2026 Audi RS3 Review

[00:20] You're watching Throttle House. I'm

[00:22] Thomas. And I'm James.

[00:28] And this is the RS3.

[00:49] Audi's little 394

[00:52] horsepower pocket rocket. We've already

[00:55] shown it going toe-to-toeish with a BMW

[00:58] M4 [music] Competition in a straight

[01:00] line, but isn't there more to life than

[01:02] just being really, really, really

[01:04] ridiculously quick moving? So, with a

[01:06] facelift this year, we want to see what

[01:08] else it's got, and we want to make sure

[01:10] that the new updates don't subscribe it

[01:13] to the everinccreasing plague of

[01:15] inshitification.

[01:17] Let's do this.

[01:22] If you're new to Throttle House,

[01:28] >> we do car reviews, track tests,

[01:33] and quite a lot of messing around.

[01:36] So, subscribe and enjoy the show.

[01:43] [music]

[01:43] >> Ready?

[01:44] >> Yep.

[01:47] >> Just smoked all four tires.

[01:51] Okay.

[01:52] >> Oh, that is really, really quick. I

[01:54] forgot how quick it is.

[01:55] >> It's quick. It's quick. 3.8 seconds to

[01:58] 62 mph.

[02:00] >> And the sound of the five cylinder.

[02:06] >> Oh yes. [laughter]

[02:09] So, today we celebrate that this is now

[02:12] available in Canada, the return of the

[02:15] RS3. Now, we did sneakily film one of

[02:17] these, even when it was US only,

[02:20] >> Jesus.

[02:22] >> But now it's been updated.

[02:25] This is uh this has always been a

[02:27] really, really good car. But it brings

[02:29] up the very important question is why

[02:31] wouldn't you get a Golf R

[02:32] >> for the cost saving?

[02:33] >> For the cost saving because in Canada

[02:35] anyway, it's like 30 grand cheaper to

[02:37] get a Golf Rake.

[02:39] >> I guess the answer is speed, power,

[02:42] noise,

[02:43] >> and and a fixed interior. The big big

[02:46] answer is the extra cylinder because

[02:48] this noise is unique to this car [music]

[02:50] now

[02:51] >> in the world

[02:52] >> and the TTRS which is gone.

[03:01] >> That is just it's a it's a little baby

[03:03] V10. It's half a V10. And I absolutely

[03:06] love [music] the sound this car makes.

[03:11] Fivecylinders are really, really funky

[03:14] engines and I wish we had more of them.

[03:15] >> Do you remember the firing order?

[03:17] >> Uh, 1 2 4 53.

[03:20] >> Correct.

[03:20] >> Yeah,

[03:21] >> that was the [laughter]

[03:22] >> any other math test in the world, you

[03:23] would have failed.

[03:24] >> I can't I can't do any numbers in

[03:26] memory, but that one.

[03:28] >> So, while we celebrate that this has now

[03:31] come to Canada, let's also look over the

[03:32] fact that there is a new interior change

[03:34] going exteriors as well. We're going to

[03:36] get to that in a minute. As far as

[03:38] driving changes are concerned, there's

[03:40] software tweaks.

[03:42] >> Yeah, it it's more drifty on corner

[03:44] entry.

[03:45] >> Yeah. So, the updates that are always

[03:46] made to an RS3 is we think we figured

[03:48] out how to do less under steer.

[03:50] >> Yes, exactly. And the good news is every

[03:52] year they do like we put wider tires on

[03:54] the front, which I think this still has.

[03:56] >> It does. And then and then it also has

[03:58] the the torque split in the rear, which

[04:02] if you I think we've said this a million

[04:04] times on Throttle House now, but it's

[04:06] God.

[04:13] as you were.

[04:14] >> It can send half of the torque to the

[04:16] rear and of that half it can send 100%

[04:18] to an outside wheel when it wants to

[04:20] drift.

[04:20] >> I actually have that tattooed to my

[04:21] back.

[04:22] >> Yeah.

[04:23] >> Yeah. Honestly, we need to get the

[04:24] tattoo. [laughter]

[04:25] >> It is uh it works really well.

