The 2025 Audi RS 3 Gets Spicier Styling and Go-Faster Chassis Tweaks

And there's a new steering wheel, which is cool we guess …

written by Nick Yekikian^{Senior News Editor
Nick Yekikian has worked in the automotive industry since 2019. He has written close to a thousand car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 200 vehicles over the course of his career. Nick is the Senior News Editor at Edmunds and has also contributed to MotorTrend, Automobile Magazine and Super Street. When Nick isn't zipping around town in his latest used-car find, he's probably making digital art in Photoshop or playing disc golf with friends.}
edited by Cameron Rogers^{Manager, News
Cameron Rogers has worked in the automotive industry since 2013. He has tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Today, he leads the news team in developing cutting-edge news articles, opinion pieces and sneak peeks at upcoming vehicles. Favorite cars that he's driven during his tenure at Edmunds include the 991-era Porsche 911 Turbo S, Rolls-Royce Ghost and several generations of Honda Odyssey (really).}
8/19/2024
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The Audi RS 3 gets a light face-lift for 2025.
It brings tweaks to its looks and its chassis along with small interior updates.
No word on price, but it likely won't be too much more than the current car's $63,395 base MSRP.

The Audi RS 3 is already a pretty sensational little performance sedan — remember, we don't get the much cooler hatchback here in the U.S. And while that sad fact of life hasn't changed for 2025, Audi has brought a host of upgrades to its smallest RS model with a face-lift for the new model year. New styling, performance tweaks, and even a new standard tire make up just part of this midlife refresher.

Styling is always subjective, but the new RS 3 has gone from handsome to, well, equally as handsome. There are minor tweaks to the front bumper, the headlights and taillights, and the lower part of the rear bumper. The huge blacked-out grille feeds air to the turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine (and it is currently the only car you can have with that number of pistons) that makes the same 401 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission also returns unchanged.

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The changes are small, but they make you go faster

So what exactly did Audi change underneath the skin? For starters it tweaked the software that rules the car's chassis dynamics. The brake torque vectoring is now more finessed, and as a result, drivers will be able to attack corners more aggressively, carry a higher speed throughout a corner, and power out sooner. Audi also says that it's refined the RS 3's oversteer characteristics so that steering adjustments are all you need to kick out the rear (though we're quite sure a big dose of throttle will do it, too). There is also a new standard tire, but a set of super-sticky Pirelli P Zero Trofeo Rs are still available as an option.

The interior is largely untouched, though there is a new steering wheel borrowed from other Audis like the Q4 E-tron and Q6 E-tron. It sports a flat bottom and touch-sensitive pads to control the driver's display. There are also two shortcut buttons on the steering wheel that allow you to activate the RS 3's more racey functions. There is also a new rev counter in the 12.3-inch instrument cluster and an app store for the 10.1-inch infotainment display. The gear selector also moves from a sort of lever to a flatter switch — a change that brings the RS 3 in line with other Audi models but doesn't really affect the way you operate it in any meaningful way.

Beyond that the interior of the RS 3 hasn't changed much. The screens are the same size as they were before, the seats are the same (very excellent) RS-specific buckets, and there are still unqiue touches throughout the cabin. You won't find red A/C grill slats and red stitching (or so much Alcantara) on your run-of-the-mill A3.

Really, aside from the tweaked chassis electronics that made this the fastest compact around the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany (setting a time of 7:33) and the fresh looks, this is a pretty tame update. But then, Audi didn't have to reinvent the wheel here. The RS 3 was already a fantastic, frenetic little pocket rocket and we doubt this face-lift is going to change that.

by Nick Yekikian

Nick Yekikian has worked in the automotive industry since 2019. He has written close to a thousand car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 200 vehicles over the course of his career. Nick is the Senior News Editor at Edmunds and has also contributed to MotorTrend, Automobile Magazine and Super Street. When Nick isn't zipping around town in his latest used-car find, he's probably making digital art in Photoshop or playing disc golf with friends.

edited by Cameron Rogers

Cameron Rogers has worked in the automotive industry since 2013. He has tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Today, he leads the news team in developing cutting-edge news articles, opinion pieces and sneak peeks at upcoming vehicles. Favorite cars that he's driven during his tenure at Edmunds include the 991-era Porsche 911 Turbo S, Rolls-Royce Ghost and several generations of Honda Odyssey (really).