There’s just something about the sounds of an unbridled five-cylinder engine – the distinctive warble at idle, the lowdown growl, and the meaty roar at the top of the rev range.
It’s a unique symphony that I’m well acquainted with, as the owner of a 2008 Volvo C30.
I playfully call that car the ‘Aldi R8’ as a means of convincing myself the unmuffled turbo-five sounds like a cut-price version of the V10 found in Audi’s iconic supercar. And I’m not the only one to consider the inline-five layout a ‘baby V10’ of sorts.
But the future is bleak for those after an exotic powertrain on a budget, as five-cylinder power is on the brink of extinction. Volvo went down the downsizing route nearly a decade ago, while Audi has now discontinued the R8’s true little brother – the TT RS.
That leaves the Audi RS3 as the last remaining five-cylinder car on sale in Australia.
Available as both a hatch and sedan, this compact performance machine has been a staple of Audi’s lineup since 2011, and it was recently updated for 2025 and beyond.
The powertrain is unchanged, which is perfectly fine by me, but Audi says the new RS3 offers “sharper styling, enhanced dynamics, and new technology” compared to the outgoing model.
However, these upgrades come with a price premium – markups of nearly $10,000 across both body styles, to be exact.
That pushes the RS3 over $100,000 for the first time in Australia, which is a large sum for a not-so-large vehicle. But is that spicy five-cylinder engine still worth the higher price of admission? And could this be peak RS3?
How much does the Audi RS3 cost?
Audi’s smallest RS model has cracked the $100,000 barrier Down Under, with the updated Sportback starting at $104,800 before on-road costs, and the sedan priced $4000 higher.
| Model | Price before on-road costs |
|---|---|
| 2025 Audi RS3 Sportback | $104,800 |
| 2025 Audi RS3 Sedan | $107,800 |
While that represents a significant hike over the pre-update model, the RS3 remains cheaper than its closest competitor – the Mercedes-AMG A45 – which opens at a cool $122,500 before on-road costs. However, the BMW M240i xDrive is more affordable, with an asking price of $99,900 plus on-roads.
To see how the Audi RS3 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What is the Audi RS3 like on the inside?
The differences between the pre- and post-update RS3 may be subtle, but they all represent improvements to an already modern cabin.
Inside the RS3, the first obvious change is the introduction of a newly shaped steering wheel with a flat top and bottom. As standard, the wheel is trimmed in perforated leather, although an Alcantara suede finish is available as an option that’s well worth having.
We tested the RS3 during the depths of a brutal Melbourne winter, so the absence of steering wheel heating stood out. However, both front seats are heated as standard.
The seats in question are Audi’s standard sport seats – the only option currently available in Australia. Optional RS bucket seats may arrive at a later date.
The regular quilted leather pews are far from the most aggressive seats going around – the bolstering is mild, while there’s enough width in the base and backrest to accomodate a broad range of body types. Plentiful electric adjustment, extendable thigh support, and massage functions also aid in the quest to get comfortable.
As such, the seats are perfect for everyday driving, but lack the sporting edge of a BMW M carbon bucket.
The optional RS design package plus ($2150) introduces green or red Dinamica shoulder panels, seat belt accents, and steering wheel stitching, among other upgrades. It’s a box I’d be inclined to tick, as the interior of the RS3 comes across a bit dull without that injection of colour.
The dash and surrounds are all finished in shades of black and grey, necessitating use of the sunroof to brighten things up. It’s a different story at night, when Audi’s ambient cabin lighting is given its chance to shine.
Some of the materials aren’t all that pleasant to interact with, either. The door cards are predominately finished in hard, scratchy plastic, as is the central tunnel. There’s plenty of gloss ‘piano’ black plastic, too. With that said, most critical touch points get leather or suede treatment.
Sitting in the RS3, it’s more premium than mainstream performance hatches but not an example of high-end luxury, in my opinion. No, this isn’t an A8 limousine, but it’s still an expensive piece of kit.
So, from an interior perspective, what are you paying up for? A sweet set of screens, for one.
Unchanged is Audi’s 12.3-inch ‘virtual cockpit’ digital instrument cluster, which offers Sport, Performance, and Runway views, as well as a new rev counter design. The instrument display is impressively large for this class of car and presents in a sporty red and black colour scheme.
Touch buttons on the steering wheel allow for customisation of the cluster, among other functions. Such controls can be fiddly and annoying to use, but they didn’t bother me in this application. Performance mode can be accessed via a physical checkered flag button on the steering wheel, and RS Individual mode is tied to a red RS button.
