Following on from visual and tech updates for the main Audi A3 and S3 ranges, now it’s time for the German company to apply similar polish to the mighty performance flagship of the family. This is the latest RS 3, once again available in both Sportback (hatch) and Saloon bodies, and we should probably enjoy it while it lasts, because Audi won’t be able to keep this five-cylinder petrol engine alive forever.
Ah, so it retains the 2.5-litre turbocharged unit?
Yes, it does, though there is no extra power or torque in this round of revisions. But when you have 400hp and 500Nm to play with, that’s really plenty. It results in 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds thanks in no small part to the RS 3’s quattro all-wheel drive and a rapid-acting seven-speed S tronic transmission.
The good news with this powertrain, which has long made one of the most evocative sounds in the automotive industry, is that Audi says the RS 3’s exhaust note is “more voluminous and even more distinctive” when the car is running in the Dynamic, RS Performance and RS Torque Rear drive modes, thanks to an upgrade in the exhaust-flap control from 2,200-3,500rpm - although there’s still an optional RS Sports exhaust available if you want the Audi to be even more tuneful. The perhaps not-so-good news is that this is still an inefficient car, with official fuel consumption of 9.5-9.1 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 207-217g/km depending on specification.
And what about the chassis?
Pretty much the same hardware as before is used in the 2025 Audi RS 3, including the torque splitter allowing for full distribution of the torque across the rear axle (including a drift mode that allows the all-wheel-drive Audi to oversteer), adaptive dampers in the RS Sport suspension and brake vectoring, but Audi says it has fine-tuned the system to make the RS 3 even more agile in the bends. The proof in the pudding for this is that Frank Stippler, Audi Sport’s racing and development driver, has hustled one of these updated RS 3s around the Nürburgring Nordschleife in a new lap record for this class of car, recording 7:33.123 minutes - the Audi hyper-hatch more than five seconds quicker than any similar car has managed to achieve the same feat.
The German company also says that the standard tyre compound tuned specifically for the RS 3 manages to give the car greater everyday comfort, while also improving grip in both the wet and dry. However, those wanting something even stickier can opt for Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R semi-slick tyres instead.
What has changed from a visual perspective?
Small aesthetic tweaks, in the main, define the new RS 3, with a flatter, broader radiator grille being the principal alteration. That has also necessitated a change to the outer air intakes, the whole look giving the Audi quite a lot more aggression, while there are three apertures across the lower frame of the grille and above the splitter - this being the design echo of the Audi Sport quattro S1 Pikes Peak from 1987, which has been seen as an homage on various hot Audis in recent years.
Audi’s latest fascination is with light signatures, and the RS 3 is no exception to this rule. It has redesigned daytime running lights (DRLs) with a chequered-flag signature, although if buyers opt for the Matrix LED headlights, then there’s a choice of three additional DRL appearances. To match up with this, the rear lights have new graphics with arrow details which point outwards, while there are vertical side reflectors and a central red reflector in the rear bumper and diffuser area too.
Colours for the RS 3 include Kyalami Green and Kemora Grey, while new metallics Ascari Blue and Progressive Red join the palette, with traditional Daytona Grey now available in a matte finish for the first time. Wheels are 19-inch five-spoke aluminium cast items in matte black as standard, with the ten cross-spoke RS 3 Performance Edition wheels optionally available - as is an exterior carbon package which renders much of the exterior detailing in the lightweight material.
And how about within?
The steering wheel of the RS 3 is now flat-topped to go with its flat bottom, which makes it look a little... unusual, shall we say? There are RS Sport bucket seats in the front too, while that wheel can either be finished in perforated leather or Dinamica with a 12 o’clock marker in an accent colour. The centre console has been redesigned to accommodate the flatter shift lever, while ‘planar’ lighting features in the doors, with hundreds of lasered rhombus shapes backlit at night to give the cabin an upmarket ambience.
And technophiles will be happy, because the 12.3-inch Audi Virtual Cockpit Plus digital instrument cluster is retained with its Sport, Performance and Runway views, while the central MMI touchscreen for the infotainment measures 10.1 inches across the diagonal and can show truly geeky petrolhead-type stuff such as the temperatures of the coolant, torque splitter, brakes and engine and transmission oils too.
Audi Ireland hasn’t confirmed prices for the updated RS 3 Sportback and Saloon models yet, but we expect them to go on sale (to those with very deep pockets, given the CO2 output) sometime in 2025.