OP, thanks for the excellent detailed review. A lot of what you've said is ultimately why I decided on the S3. I really wanted the RS3 but couldn't justify the price difference for a mostly daily driven car (heavily discounted S3 versus "dealer price adjustments" for the RS3).
For a 4 banger, the S3, surprisingly, does sound really good with the resonator delete (got it as a factory option). It's even louder than my aftermarket Eisenmann sport exhaust on my M Coupe - that is very good for a factory option.
The car is still in it's break-in period, so I hadn't open her up yet - still putzing around for a few more weeks before I can have some fun with it.
PS - I'm not sure why the moderator locked my original thread
Would have love to post my follow up review of it after owning it for a few months down the line.