Moving across, the 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen now features an in-built app store, which boosts an already impressive multimedia system. Other mod-cons include connected services, driver profiles, Google-based satellite navigation, and the Audi RS performance monitor.
The screen has a classy appearance, sitting flush with the dash, and the graphics are equally sophisticated. It’s easy to find your way around the basic app grid, and a shortcut bar down the right hand side of the screen makes it really easy to jump in and out of smartphone mirroring.
There’s also plenty to be said for the 15-speaker SONOS sound system, but I barely sampled it in favour of listening to that glorious five-cylinder engine note instead.
A basic head-up display rounds out the technology suite.
Below the infotainment screen you’ll find user-friendly physical climate controls and another row of toggles linked to drive modes, traction control, parking cameras, and the assistance systems. All are tactile and clearly labelled, but not dominant to the extent that they crowd the dash and centre console.
There’s still room for a wireless charging tray at the base of the centre stack, and the area surrounding the gear selector remains uncluttered.
However, other cabin storage options are lacking – the door bins are an awkward shape and the centre console is woefully shallow. It feels like practicality took a back seat when Audi designed this space, and that brings me to the actual back seats.
Cutting to the chase, they’re not particularly roomy. Six-footers will just about fit in the RS3 Sportback, but the second row in the RS3 Sedan is a child-only zone for the most part.
It’s both dark and cramped back there, although amenities are in strong supply. You can expect USB-C outlets, door storage, a dedicated zone of climate control, a centre armrest with cupholders, and storage nets.
When not in use, the second row folds flat in 60/40 fashion to unlock more cargo capacity. Depending on body style, the RS3 offers between 282-321 litres of boot space – less than both the M240i and A45.
Once again, the hatch takes the practicality points due to the fact that it has a proper powered tailgate, whereas the sedan sports a tailgate that needs to be shut physically.
Both variants have a tyre repair kit in place of a spare.
| Dimensions | Audi RS3 |
|---|---|
| Length | 4389-4542mm |
| Width | 1984mm |
| Height | 1417mm |
| Wheelbase | 2629mm |
| Cargo capacity | 282-321L |
To see how the Audi RS3 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What’s under the bonnet?
There’s no change here, with the RS3 still powered by a 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine producing 294kW of power and 500Nm of torque. Power is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
| Specifications | Audi RS3 |
|---|---|
| Engine | 2.5L 5cyl turbo-petrol |
| Power | 294kW |
| Torque | 500Nm |
| Transmission | 7-speed dual-clutch |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Weight | 1640kg |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 3.8 seconds |
| Fuel economy (claimed) | 8.2-8.3L/100km |
| Fuel economy (as tested) | 9.3L/100km |
| Fuel tank capacity | 55 litres |
| Fuel requirement | 98-octane premium unleaded |
| CO2 emissions | 188-191g/km |
| Emissions standard | Euro 6 |
However, Audi says it has “fine-tuned the interplay between mechanical and electronic components – including the torque splitter, electronic stability control, and wheel-selective torque control – to ensure the RS3’s performance and handling dynamics are at the absolute forefront of its class”.
To see how the Audi RS3 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
How does the Audi RS3 drive?
While Audi hasn’t boosted the RS3’s performance outputs with this update, tweaks to the driving experience are apparent as soon as you hit the start button.
The exhaust valve system has been retrained to amplify that glorious five-cylinder warble on startup, turning every drive into an event from the outset.
And that sense of occasion remains throughout the course of each and every journey, as the RS3 is one of few modern cars that sounds truly tough out of the box. Having said that, a 4000rpm soft-limiter does put a ceiling on the fun you can have when sat stationary.
Nevertheless, the engine is the headline act of the RS3. Its exotic sound is unlike anything else in this segment, and indeed any other new car on the market.
There’s plenty of bite to match the bark, too. The RS3 delivers massive thrust right through the rev range, evidenced by a wide peak torque band (2250-5600rpm). Audi says both versions will sprint from 0-100km/h in just 3.8 seconds, and I have no reason to doubt that claim.
Throttle response is excellent, as is the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which offers slick shifts that pair well with an engine as willing as this lump is. That’s especially true when you take advantage of the shift paddles behind the steering wheel, in this case joyously tactile metal items.
