2025 Audi S3 First Drive Review: Now Infused With RS Dynamics

For 2025, the Audi S3 sedan is on the receiving end of a substantial refresh, including a nice performance boost. The update is substantial enough that we heard people from Audi referring to the new S3 as an “RS Light.” Comparing a sporty version of a sedan to a high-performance model is not something you’ll often hear from an automaker, but that’s the level of confidence Audi showed when we were in San Diego to drive its latest offering. Now boasting 328 horsepower, a 4.4-second zero to 60 mph time, slick and understated looks, and a luxury interior, the S3 also positions itself as the quickest compact luxury performance sedan with a price tag starting at under $50,000,

The Audi S3 was already quick and agile, but it now has a 22 hp bump in horsepower and some extra torque, a wickedly good torque vectoring system along with chassis and suspension upgrades. It contends directly in its price and performance class with the BMW M235i Gran Coupe and the Acura Integra Type S. While it beats them both in terms of numbers, does it beat them where it counts? Does it bring luxury and the kind of driving dynamics that can make the driver smile? Here’s what we found.

First Drive events provide our initial impressions of a vehicle in a restricted environment under certain time constraints. Keep an eye on DrivingOnRoad for our comprehensive Test Drive review which will follow soon.

Style: Sporting Classiness

​​​​​​

Audi is the master of restraint where it’s justified when it comes to styling. The design language for the S3 has evolved subtly with a new grille that reflects its pattern in the customizable daytime running lamps (DRLs), which compliment the new LED taillights. Joining them at the back of the S3 is a new and more pronounced diffuser and quad tailpipes. It also picks up Audi’s new habit of laser etching the model name into the B-pillar. As expected from a refresh, there are new wheels – in this case, if you opt for the Black Optic package, there’s a new set of bicolor 19-inch wheels.

Interior: Keeping It Audi

Inside the S3, it’s standard Audi, but there are a few enhancements and aesthetic adjustments. The air vents are a new shape, there’s a new drive shifter, and the Lighting Package Pro is standard. The air vents are self-explanatory, but the shifter is now a sliding switch which is fiddly and much less satisfying than a regular shifter. The Lighting Package Pro illuminates the cupholders and center console, then has perforated door cards for light to go through. It was too bright out for us to tinker, but we’re told the lighting is animated on entry and exit.

As a whole, the S3, like the A3, is a nice balance of being compact while keeping enough space inside for a couple of adults up front and some growing kids in the back. It mostly feels premium, but there is dull plastic on display around the tops of the doors. Mostly, the cost-cutting to keep the S3 under $50,000 is well hidden and doesn’t compromise the important things like comfort and tech.

Infotainment: A High Standard Well Maintained

Audi’s 10.1-inch touch-screen based infotainment system is up there with the best, and the clarity of the UI is always appreciated, particularly with the digital gauge cluster, which is the best in the business. If you want to change things regularly, a little dive into the manual is a good idea. For example, to turn off the lane-keep assist, you need to use the button on the end of the indicator to find the option, then hold it down to select where intuition would suggest using the enter button on the steering wheel. On a performance car doubling as a commuter, that’s something worth knowing. We continue to applaud Audi for not throwing a larger screen in as the size is large enough without becoming obnoxious or distracting.

A six-speaker sound system is standard, but our tester had the Sonos system upgraded as part of the $2,400 Premium Plus package, which also includes adaptive cruise assist with lane guidance. The Sonos system is a nice clear, fun system, with solid bass underpinning it. It plays in the same area as Bose, but without losing the mids and clouding up the bass. In fact, we would go as far as saying it’s the sound people upgrade to Bose systems for, but don’t get.

Powertrain & Driving: A Big Upgrade In Dynamics

For 2025, Audi’s turbocharged 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine gets a nice bump to now produce 328 hp and 295 pound-feet of torque, and with the seven-speed S tronic transmission, can scoot the S3 from zero to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. More importantly, however, is that the turbocharger now has a pre-load feature to reduce or eradicate lag to improve throttle response, and tuning has increased the torque-load when accelerating from a stop. The transmission has also been tuned, with Audi claiming 50 percent quicker shifts.

The result is a nice and smooth application of power when cruising, then a good, hard push of acceleration when leaning on the throttle. The Audi S3 is quick off the line, but it’s also quick to get up to speed to overtake or push out of a corner with quick, clean, sudden shifts in Dynamic mode. Dynamic mode is, indeed, a great description.

Our tester had the optioned S sport suspension with damper control, which made for a compliant ride through the city and out onto the freeway. The S3 is well at home on tight city streets as well as on the freeway, nimble when it needs to be, then smooth and fast when called upon. We can find nothing to complain about as a commuter car, and only things that let you just relax and enjoy the ride. Once hustled onto a tight back road, though, and it quickly started to impress us. Particularly when going from Dynamic to Dynamic+ mode, which recalibrates the torque splitter and electronic stability control and engages a hard rev limiter.

The S3 is quick, and the engine encourages a heavy right foot, but rewards control when it comes to a corner. The reason being that Audi engineers have pulled from the advanced torque-vectoring rear-axle technology from the RS 3. In Dynamic mode, the all-wheel-drive system bias is towards the rear. As it enters a corner, torque is increased to the outside rear wheel, then varied depending on steering angle, grip level, and yaw measurement as it reaches mid-corner. Finally, torque is reduced on the inside wheel as the steering angle is reduced before power is adjusted according to grip on the way out of the corner.

All S model Audi cars arrive with plenty of cornering grip afforded by the all-wheel-drive system, but some of it is needed to fight against understeer. With the two clutches working away to vary the rear wheel’s torque through the corner, the result is an almost eradication of understeer and a remarkable amount of stability. You could quickly forget it’s an all-wheel-drive car with how the 2025 S3 hunts for an apex and how early you can get on the throttle without fear of understeer from a nose-heavy car. Oversteer is to be respected, but Dynamic Mode keeps things in check. Dynamic+ mode, however, encourages a little dollop of oversteer. With a heavy right foot, that encouragement becomes a tendency.

Add all that to the ceramic brakes that can take some abuse on a back road, and you have the difference between a performance car that needs time to get used to and one that wants to do exactly what the driver wants. RS Light, indeed.

Verdict & Pricing: A Joyful Audi

In a way, the S3 reminds us of the Honda Civic R-Type in how it defies expectation at a price point. However, the S3 is all-wheel-drive *and* has clever torque vectoring tech. The S3 is more cultured and compares better to the more expensive Acura Integra Type S, but that’s too cultured and still trying to not show its front-wheel-drive bias. The S3 brings all the fun of vehicle dynamics with the confidence but not the blaring power of an RS3. However, the lesser power is far from debilitating — it’s a handful, but it won’t scare a passenger senseless. The corners will do that if it’s the desired result.

Audi is pleased with itself for starting the S3 at $48,700 and while out-sprinting its more expensive BMW M235i Gran Coupe X-Drive, Mercedes CLA 35 4Matic, and Integra Type S classmates. But the S3 delivers more than that. The M235i comes closest in driving dynamics if you can stomach the looks, but tries too hard with artificial heavy steering in sport modes and has more cabin noise than we like from a luxury-minded car – plus you have to upgrade the suspension unless you like a harsher ride. Right now, with $50,000 to spend on a sporty compact sedan, the Audi S3 is the car to beat.

More 2025 Audi S3 Images