking is applied.

just say you are more of a golf fan...

Hmmm.. Sorry Evo, I don't buy it.

Awesome review!

The RS3 isn't made for tracks or twisty roads, it's just a quick, practical, everyday driver. And there is nothing wrong with that :)

eye-opening how all the little audi fans that just care about the brand and the badge are complaining in the comments here!! stop whining, your car lost in terms of performance, it's as simple as that

Nah nee S3 is Golf Rs rival

If you can't feel the Golf R transferring the power to the rear then you're not driving it hard enough. After years of having front wheel drive cars, I can feel my R pushing from the rear on exiting a bend and on one occasion when I REALLY gave it some, I felt the power going completely to the outside rear wheel - a very weird sensation but the handling is epic!

very useful review.

This guy should really stick to BMW reviews. Obvious Audi hater.

Unless taking your car to the track which caters for about 20% of buyers if you're lucky... whats more important is traffic light to traffic light time where the Golf R gets destroyed. on top of that the Audi sounds better and the interior is a much better place to be. id much rather drive in an Audi than a VW.

APR Stage 2 on the Golf with the new DSG Upgrade as well makes it a beast.

Id still take the Audi.. superior cabin, image and style, plus that V5 sound. heck ive never even driven a racetrack.