FIRST DRIVE REVIEW: 2025 AUDI RS3 IS A HUGE CAR IN A SMALL PACKAGE

The Audi RS3 blends together a compact footprint, a tight chassis, an upscale interior, and Audi's characterful turbocharged inline five-cylinder engine into a commuter car that can brutalize a back road or drift at the track on demand. The engine delivers 401 horsepower, which is distributed to the ground through Audi's all-wheel-drive system and torque-vectoring wizardry. And Audi has clearly designed the RS3 with track shenanigans in mind as R-compound track tires are a factory option, but also retained the S3's luxurious underpinnings and maintained the technology.

For 2025, the RS3 gets a revised grille, larger air intakes, a full-width front splitter, refreshed tail lights, and new Matrix LED headlights and daylight running lights with four patterns to choose from. Three new paint colors have been added, consisting of new paint colors, Ascari Blue, Progressive Red, and matte Daytona Gray. There is also the obligatory new wheel design on offer, while the interior gets a new steering wheel, updated graphics for the tachometer, and carbon-fiber-backed seats.

Like the 2025 S3, Audi has done some work on the RS3's performance with revised chassis control and drive-line software to sharpen response and improve stability. This is a lot of car in a small package - enough to make you wonder if you even need a BMW M3.

Exterior Looks: Your Audi Likes Bright Colors

The good news is that if you want the incredibly vibrant Kyalami Green on our tester, it's the standard no-cost color alongside Arkona White. Whatever color the RS3 is, though, it's a full-on compact performance car without the bodywork getting obnoxious. Everything is clean cut and the new front splitter doesn't jut out obtrusively. Even the rear spoiler when decked out in carbon fiber is a cohesive element of the whole styling package. Audi excels when it comes to exterior lighting, and the new Matrix LED designs deliver with nuance.

Our tester arrived with the $2,850 Carbon Package and $1,000 RS sport exhaust system and $300 black roof, which really stands out against bright colors like the Kyalami Green. Only 19-inch wheels are available, which is great because that's the perfect size for a small high-performance sedan. The Carbon Fiber package is self-explanatory for the exterior, while the Dynamic Plus package adds the ceramic front brakes with red calipers you see on our tester, as well as a carbon engine cover. It also takes the speed limiter up to 180 mph for the top speed.

Interior & On-Board Technology: Your Audi Enjoys Interior Lighting

Like the A3 and S3, there's plenty of shoulder room for everyone, and enough legroom for adults not to complain on shorter journeys in the back. Interior materials are the usual high Audi quality. The Nappa leather seats are stylish as ever with their embossed RS logos and black stitching, but can be ordered with red or green stitching and accents throughout the interior with a $700 design package. Trunk space isn't ideal, but its enough for grocery runs and weekends away. The steering wheel is a new design with a flat top and flat bottom with aluminum paddle shifters behind.

Ambiance is something Audi has paid attention to, and not in a Mercedes-Benz-it-feels-like-you're-in-a-nightclub kind of way. The LED Interior Lighting Package Pro is standard for the RS3, with the highlight being the hundreds of rhombus-shaped laser cutouts of cascading sizes in the door panels. It's not as spectacular as it sounds, but the stock ambiance is palpable and then there's plenty of adjustment for getting your own vibe. Audi says it's looking for a balance between performance and luxury, and nailed it.

Infotainment: Your Audi Likes Gauges

The 10.1-inch center touchscreen is the correct size for the car, and the display is crisp and clear while the user interface reacts quickly to input. The configurable 12.3-inch Audi Virtual Cockpit Plus gauge cluster is the real highlight, though. While it could be too over-the-top for some, it's fun and brings the vibes as well as all the useful information you could need. A new rev counter that displays engine speed sits in the center of the cluster, and you can view g-forces, power, torque, acceleration, and lap times easily.

The main screen can then display figures for engine oil, coolant, torque splitter, transmission, and brakes. We also learned that the gauge cluster will warn you if, say, the diff temperature has risen too high, and you should ease up on the pace for while. For sound, the RS3 comes with a Sonos sound system which is, well, let's just say it's fine. Audi has had better in its cars.

Performance: Your Audi Loves Corners

The Audi RS3 uses the unusual five-cylinder engine, turbocharged to make 401 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. The transmission is a quick-acting seven-speed dual-clutch automatic with Audi's quattro all-wheel-drive system. The engine's burble on idle is distinctive, but when the throttle is opened up with Dynamic, RS Performance, or the RS Torque Rear mode, the exhaust flap opens, and the sound becomes part of the entertainment. And it's already entertaining to be heavy with your right food and flip up and down the gears.

Performance Impressions

RS Torque Rear mode controls an improved rear torque splitter, and favors the outside rear wheel for drifting frivolities. Meaning, the RS3 is now even easier to slide around on the throttle. But, the torque splitter is way more entertaining in the Dynamic and RS Performance modes, shifting the power between the back and front, which, along with the brake-torque-vectoring system, makes the RS3 ridiculously agile in tight, twisting sections of road. To complete the performance package, the transmission is as quick as it is smooth - and it is silky smooth. Then the brake upgrade, once warmed up, means late and confident braking.

Off the line, the RS3 is quick and confident, with zero to 60 mph coming up in 3.6 seconds with launch control. However, expect a little over four without. That's not as important as how the power comes on out of a corner and the amount of traction that's available. It's justifiably confidence-inspiring and leads to the RS being able to keep the driver in a constant state of rapidity. The torque curve is solid and comes on tap early and the throttle response is either sharp, sharper, or sharper still depending on the mode engaged.

There's a distinct change in each of the drive modes. Effectively, Dynamic mode loosens up the RS3 for a more fun and oversteer-biased approach to a road or the track. RS Performance is all about finer control, the best chassis handling, and entries into a corner.

Ride and Daily Driving

Performance is more important than luxury to the RS3, and that shows mainly in the ride quality. When things slow down, it's generally fine for a performance car. But anyone looking to commit to the RS needs to drive it on a rough road and make sure that it continues to suit them. It gets a bit choppy, and a partner may not like it if regular routes or freeways aren't up to scratch.

If that's not a dealbreaker, then the rest is lovely. The transmission is smooth and great at being in the right gear at the right time on uphill, twisty mountain roads. The seats are seemingly infinitely adjustable and comfortable for long journeys, and zipping around a city is an engaging joy.

Fuel Economy

The EPA suggests 19/29/23 mpg city/highway/combined cycles, and that tracks until you become heavy with the right foot. And you will be heavy with the right foot. The RS3 is small and all-wheel-drive is standard, so there's little competition in the space. The closest would be the VW Golf R, but it's a cylinder and a chunk of horsepower down. If fuel economy is a concern, the Golf R gets 22/31/25 mpg without a heavy right foot, but, again, you're going to have a heavy right foot.

Verdict & Pricing: Your Audi Is Awesome but Expensive

With a $66,100 starting price for 2026 models, the RS3 is pricey for a compact when you consider the closest in class is the Volkswagen Golf R at $47,100. If price is an issue, the Golf R is well worth a look, and it doesn't care about bumpy roads as a daily driver. If $66,100 is comfortable and stiff suspension isn't a dealbreaker, the RS3 is an absolute gem. And the best news is that if you don't want to add packages, there's nothing you can't easily live without.

The RS3 is one of the feistiest small cars we've driven, and it's proper adaptive suspension away from perfection. However, that would add a little weight and a lot of cost, and we would rather take that awesome drivetrain. If you're looking for all-wheel-drive thrills in a small package, it's best in class. It's a complicated car, but the bottom line is as simple as that.

2025-10-09T07:09:49Z