Who is less prone to understeer

[spb]

As I'm thinking to replace the GTI Edition 30 with another hot hatch I have the following dilemma. Who is less prone to understeer:
- facelifted VW Golf R
- facelifted Audi S3
- second hand Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG (360hp or if I stretch the budget the 380hp facelifted version)
Which one will get closer to the driving dynamics of a Focus RS. Which by the I exclude from the list being manual (deprecated in my opinion and I plan to stick to this car for 3-5 years), horrible but I mean horrible interior and very fragile in exploitation. Again all are my opinions so please don't shot  :)

[Shoduchi]

Facelift R/S3 will handle the same, I think.

The A45 AMG will be better stock. The R/S3 will be better at stage 2.

[Black9]

A45 or MK7 R all day long. New aud's are nice but not AMG level

[spb]

Facelift R/S3 will handle the same, I think.

The A45 AMG will be better stock. The R/S3 will be better at stage 2.

Before the facelift the R was reported by most to drive just better. Sharper, edgier, more playful. S3 was a bit dull. I was wondering if the facelifts are in the same situation.

[Shoduchi]

Facelift R/S3 will handle the same, I think.

The A45 AMG will be better stock. The R/S3 will be better at stage 2.

Before the facelift the R was reported by most to drive just better. Sharper, edgier, more playful. S3 was a bit dull. I was wondering if the facelifts are in the same situation.

Yeah, 7R were a bit better than S3. I'd still bet on the facelift R instead of the S3. Also, tuning is fun.

[spb]

I agree :) but the car behavior is hard to be altered. I mean to go from an understeer machine to a tail happy one (Focus RS like).
I think the best improvement would be a rear locking diff (LSD or TBD) but it seems that nobody is doing it for gen5 hadlex like 7R and S3. Do you have any idea why companies like wavetrac and peloquin are not developing such a diff?

[Shoduchi]

If you prefer a tail happy car why not a BMW M2 or a M135i? On a AWD car you can fit a stiffer rear anti-roll bar that will help making your rear to slide more easily but it won't make what Ford has done with the Focus RS in drift mode.

[GrayMK5GTI]

Facelift R/S3 will handle the same, I think.

The A45 AMG will be better stock. The R/S3 will be better at stage 2.

Before the facelift the R was reported by most to drive just better. Sharper, edgier, more playful. S3 was a bit dull. I was wondering if the facelifts are in the same situation.

According to magazine reviews, the R is still the favourite 

[rich83]

So what's different onthe R to make it handle better? I thought it was the same chassis.

[spb]

One youtube review that I remember was saying that the engine calibration is a bit different. Golf R feels a bit more eager to be revved. But I didn't drive any of them so I'm in the dark.
I test driven the Focus RS and the ride (we have really bad roads in Romania) is unbearable. Beside the sh*tty interior.
I want a good all arounder: nice interior, good dynamics, winter drivebility, low taxes (in Romania running a 2L costs 50e/year in local taxes, running a 3L and you go up ten times to 500e/year). So RWD with 3L is not really for me.

[Shoduchi]

Get the 7R and upgrade the suspension and set it the way you like the car to handle. Not cheap to get good coilovers but with anti-roll bars, bushes with anti-lift in the front and maybe some more PU bushes, I'm sure you'll have a great handling car.