In stop-start traffic, however, the gearbox can feel jerky and hesitant – a trait still common to many dual-clutch transmissions.
It’s one thing for a hot hatch/sedan to promise supercar levels of performance, but another thing altogether for that performance to be usable in daily driving. Credit where it’s due though because, low-speed shifting quibbles aside, the RS3 nails this brief.
Audi’s signature quattro all-wheel drive system does a superb job of putting power to the ground across a wide range of road conditions, whether that be wet tarmac or loose surfaces. It also gives the driver licence to prod the right pedal from a standstill without worrying about wheelspin – music to the ears of traffic light drag racers.
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The reassurance of all-wheel drive also inspires confidence on backroads, where the RS3 truly shines. You don’t have to be a Formula 1 driver to carve up corners in this thing, as it feels both agile and stable in the twisties, with mountains of mechanical grip courtesy of meaty Bridgestone Potenza Sport tyres.
Audi claims to have reduced understeer through improvements to its RS torque splitter – an active, fully variable torque distribution system for the rear wheels. While that’s surely true, the RS3 still errs towards understeer when pushed hard through tighter bends.
However, that was most apparent when we hit the Haunted Hills Hillclimb track in Yallourn. In other words, you’re unlikely to explore these limits on a public road.
But in the event that you do find yourself at a racetrack with the RS3, you’d better believe it’s up for the challenge – the updated model recently set a new class record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife with a lap time of 7:33.123 minutes, eclipsing the BMW M2 by 5.0 seconds and the Mercedes-AMG A45 S by more than 10 seconds.
Outright performance doesn’t always equal engagement though, and there’s room for improvement when it comes to steering feel. You can adjust the weighting by toggling between drive modes, but the steering never offers much in the way of feedback or texture.
That’s not to say changing direction is a chore, because the RS3 still feels nimble and composed.
Audi’s comprehensive set of drive modes – Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, and Individual – allow the driver to adjust suspension, steering, drivetrain, exhaust, and torque-split settings on the go, while dedicated RS buttons on the steering wheel provide quick access to custom configurations, including an all-out ‘RS Race’ profile.
As such, the RS3 can switch between attack mode and comfortable cruising in an instant, elevating its appeal as an all-rounder.
And regardless of how you set the car up, it’s surprisingly compliant for a compact performance sedan. Adaptive suspension is standard, and the system strikes a fine balance between comfort and sportiness in its default setting.
Comfort mode softens the ride considerably for long journeys, while Dynamic stiffens things up for enthusiastic driving. Even on rough roads, the chassis absorbs bumps well without compromising composure. At no point during or rigorous test did the front suspension bottom out, and all potholes were dealt with gracefully.
And I commend Audi for not offering larger wheel options, with three variations of 19-inch wheel available from the factory.
While placing limits on the size of wheels and tyres serves to preserve ride comfort, the standard 19s are still far too noisy, especially on coarse-chip highways. Tyre roar is far more intrusive here than it is in the BMW M240i, though I prefer the overall ambience of the former for its addictive combination of turbo, exhaust, and intake noise.
Sure, the RS3 can make a bit of a racket on the highway, but it’s loaded with modern driver assists to make arduous journeys that little bit easier.
All versions come standard with Audi’s adaptive cruise assist – an evolution of cruise control that incorporates adaptive cruise, lane centring, and traffic jam assist technology. The system works well in the real world, and other unpopular ADAS functions can be tinkered with easily using physical toggles on the dash.
Given the compact nature of the RS3, the tight confines of the city don’t pose an issue. Parking is a piece of cake, especially with the benefit of a surround-view camera and plentiful proximity sensors. Assisted parking is also available, should you need it.
To see how the Audi RS3 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What do you get?
The RS3 is sold in a single trim level across two body styles, although several option packs offer a level of customisation.
