2025 Audi RS3 Review: Unleashing Track Prowess and Road Charisma

The phrase “become one with the car” often feels like a cliché in automotive journalism, a somewhat overused sentiment. I’ve personally always been wary of employing it, finding it a bit too romantic and simplistic for the complex experience of driving a high-performance vehicle. It often strikes me as a shortcut, a way to encapsulate numerous thoughts and feelings into a catchy soundbite perfect for magazine covers but lacking in genuine depth. Yet, here I am, about to use that very phrase to describe the 2025 Audi RS3, a car I approached with a healthy dose of skepticism, but which has ultimately won me over. The new Audi RS3 is an undeniably fun-loving sedan, boasting capabilities so refined and engaging that, yes, you genuinely feel like you’ve… become one with the car.

If that opening makes you roll your eyes, and you’re tempted to click away, I urge you to at least skim through to the driving impressions section before you do. You might just find there’s a kernel of truth to that seemingly cheesy cliché—a truth that could very well have you heading to your nearest Audi dealership, checkbook in hand.

What’s New in the 2025 Audi RS3?

This 2025 model marks a significant mid-cycle refresh for the third generation RS3, and the updates are far from superficial. Audi has gifted the RS3 with a host of visual and technological enhancements that amplify its already potent appeal. Exterior revisions include newly sculpted front and rear bumpers, each exhibiting a more aggressive and purposeful aesthetic. The front fascia is dominated by a sportier hexagonal grille, while the rear is characterized by digital OLED taillights and customizable digital daytime running lights, allowing for a personalized light signature. The stance is further enhanced by newly developed, ultra-grippy Pirelli P Zero R tires, sized 245/35 R19, wrapping around striking 19-inch, aluminum cast 10-spoke wheels. At the rear, the massive exhaust outlets appear to be a direct lift from the legendary, now-defunct R8 supercar, adding a touch of supercar drama to this compact performance sedan.

However, not everything is new, and in this case, that’s absolutely a positive. Audi wisely retained the beloved 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine and the lightning-fast seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The ingenious torque-splitting rear differential, adaptive dampers, and Quattro all-wheel-drive system – all crucial components to the RS3’s dynamic prowess – remain untouched. The RS3’s inherent attitude and character are further amplified inside, with new mood lighting options and an RS-specific red interior theme adding to the sporty ambiance. The cabin’s centerpiece is a brand-new, exceptionally cool steering wheel, flattened both at the top and bottom, reminiscent of something you might find in a Pikes Peak rally machine. It’s visually stunning and feels fantastic in hand, much like the optional carbon-backed bucket seats – although, disappointingly, Audi has confirmed these sculpted seats are exclusive to the European market. Womp womp.

Finally, while Audi hasn’t yet released the definitive specifications for the US-bound 2025 RS3, the outgoing 2024 model available in the States delivered a potent 401 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. The Euro-spec version I had the pleasure of driving was rated slightly lower at 396 hp, suggesting similar performance figures can be expected for the US market.

Driving Dynamics: Track and Road Impressions

During the technical presentation for the 2025 RS3, an Audi engineer presented a compelling visual. A slide depicted the cornering trajectory of the outgoing RS3, illustrating the car’s position at corner entry, apex, and exit. It meticulously highlighted how the torque-splitter differential and Quattro system collaborated at each stage to maintain the car’s line and precisely hit the apex. Then, a second layer was overlaid, showcasing the revised trajectory of the new 2025 RS3. The side-by-side comparison unequivocally demonstrated that the updated model could attack the same corner at a considerably higher velocity, all while maintaining its composure and control. In simpler terms: faster cornering with reduced understeer.

According to the engineer, this improvement was not marginal, and he confidently asserted that we would discern the nuanced enhancements brought about by the software tweaks during the track driving session scheduled for the following day. While the claims were certainly promising, their full significance was somewhat lost on me, given my lack of prior experience behind the wheel of the pre-facelift RS3.

Fast forward to the next day: I’m hurtling through a corner at 90 mph, swiftly navigating a chicane at over 60 mph. “Oh shit,” escaped my lips more than once during the initial laps around the Castellolí circuit. The engineer’s presentation from the previous evening kept flashing through my mind. By this point, I had already accumulated around two hours of driving and riding in the RS3 on public roads, but the track environment truly unlocked the car’s inherent magic. And it was genuinely magical.