[04:27] >> No, it actually works really. Only thing

[04:29] it can't do and the only spot that an

[04:31] actual rear bias car is superior is that

[04:33] it can't sustain a drift for a long

[04:36] period.

[04:36] >> No. And it feels just like the Golf R

[04:38] which has the same sort of diff. It

[04:39] feels quite assisted and digital and

[04:42] artificial.

[04:43] >> Yeah. It's like engineered drifting but

[04:45] it's still fun. Like drifting is

[04:46] drifting.

[04:46] >> Yes.

[04:47] >> Okay. So inside

[04:48] >> Yeah.

[04:49] >> You will notice we've got the new Audi

[04:50] steering wheel.

[04:51] >> This has been very controversial. The

[04:53] steering wheel.

[04:54] >> This bit has people are a fan. So, this

[04:56] is now a flat bottom and top.

[04:58] >> Yeah.

[04:59] >> Yeah. And it's got Dynamica. That's what

[05:01] they call the Alcantara for Audi.

[05:03] >> Yeah. They've been doing that for You

[05:04] haven't called it Dynamica for years.

[05:05] >> I just I just

[05:08] >> I only just realized it.

[05:09] >> Oh. [laughter]

[05:11] >> And if you option it, which you can't in

[05:14] North America, they are they make carbon

[05:15] bucket seats now for the RS3 that have

[05:17] dynamic inserts and they look wicked.

[05:20] And we don't get them. We just get the

[05:22] sport. Of

[05:22] >> course we don't. Uh, these are quite

[05:24] comfortable but

[05:24] >> really like the steering wheel, by the

[05:26] way. It's nice, isn't it?

[05:27] >> I really I don't mind the the airbag

[05:29] shape. I know circles are

[05:31] >> I I think a little bit sportier looking,

[05:33] but this works. It just It's a nice

[05:35] looking wheel.

[05:36] >> It tells you you can get used to it

[05:37] because I I hated it in the S5.

[05:39] >> You did? Yes.

[05:40] >> And now I'm just like, this is like the

[05:41] third car I've been in with it. And I'm

[05:42] like, yeah, it's fine. Yeah.

[05:44] >> And I I like that we gain the checkered

[05:46] flag button on the left, which just

[05:47] takes you immediately into the most

[05:48] aggressive modes. It wakes up that

[05:50] exhaust. It wakes up the engine.

[05:52] It's [music] good. It's good. I really,

[05:55] really like this car. I honestly I I

[05:57] really like driving it. I just I think

[05:58] it's a bit too much money [music] no

[05:59] matter what you do.

[06:01] >> Yeah, but it is a lot of car. It is an

[06:03] all-wheel drive 5cylinder, unique,

[06:06] really perfectly sized, compact, well

[06:10] riding in comfort, can be absolutely

[06:11] normal when you want it to be, and then

[06:13] breaks Nurburgring lap records when you

[06:14] put it into the sport mode. It's like,

[06:16] >> yeah, but what if it was a hatchback?

[06:18] >> Well, there is one. We just don't get

[06:19] it.

[06:20] >> I know. It's annoying.

[06:21] So, oh yeah, it's it's not anywhere near

[06:25] a BMW M car in terms of that sense of

[06:29] the front end grip that just is

[06:31] unrelenting.

[06:32] >> And that smells like bias, but Thomas is

[06:35] not being biased. It is It is different.

[06:37] >> It is different. It's still very much an

[06:38] Audi,

[06:39] >> I have to say. I know the M car has the

[06:41] better front end grip, but I feel so

[06:43] much more in control of an Audi RS3.

[06:46] >> Oh, you are more You are more in control

[06:47] of an Audi RS3.

[06:48] >> It's so easy.

[06:49] >> Yes, it is. No question.

[06:51] >> It's such a great daily. It's such a

[06:53] great daily.

[06:53] >> The ride is I'm even in the stiffest

[06:54] mode and the ride isn't even bad right

[06:55] now.

[06:56] >> I know. I know.

[06:56] >> If I put it in comfort.

[06:58] >> And we've got the comes with Audi now.

