I had my 2004 Subaru WRX stolen recently, and I have decided to buy an A3 as my replacement daily driver. But I'm having a hard time deciding whether to go premium/standard or S-Line suspension. I live in Montreal, Canada, where we probably have the worse roads in NA, but the WRX was a great compromise, sporty but not too harsh a ride. Do any of you have experience with the WRX and/or can you help me decide which suspension is right for me? I have taken both A3s for test drives but 10 minutes is just not enough time to make an informed decision.
Thank you.

 

I love my S-line and I'm coming from an '04 S2000. It seems very comfortable to me and handles really well. Plus the S-line just looks better to me...more sporty looking.

 

Hi there!!! i'm from sherbrooke, qc!!

For me it was a S-line no doubt, not only because of the suspension but for the more suportive seats and other thing that come with the sport package. Yes the sport suspension his harder but I dont plan on going to a bigger wheel than the stock 17" so that leave a bit of rubber to absorb, I ride on 16" for winter so it help.

I came from a infiniti g35 coupe and I test drive both of the A3 suspension before buying and there was to much body roll for me in the standard setup, for me the s-line drop is the perfect compromise (3/4 of a inch I think...) .

s-line+ 18 inches wheel might be harsh....I never try that setup. Where you looking at the turbo 4 cylinder or the 6 cylinders? I think it come with 18" wheels

 

My A3 was the replacement for an 04 WRX. I'm pretty sure you'll find either suspension to be better. I have the S-line suspension but with the 17" wheels.

 

Being a native of Montreal and knowing the roads well (the Met and that damned Decarie expressway!), I'd also be thinking about the routes I would drive everyday. If it's really over harsh roads (I remember the service road on the TCan near VSL going either way), the standard suspension (I do not have S Line) would do just fine. San Francisco's roads are pretty beat up as well (they're putting a lot of their electrical lines underground beneath city streets so they are just tearing the road up left and right here). I drive locally every day and can tell you that it is a lot more forgiving than the sport suspension on my '05 BMW 3-series.

I do wish I could have the sport seats in my A3 though. []

 

I parked next to a brand-new white WRX four door hatch today. Not nearly as elegant as the A3, but it's prolly a good bit less expensive.

 

Thanks for your comments. I drove 2 2008s yesterday, the premium had a cushier ride, but as Eric says, too much body roll in corners compared to the S-Line, which corners so flat you feel like you're in a go-cart! The trade-off is a thumpier ride on bad pavement for sure compared to premium, but not to the point that it's irritating. I think both seats are very comfortable, but the sports seat are more supportive when cornering hard because of the side bolsters. Also, I think the looks of the S-Line are more attractive, not sure if it's only due to the bigger rear spoiler, but there's no doubt it's sportier. Btw, the Canadian S-Line still lacks a power seat in 2008, but you can order one for $600.00.
As a sidebar, Canadians are still getting ripped off in Canada compared to US in pricing, best price I could get for a 2008 S-line with cold weather package, DSG, Open sky and Bluetooth was 40K, which was about $2600.00 off list price. In the USA, the same car lists for 33K, including the power seat which is extra here! It's very tempting, with the Canadian dollar at par, and Audi will honor the warranty here.

 

I traded in a 2005 WRX wagon with 17" wheels for a 2007 A3 3.2 with 18" wheels. The A3 is much more refined. We have some bumpy roads around here, but I don't think there is much difference in ride quality.The A3 is more quiet andmuch easier to drive. I think the WRX might be a bit faster in a straight line, but the A3 is so easy to accelerate in traffic that it feels much stronger.You can pull nicely from 6th gear in the A3 at40 mph whereas the WRX will pull, but won't accelerate much until the revs are up.

I like the pedal set up and leg room on the WRX. It had a near ideal seating position for me (6' 3" with 34 inseam). I have not adjusted yet to the A3 brake pedal being too close to the accelerator and the brake pedal being too high from the floor and accelerator.The sound system is superior on the A3.

 

A3 has major style points over the 'Roo's typical Fuji HD styling.

Do you have any concerns about ground clearance? If you're on hardpack roads with high center buildup... or substantial fresh snowfall - the wrx may have a bit more clearance - you'd have to check on that as I'm not totally sure.

But if you backcountry ski... or find yourself more remote than freshly plowed... it would be worth checking out.

FYI - I've taken wrx's out driftbusting in Colorado... something I wouldn't do in my A3. It's a bit more expensive to repair ... and it would high center on powder too easily.

 

I just wanted to add, I bought mine used.....I could buy a newbase "cloth" a3 but I decided to get a slightly used Audicertify with all the options I would want but could not afford new. I got good financing with VW/audi

2006 a3 sport package (manual 6 spd)
xenon light
climate package
Panoramic roof (I love that thing!!)
added waranty with certification
+ free 2006 maintenance program.
+
allready installed remote starter
window tint
winter mats

Right now,If i had to redo it with thecanadian dollars valueI would probably check for used "US" to see if there is good deal....

have you check www.lespac.com ? there is few good deals on "canadian" used around montreal right now.