2020 Audi S3 Review

Name: 2020 Audi S3 Review
Brand: Audi
Rating: 4.8 (38 reviews)

Price: $34,990

Audi S3 2.0 TFSI Prestige quattro Sedan Exterior Shown

+108

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Price & Payment

17 cars

$30,293 avg. price

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Audi S3 model years

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2020 Audi S3 Review

by the Edmunds Experts

What's new

Small changes to standard and optional equipment
Prestige trim level has been eliminated, leaving Premium and Premium Plus
Part of the first Audi S3 generation introduced in the U.S. in 2015

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2020 Audi S3 Premium 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.76 per gallon for premium unleaded in New Jersey.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in New Jersey

$187/mo

$156/mo

Avg. Compact Car

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Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

3/5Above Average

#15 out of 26 among Luxury Compact Cars

RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.

Cost

^{The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the Audi S3 from 2008-2022.}

$785/yr

vs. $554/yr
for Average Luxury Compact Car

Frequency

^{The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).}

1.31x/yr

vs. 1.57x/yr
for Average Luxury Compact Car

Severity

^{The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).}

12.3%

vs. 11.1%
for Average Luxury Compact Car

powered by RepairPal ^{Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.}

Audi S3 Reviews

Owner Reviews

4.8

38 reviews

5(87%)

4(10%)

3(3%)

2(0%)

1(0%)

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Most Helpful Owner Reviews

How Ended Up with the Audi S3

cheetah77, 05/12/2015

2015 Audi S3 2.0T Prestige quattro 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6AM)

I did not set out to buy an Audi & I don't care about having a "prestige brand"...in fact I'd prefer not to have it. However we needed AWD, fast (300ish hp), high quality, cargo space, fun, cool looking, DSG type auto transmission car. Audi is the only one building that and it's the S3. Considered S4 but MPG too low; Golf R has too little cargo room but nice car. S3 combines amazing … refinement, quiet ride, taut but comfortable euro sedan ride, throaty exhaust when punched, great looks, good MPG, driver assistance that can be shut off, & much more. The 2015 S3 is dual personality and you decide which one you want: rip roaring sports car or a easy driving luxurious touring sedan. Amazing. Update 11/2017: Still love this car and will never sell it. It draws many compliments and I never seem to see that many S3s running around. I like this 2015 styling better than the "update." The update has more "check mark" style of headlights which I do not prefer. I ran the S3 at the track and it was 100ºF that day. With Nitto NT05 tires it performed well but wasn't scary fast; cornered very well however. For me though it's not a track car but a perfect street car. 298hp Is adequate (and I'd like more). But the S-Tronic transmission is the win in the S3: it uses the power very efficiently and you'll be able to beat a lot of cars that should be faster (I know b. I've done it). Interior is amazing still, very comfortable and upscale showing very little wear with the high class materials. No reliability problems whatsoever have cropped up although my car is fairly low miles. MPG is around 25 which is amazing for an AWD sports car with this power. When the warranty wears out I will put a Stage 2 APR chip in it to easy and safely unlock more power. Guys who've bought the RS3 say the cars run about the same until you hammer the RS3 which on public roads is ill advised. Anyway, I'd buy this car all over again and I don't say anything out there that I like better. If I did I'd buy it. Update 11/2018: I still own this car and have no plans to sell it. I've had no reliability problems with it although it is still pretty low miles. Still getting 25 mpg overall. This 2015 S3 version appears to be very rare on the road; I see VERY few. I like the styling better on this model vs the newer headlights that look like check marks. I get lots of comments on the car and it seems to be popular.

Best of all worlds

steve_in_az, 07/07/2015

2015 Audi S3 2.0T Prestige quattro 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6AM)

I picked up this car on 5/30/15. So far, I am amazed literally every time I drive it. Full disclosure: this is my fifth Audi in 30 years, so I am definitely a fan. The S3 is an incredible amalgam of power, speed, comfort, features and appearance. It includes Homelink (garage door opener), manual sport seats (Recaro quality), nav system, and a "jukebox" (hard drive) that will hold up to …

Pocket Rocket

ssincl3, 01/30/2015

2015 Audi S3 2.0T Prestige quattro 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6AM)

I really love this car! Gorgeous looking inside and out. Probably my biggest impulse buy of all time. I wanted a Golf R but didn't want to wait much longer. Got the Sepang Blue and everyone falls in love with the color. It has all the options included, makes me nervous to see it practically drive itself. Of course the downsides. I really wish it had a manual trans. My drive gets boring …

Best (and most fun) car I have ever owned!

Christopher Manning, 05/02/2019

2017 Audi S3 2.0 TFSI Premium Plus quattro 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6AM)

This car, all around, is best car I have ever owned. This car feels like it could handle a track well - haven't tried that yet. Acceleration is nothing to laugh at with this 2.0 TFSI engine (except on my test drive... I giggled a couple of times!!!). There is no way that the 0-60 time stated on this car is correct. Audi claims 4.7 s. I would say it is closer to 4 seconds than it is …

We have a limited number of reviews for the 2020 Audi S3, so we've included reviews for other years of the S3 since its last redesign.

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2020 S3 Highlights

Trim:

Premium

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$43,000
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	25 MPG
Cost to Drive	$187/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	10.0 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	all wheel drive
Warranty	4 years / 50,000 miles

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Safety

Our experts like the S3 models:

Audi Adaptive Cruise: Maintains a set distance between you and the car ahead of you. Automatically accelerates and brakes as needed, with the ability to stop.
Audi Virtual Cockpit: Lets you keep your attention on the road by providing route guidance in the instrument panel right in front of you.
Rear Cross-Traffic Assist: Warns you if a vehicle may hit you as you're backing out of a spot. Perfect for small urban parking lots.

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
Overall4 / 5
Driver4 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Side Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Side Barrier Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front Seat5 / 5
Back Seat5 / 5
Rollover
Rollover4 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of Rollover10.9%

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2020 Audi S3 Review

Price & Payment

2020 Audi S3 Review

What's new

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2020 Audi S3 Premium 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.76 per gallon for premium unleaded in New Jersey.}

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Audi S3 Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Trending topics

How Ended Up with the Audi S3

Best of all worlds

Pocket Rocket

Best (and most fun) car I have ever owned!

2020 S3 Highlights

Safety

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2020 Audi S3 Review

Price & Payment

2020 Audi S3 Review

What's new

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2020 Audi S3 Premium 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.76 per gallon for premium unleaded in New Jersey.

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Audi S3 Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

How Ended Up with the Audi S3

Best of all worlds

Pocket Rocket

Best (and most fun) car I have ever owned!

2020 S3 Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2020 Audi S3 info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Shop similar models

Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Audi

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2020 Audi S3 Premium 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.76 per gallon for premium unleaded in New Jersey.}