[07:00] We got the cartridge shifter instead of

[07:01] the little

[07:02] >> Oh, yeah. Okay. It's fine.

[07:03] >> Little penis we used to have.

[07:04] >> But yeah, beautiful door cards, carbon

[07:07] fiber trim. I think these red accents

[07:09] are new. I don't remember those.

[07:11] >> And that I could do without those.

[07:12] >> Yeah, that is about it. That's [music]

[07:14] about it for the new stuff on the

[07:15] inside.

[07:16] >> Yeah, it's a celebration. That's why we

[07:17] wanted to drive it.

[07:18] >> Yes. And I I now that I've had a Golf R

[07:21] for almost 3 years now, I need that

[07:23] reminder of Oh god, it's so annoying

[07:26] that I'm in the fixed version. In fact,

[07:27] the S3,

[07:29] >> you feel that?

[07:31] >> Yeah. The rear just starts to I mean,

[07:33] honestly, after spending some more time

[07:34] with this car, if I bought a Golf R, I'd

[07:36] feel like a huge

[07:38] >> No, it's a [music] huge, huge question.

[07:40] [laughter]

[07:41] But the S3 fixes the interior. And now

[07:43] the S3 has that torque diff split thing

[07:46] >> and it's got Yeah. And not only is the

[07:48] interior fixed versus a Golf R in terms

[07:50] of ergonomics and buttons, even though

[07:52] they've gone for these sort of half

[07:53] capacity.

[07:53] >> Yeah, I don't like these.

[07:54] >> They're fine. I get over it. Just get

[07:56] over it.

[07:57] >> The point is Audi care in a way that

[07:59] Volkswagen don't. They care so much that

[08:02] in the press release of this car, they

[08:04] talked about the smell and how important

[08:06] the smell is and how many smell testers

[08:08] go through and in fact because it's so

[08:11] important to them. And when you get in

[08:12] an Audi, you do smell Audi, right? When

[08:15] you get in, you're like, and it's on

[08:17] purpose, I found out. And once it's all

[08:19] done, and once it's all checked, there's

[08:21] [music] five chemists. This feels like

[08:22] I'm talking about Toyota Dentry. There's

[08:24] five chemists that have to check and

[08:26] smell the car to make sure it is up to

[08:30] Audi standard and smells like an Audi.

[08:32] >> And that's so funny. All of that work

[08:34] and pretty much the only thing I can

[08:35] smell is the [music] schwarma burp that

[08:36] you did 8 minutes ago.

[08:39] >> But I I got so much love for the RS3.

[08:41] I've always had so much love for the

[08:42] RS3. You know where it's not improved

[08:44] though?

[08:45] >> What?

[08:46] >> It's the exterior.

[08:47] >> Yes, it has.

[08:52] >> What's wrong with it? Look at it. I

[08:54] don't know. Okay, hold on. No, no. I'm

[08:56] just I'm being silly. I think this is a

[08:58] good looking car, but I just think that

[08:59] the previous gen it's really slick. I

[09:02] think the previous gen RS3 is better

[09:04] looking.

[09:04] >> The previous gen was cleaner.

[09:06] >> Yes.

[09:07] >> But this has got more muscular. So,

[09:09] okay. So, on this one, on the the new

[09:11] facelift, these the way this grill looks

[09:13] is different for it's more aggressive

[09:15] for more air intake. And then we have

[09:18] these lights, which have four different

[09:20] digital signatures that you can choose.

[09:22] >> I actually like that.

[09:22] >> What would you choose out of the four

[09:24] options?

[09:24] >> I like the checker one, the uh

[09:26] >> I see. I thought I'd go for that, but I

[09:27] like the the sort of three aggressive

[09:30] one.

[09:30] >> Yeah. Anyway, I haven't seen that

[09:32] before, and I think it's actually quite

[09:33] a cool thing that you can just, you

[09:34] know,

[09:35] >> but it's gimmicky, but it's fun. It is

[09:37] gimmicky, but I like it.

[09:38] >> I like I like this muscular flare here

[09:40] on the on this generation. That's not

[09:41] new.

[09:42] >> They really went all out. Look at that.

