Bee Circuit Parcmotor Castelloli outside Barcelona, Audi has made a tight chicane of cones on the back straight, and every time I attack it in the 2025RS3 I start cackling as I dive in, zip through and power out, going faster with each lap. In fact, as I speed through each section of the fantastic track, I laugh with joy in a way I wouldn’t if I was in the RS3 last year.
Normally a mild mid-cycle refresh doesn’t make any major changes to a car’s handling and driving enjoyment, but the 2025 RS3 is a different story. This generation RS3 has always been a capable performance car with a fantastic engine, but now it’s a real pleasure to drive, whether on the track or on a tight mountain pass, thanks to a number of upgrades to the RS3’s dynamics. A seven-second faster lap time on the Nürburgring is just an added bonus.
Full disclosure: Audi flew me to Barcelona and put me up in a hotel in the nearby town of Sitges so I could drive the 2025 RS3 and RSQ8 Performance on the Parcmotor circuit and the roads surrounding it.
The new magic is mainly down to changes to the RS3’s chassis systems and its unique torque-splitting rear differential, which uses two multi-plate clutches to continuously adjust torque to each rear wheel, sending as much as 100 percent of available twist to the wheels . both sides. For 2025, Audi has added brake torque vectoring so that when the splitter sends torque to the outside wheel, the inside wheel is braked, helping to track the radius of a turn more accurately. This means I can enter corners at higher speeds and come out faster and harder, and there is generally less understeer. It’s so subtle that I don’t really feel like the system is working; the car is just naturally playful and more responsive.
Audi has adjusted the adaptive dampers and the algorithm for the driving dynamics controller that oversees all the different chassis systems, making the updated RS3 more responsive to different inputs, according to Audi. The RS3 is also more susceptible to deliberate oversteer, as it is now easier to kick the tail out through the steering angle, rather than just applying more throttle as in the old car. One of the most fun turns at Parcmotor is a left-handed turn with double apex and a bit of elevation change, and I can steer the RS3 into a small controlled slide without much effort. The RS3 I have on track is equipped with the optional semi-slick Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires, which certainly helps too.
It’s not just better on the track. This part of northeastern Spain has some of the best roads I’ve ever driven, and the RS3 is perfectly suited to the narrow mountain passes full of switchbacks and switchbacks. The red RS3 sedan I drive on the road has less intensive P Zero R tires that still provide a huge amount of grip while allowing for an entertaining drive, and just like on the track, I can enter and exit corners more quickly. Brake pedal feel is better and the stoppers feel stronger overall, with no fade or noise. Ride quality is also improved in each driving mode, and weight transfer is more noticeable when cornering.
Nothing has changed in the powertrain for 2025, and that’s fine. The turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-5 still makes 401 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, and it’s one of the most entertaining and characterful engines money can buy. The power delivery is addictive, and the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission delivers quick shifts that are well-matched for track and road driving. Audi has optimized the exhaust valve control for 2025, specifically between 2,200 and 3,500 rpm, for a ‘consistent and fuller sound’, and it sounds even better than before. It’s the perfect amount of power for a car this size, and the RS3 accelerates with an intensity not found in most cars this side of a supercar.
Unfortunately, one of the best parts of the updated RS3 won’t make its way to America. The cars I drive in Spain have new optional bucket seats that are mega supportive without being uncomfortable on longer trips. These carbon fiber-backed seats look great, with fixed headrests and cutouts for harnesses, plump cushions and suede upholstery with Audi’s ubiquitous hexagonal stitching. I think these seats might be a hard sell to compact car consumers regardless of performance level, but I would absolutely take them over the base seats, even for a daily driver.
In the US we are still denied the RS3 Sportback, but Audi is kind enough to let me drive a bright green example on the track. Yes, it’s really great, and I wish Americans were less averse to hatchbacks, but at least the sedan drives identically to the Sportback. It also looks better than last year’s model, with an even larger single-frame grille and bumper intakes, redesigned lamps and a new rear diffuser with a vertical reflector in the center. I especially love the new cross-spoke wheel design offered in matte gray or a nice machined finish.
A redesigned steering wheel with flat top and bottom and capacitive touch controls now has two bright red buttons just below the spokes. One is for the configurable RS Individual driving mode as before, while the other, marked with a checkered flag, engages RS Performance mode, which puts everything in the most aggressive settings and disables stability control; I drove the cars with the latter all day. Also new is ambient lighting in various places around the cabin, including backlit door panels and laser-cut windows that are pretty cool. There’s still a bit too much black plastic, although some trim parts are now finished in a glossy charcoal paint that looks nice.
Audi hasn’t announced how much the RS3 will cost when it goes on sale next year, but it shouldn’t be much more than the $63,395 base price the 2024 model commands. That’s obviously a lot for a small car that shares its front-wheel drive platform with a budget Volkswagen, but it’s hard to think of a more exciting, entertaining car in this segment or price range. I wish I could have stuck with Parcmotor all day, and I would have driven into the mountains for good if Audi hadn’t sent security to meet me and return the car. The Audi RS3 was always great, but now it really is pleasureand that’s what should really matter when you’re looking at a performance car.