Audi’s intention to showcase the car’s exceptional maneuverability was evident in the track layout. The slowest corner was a banked hairpin, negotiated at approximately 50 mph, which then transitioned into a rapid series of sweeping bends. Through each and every one of these corners, the RS3 felt remarkably composed, carrying immense speed while fluidly shifting its weight from side to side, the adaptive dampers working tirelessly. Minimal steering input was needed to coax the car through these curves; instead, it was more about managing the throttle, precisely modulating the power distributed to the axles. The synergy of the phenomenal steering, the incredibly adhesive Pirelli tires, and what are arguably some of the most advanced differentials available in any car today, delivered precisely what that engineer’s slideshow had promised.

Entering a corner, the RS3 felt remarkably light and eager to change direction, its responses so immediate that I spent the initial few minutes recalibrating my braking and turn-in points at each corner. Realizing I could brake later and initiate turns more aggressively, I progressively increased my cornering speeds – reaching levels I’d typically find unnerving in most other vehicles. Adding to the experience, my first-ever laps on this very track were in the larger and heavier Audi RSQ8, providing a performance baseline that the RS3 effortlessly surpassed.

By the end of the second lap, I found myself consistently clipping apexes with the precision the Audi engineer had described. “Point and shoot,” I repeatedly thought. “It’s genuinely easy to drive fast and feel like a racing driver.” It’s reminiscent of Patches O’Houlihan’s wisdom in Dodgeball: “If you can see the apex, you can nail it.” Okay, he actually said, “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball,” but the underlying principle holds true. Of course, reckless speed or poor cornering technique will still lead to mistakes. However, the RS3 is so communicative and forgiving that it might just allow you to get away with minor transgressions.

Several sections of the track demanded rapid car rotation to align for the subsequent corner, often while still carrying significant speed from the preceding one. Depending on the smoothness of my inputs, the RS3 would either feel incredibly planted or deliver a subtle shimmy from the rear, a gentle reminder to refine my technique. I experienced the latter a few times until I smoothed out my corner entries and fine-tuned my braking zones. Planting your right foot on corner exit provides a fascinating glimpse into the split-second decisions the car is making regarding power distribution, torque vectoring, and traction management – and it’s immensely rewarding. Being ambitious with the throttle on corner exit will induce just enough rear-end slip to make you feel like a driving hero, but not so much that it becomes alarming; though that ultimately depends on your personal tolerance for excitement, I suppose.

Audi’s optional carbon-ceramic brakes performed flawlessly, consistently providing immense stopping power without any hint of fade throughout my track sessions. Castellolí featured two particularly demanding braking zones: Turn 1 and a temporary chicane installed by Audi to moderate speeds on the back straight. The former involved decelerating from around 120 mph to approximately 70 mph, while the latter was even more intense – likely from 120 mph down to around 60 mph. In these heavy braking zones, the laws of physics became vividly apparent, with the car’s weight becoming more noticeable than anywhere else on the track. It took a couple of laps to acclimate to the sensation of my backside momentarily lifting off the seat under hard braking, and I can attest to the seatbelts’ effectiveness.

Away from the track, on the narrow and winding roads surrounding Montserrat, the RS3 felt equally at home, confidently attacking hairpins, dancing through switchbacks, and amplifying its sonorous engine note through tunnels. The most prominent characteristic of the RS3 on public roads was its adaptive suspension. I struggled to find a setting that perfectly balanced comfort and control. Comfort mode occasionally felt a touch too bouncy, while switching to Dynamic or RS modes rendered the ride excessively firm for everyday driving.

On the highway, the RS3 exhibited a relaxed demeanor, giving absolutely no indication of the ferocious track beast lurking beneath the surface. The cabin remained hushed, and the steering, while firm and responsive, wasn’t overly heavy or nervous. As previously mentioned, the test vehicles were Euro-spec models, so certain features, such as the seats and some trim elements visible in the images, may not be identical to the final US-specification cars.

Early Verdict: A Top Contender

The RS3 has rapidly ascended to become one of my personal favorite cars. More significantly, it has also earned a spot on the shortlist of cars I would genuinely consider purchasing with my own money. My all-time favorite car is, coincidentally, a hatchback that shares numerous attributes with the RS3 in terms of heritage, character, attitude, and most importantly: exceptional value for money.

The 2025 Audi RS3 left me wanting in very few areas, excelling in almost every test I subjected it to. However, I would certainly welcome more extended seat time to further explore its on-road personality in different driving scenarios. Ignoring the spec sheet, and perhaps even this review, the Audi RS3, much like the Honda Civic Type R, is a car that demands to be driven – and driven hard – to be truly understood and appreciated, and ultimately, to be completely captivated by. Oh geez, I just revealed my favorite car, didn’t I?

On paper, the RS3 might appear to be a substantial outlay for a high-performance version of a compact Audi. But in reality, it transcends that categorization. Trust me; it’s so much more.

Jerry Perez
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