The RS3 has a sportier front fascia and a squircle steering wheel, but it doesn’t have real buttons like the S3, relying instead on screens. The oversized exhaust outlets in the rear are for looks—peer inside to see the openings are not actually larger. But man, do they sound good, especially with the optional RS Sport Exhaust highlighting the five-cylinder’s thrum.

The proactive seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission immediately and aggressively downshifts going down steep hills, even without being in Sport mode. The car handles twisty roads effortlessly, with impressive grip, little tire squeal, and stellar brakes. And it’s surprisingly livable around town, as it’s reasonably quiet and not as stiff as anticipated.

“The torque-vectoring rear differential on the RS3 is doing the Lord‘s work hiding the fact this car is front-wheel drive at its core,” features editor Scott Evans said, making it feel like a rear-biased, all-wheel-drive car and more like a GT-R than a Golf R. Fellow features editor Christian Seabaugh called that differential a chef’s kiss, the final cherry on top that allows you to swing the nose around quicker and point it at the next bend.

Audi S3 vs. RS3: One Is Shockingly Quick, the Other Might Be the Better Deal

They have old bones, but excellent powertrains elevate these luxury sport sedans.Alisa PriddleWriterWilliam WalkerPhotographer

Oct 08, 2025

Pros

• RS3’s phenomenal I-5
• Excellent grip and brakes
• Map integrated into instrument cluster even when not using full screen

Cons

• Interior more upscale in S3, but both could be more premium
• Pinched rear seat and headroom
• Pricey for their size

Audi’s compact luxury sport sedans were updated for the 2025 model year, giving them more power, new signature lighting, and other styling upgrades. They continue to ride on the same MQB platform that dates back to 2015 and is getting long in the tooth. Are the upgrades enough to keep them in the fight?

The S3 starts at $49,995, while our test car came in at $60,840. This is essentially the Audi sedan version of the Volkswagen Golf R hatchback, with Audi’s 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 putting out 328 horsepower—up from 306—and the same 295 lb-ft of torque but delivering peak power over a wider range. It can hit 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, albeit with some turbo lag.

The RS3 Quattro starts at $64,695, and our model with the Dynamic Plus package came to $77,045. It has a 2.5-liter I-5 (it may be going away soon) that generates 394 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque with ballistic acceleration that pulls hard all the way to the redline, propels the car forward like a slingshot, and feels alive at the top of the range. The 0–60 time is a scorching 3.5 seconds.

The RS3 has a sportier front fascia and a squircle steering wheel, but it doesn’t have real buttons like the S3, relying instead on screens. The oversized exhaust outlets in the rear are for looks—peer inside to see the openings are not actually larger. But man, do they sound good, especially with the optional RS Sport Exhaust highlighting the five-cylinder’s thrum.

The proactive seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission immediately and aggressively downshifts going down steep hills, even without being in Sport mode. The car handles twisty roads effortlessly, with impressive grip, little tire squeal, and stellar brakes. And it’s surprisingly livable around town, as it’s reasonably quiet and not as stiff as anticipated.

“The torque-vectoring rear differential on the RS3 is doing the Lord‘s work hiding the fact this car is front-wheel drive at its core,” features editor Scott Evans said, making it feel like a rear-biased, all-wheel-drive car and more like a GT-R than a Golf R. Fellow features editor Christian Seabaugh called that differential a chef’s kiss, the final cherry on top that allows you to swing the nose around quicker and point it at the next bend.

Some of us felt the S3 has a nicer interior. There was praise for the lime green body color accents inside our test RS3, but both cars suffer from heavy use of hard plastic and piano black materials that aren’t premium in look and feel and don’t distance themselves far enough from the bits inside Volkswagens.

The RS3 nails its performance mandate but costs more and has a lesser-grade interior, making the athletic S3, which still goes like stink, a more logical choice for most given the price difference. And while some of our testers argued they would just prefer a Volkswagen, the Audis have personalities all their own, not to mention righteous exhaust notes and an elegance that comes from maturity.

This review was conducted as part of our 2026 Car of the Year (COTY) testing, where each vehicle is evaluated on our six key criteria: efficiency, design, safety, engineering excellence, value, and performance of intended function. Eligible vehicles must be all-new or significantly revised.