[09:44] [laughter]

[09:45] >> That's not new on the face of And then

[09:46] on the back now we have this new

[09:48] diffuser with the sort of red reflector.

[09:50] Looks a bit more race car and absolutely

[09:53] gigantic R8 looking exhaust pipes. Can

[09:55] you still get fun colors? This is one of

[09:57] them.

[09:57] >> This is not one of the fun colors.

[09:59] [laughter] He said to me, but it pulled

[10:02] up today. I forgot about this. He points

[10:04] out, he goes, "Oh, that's one of the new

[10:06] grays."

[10:07] >> Yeah, [laughter] except it's not.

[10:09] >> That's so far from being interesting,

[10:11] James.

[10:11] >> There is a new Daytona gray and there is

[10:14] a new scari blue and a progressive red.

[10:16] And this isn't any of them.

[10:18] >> Why is there more than one gray?

[10:20] [laughter]

[10:20] >> Oh, it's one of the new grays.

[10:23] >> This is just what MX5 [snorts] life is

[10:25] like cuz that's what we get every year.

[10:27] >> Yeah.

[10:27] >> Yeah. You can get this in a fun color. I

[10:29] would get it in a fun color. I've always

[10:30] like kyami green because it's just fun

[10:32] to say. You can you can still get

[10:33] >> still get karma green

[10:35] >> and look the Audi's and the A4s as well

[10:38] and the S4s they there is a group about

[10:40] A4s which is your car looks like traffic

[10:43] your car meet looks like traffic because

[10:45] it does just look like traffic but

[10:47] that's the beauty of this car if you

[10:49] want it you can if you want get a Larry

[10:52] Mustang or M2 this is the under the

[10:55] radar ridiculously probably quicker in

[10:58] real life than those cars car

[11:00] >> I think that

[11:01] >> also works as a daily

[11:02] >> I I kind of want an RS badge on the

[11:03] front.

[11:04] >> Is it gone?

[11:05] >> It I mean, was it supposed to have one?

[11:07] >> No, they there was They've been playing

[11:10] around with removing them in in

[11:11] different

[11:12] >> I'm not sure. I think it's fun cuz it's

[11:14] it's that little like you see it from

[11:16] your rearview mirror. Damn, that's the

[11:18] RS.

[11:18] >> I 100% agree. I would like an RS3 badge.

[11:22] >> I don't know. I I I think that the

[11:24] previous gen was a better looking design

[11:25] and I don't think I I like this grill

[11:28] more than the pre I think I like the

[11:29] previous version of this grill a little

[11:31] bit better. Yes, I do as well.

[11:32] >> But I don't know. I It's such an

[11:35] understated car. I think it needs a

[11:37] flashy color.

[11:38] >> That's what I would do.

[11:39] >> Unless you But that's because you've got

[11:41] something to prove

[11:42] >> cuz of what what are you going to say?

[11:45] >> I was going to say something that I

[11:46] actually think is quite a dated insult

[11:48] now. [laughter]

[11:48] >> All right. Okay. Cuz size doesn't

[11:51] matter. But I like that you can get this

[11:53] as an under the radar car. I agree

[11:55] though it is a slightly boring spec, but

[11:57] you can absolutely monstrously destroy

[11:59] everyone on the road. Apart from there's

[12:01] a few people in the comment section

[12:02] right now saying, "Uh, actually my Tesla

[12:04] Model 3 is so much quicker." And to you,

[12:07] I say 1 12453.

[12:11] >> That's the firing order in case you

[12:12] missed the first part of the

[12:13] >> stick that in your battery and smoke it.

[12:18] >> So, there we have it. By not changing

[12:20] that much and despite adding another

[12:23] gray to the landscape, the RS3 still

[12:26] remains high in our regard. Perfectly

[12:28] sized, great performance, unique sound,

[12:31] and now that the neighboring RS5 has

[12:34] swung even more grand tour with its

[12:37] added weight and hybrid system, the RS3

[12:40] is not just the only nimble Audi RS car

[12:42] left. It's also just one of their best

[12:47] cars.

[12:48] Thanks for watching.