As someone looking for a performance all-weather, somewhat luxury car to drive in Chicago traffic with occasional track time... all of these were on my very short list.
Golf R ($45.4K)
- Initially shocked by the sticker ($10K+ less than the others tho)
- However, it comes FULLY loaded with an optional 6MT even
- Not impressive to non-enthusiasts (VW), ugly to most Americans
- 9/10 utility with the hatch, but lack of physical buttons an issue
S3 ($57.4K)
- Looked at this as a more 'adult', respected option vs. the Golf R
- Shocked at how high the price rose when adding options ($57K+)
- Many missing features (no LSD, heated steering, colored leather)
- 6.5/10 utility as the back seat was not nearly as large as I expected
M240i ($56.7K)
- On paper has much more power than both, but close from a roll
- Nearly $1K less than the S3, fully spec'd out with more features
- Most aggressive style & only option in coupe form (a dying bred)
- 4.5/10 utility, sizeable trunk, but rear seats only for emergencies
Unless you absolutely need more back seat or storage space, the M240i dominates this comparison. Add a M Performance spoiler on the back to improve the looks a bit and you're good to go imho.