2025 Audi RS3 equipment highlights:
- 19-inch Audi Sport wheels
- 5-spoke Y-style, matte black
- Tyre repair kit
- Matrix LED headlights – darkened
- Digital daytime running lights
- Premium paint – excl. Ascari Blue ($650)
- Red brake calipers
- RS sports exhaust
- Adaptive suspension
- Rear privacy glass
- Black exterior styling package plus
- RS sport seats in fine Nappa leather
- Honeycomb stitching
- RS embossing
- Heating
- Flat-top and bottom RS Sport steering wheel
- Panoramic glass sunroof
- incl. integrated sun blind
- 10.1-inch MMI navigation plus touchscreen infotainment system
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- DAB+ digital radio
- Wireless phone charger
- 15-speaker 680W Sonos 3D sound system
- 12.3-inch Audi RS virtual cockpit plus digital instrument cluster
- Head-up display
- Tri-zone climate control
- Colour ambient lighting package pro
- Carbon atlas inlays
- Stainless steel pedals
To see how the Audi RS3 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
Options
Carbon package: $7400
- RS exterior features in gloss carbon, including:
- Front bumper side blades, side sill inlays
- Exterior mirror housings
- Roof edge spoiler – Sportback
- Tailgate spoiler – Sedan
- Rear diffuser inlay
RS design package plus, red: $2150
- Steering wheel rim in Dinamica microfibre with Express Red stitching
- Seat belts in black with red edges
- Floor mats in black with contrast stitching in Express Red
- incl. RS logo on front mats
- Seat shoulders in Dinamica microfibre – Express Red
- Centre bar on air vents in Express Red, controller in gloss black
RS design package plus, green: $2150
- Steering wheel rim in Dinamica microfibre with Micrommata Green stitching
- Seat belts in black with green edges
- Floor mats in black with contrast stitching in Micrommata Green
- incl. RS logo on front mats
- Seat shoulders in Dinamica microfibre – Micrommata Green
- Centre bar on air vents in Micrommata Green, controller in gloss black
Standalone options include:
- 19-inch Audi Sport alloy wheels in 10-cross-spoke – black metallic: $1200
- 19-inch Audi Sport alloy wheels in 10-cross-spoke – silk matt gre: $1400
- RS ceramic brake system: $10,800
- Available with calipers in Anthracite Grey, Blue or Red
- Ascari Blue metallic paint – Audi Sport: $650
- Inlays in Dinamica microfibre – black: $850
- Inlays and instrument panel accent surfaces in carbon atlas: $1900
To see how the Audi RS3 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
Is the Audi RS3 safe?
The new Audi A3 retains the five-star ANCAP safety rating of its predecessor, based on Euro NCAP tests conducted in 2020 – though the S3 and RS3 are unrated.
| Category | Audi A3 |
|---|---|
| Adult occupant protection | 89 per cent |
| Child occupant protection | 81 per cent |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 68 per cent |
| Safety assist | 73 per cent |
Standard safety equipment includes:
- 6 airbags
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Pedestrian detection
- Cyclist detection
- Turn assist
- Adaptive cruise assist
- Adaptive cruise control incl. stop/go
- Emergency assist
- Lane centring assist
- Traffic jam assist
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Exit warning
- Lane departure warning
- Lane-keep assist
- Park assist
- Parking sensors – front, rear
- Reversing camera
- Surround-view camera system
- Tyre pressure monitoring
To see how the Audi RS3 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
How much does the Audi RS3 cost to run?
The RS3 range is covered by Audi Australia’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. Roadside assistance is included for the duration of the warranty period, too.
| Servicing and Warranty | Audi RS3 |
|---|---|
| Warranty | 5 years, unlimited kilometres |
| Roadside assistance | 5 years |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000 kilometres |
| Capped-price servicing | 5-year Service Plan |
| Total capped-price service cost | $4010 |
To see how the Audi RS3 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
CarExpert’s Take on the Audi RS3
Prices may be up, but the updated RS3 is just as impressive as ever.
It possesses a unique character that rivals simply can’t match, and the latest round of upgrades has given this iteration a properly modern feel.
Of the ‘big three’ compact performance cars, the RS3 is the best equipped for daily duties. While the BMW M240i xDrive is driver-centric and packed with user-friendly tech, you’d rather have four doors when the daily grind includes a school run. BMW also sells the cheaper, four-door M135 xDrive and M235 xDrive models, although both do without that sweet inline-six.
Meanwhile, the Mercedes-AMG A45 S is a little more hardcore than the RS3, and never quite as agile or comfortable.
For those reasons, Audi’s pocket rocket makes for an excellent all-rounder. It’s also quicker than the Merc and a full-fat M2 around a racetrack, as proven by Audi’s achievement at the Nurburgring.
So, why wouldn’t you buy an RS3? The sedan looks more practical than it is, and all versions suffer from excessive road noise. Buy the hatch and you’ve fixed one of those flaws.
As for the tyre roar, there’s a solution for that too. Just wind down your windows and enjoy the sound of five-cylinder fury – trust me, it never gets old.
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