Gallery
Pros
Cons
Seven minutes and 33.123 seconds.
That’s about enough time to tidy up your desk, or casually eat a big piece of pizza. You could even listen to all of Metallica’s “One” and have a few seconds left over to recover. It’s also all the time it took pro driver Frank Stippler to rip the 2026 Audi RS 3 around the Nürburgring-Nordschleife — a very demanding, 20.8-kilometre racetrack also known as The Green Hell. Stippler’s time was quick enough to not only to earn the RS 3 the lap record for a compact car at the ‘Ring, but to absolutely smash the previous record by more than five seconds. (Sorry, BMW.)
Power 9 / 10
To break those kinds of lap records, a car like this needs plenty of power, and as it turns out the RS 3’s 394 hp is more than ample — its 369 lb-ft of torque is nothing to sneeze at, either. It’s that second figure that’s really felt when ripping around, since all that twist is delivered between 2,250 and 5,600 rpm, giving this little sedan gobs of instantaneous thrust when the accelerator pedal is prodded even moderately. Really stand on it and the rev counter will soar to 7,000 rpm, accompanied by an absolutely sonorous wail as the car rockets toward the horizon.
Audi claims the RS 3 will do the zero-to-100km/h run in 3.8 seconds, which is a third of second quicker than the last one that was sold in Canada, but some published reports are showing up with times quicker than that. After a week driving this one, I believe Audi’s figures to be modest.
All that energy is generated with a turbocharged 2.5L inline five-cylinder, which is unique in the North American automotive landscape, but nothing new for Audi. Its unique cylinder firing order, and the standard sport exhaust, conspire to make it one of the most sonorous automotive soundtracks available today.
Driving Feel 9 / 10
Of course, it takes a heck of a lot more than just power to make a true track weapon, and the RS 3’s adaptive suspension is calibrated to keep the car flat, even when pressed hard, yet still capable of soaking up a bump or two mid-corner. Plus the all-wheel drive has a torque splitter system applied to the rear axle, which enables the output to be electronically controlled to each rear wheel individually. When the outside rear wheel receives more than its fair share, it reduces understeer. To put it another way, it can help make the rear end feel friskier than most would expect from an all-wheel-drive car, especially when drift mode is active, which can let a driver ignite the rear tires in a cloud of smoke. Oh, and about those tires: they feature a staggered setup, but it’s the fronts that are wider than the rears.
In addition to one of my usual twisty-road test routes, I deliberately sought out a stretch of asphalt with a silly number of consecutive roundabouts. Even after calling up way too much throttle far too soon on corner exit, the RS 3 was able to grip and go, and sometimes even provide a playful wiggle of its derriere.
A few weeks before this test, I drove the RS 3 at Audi’s test track near Ingolstadt, Germany. There, when really pushed, the RS 3 was wonderfully obedient, helping to make up for some missed apexes as I learned the track layout. It’s the sort of car that makes moderately-talented drivers look like aces.
The RS 3’s personality changes dramatically when cycling through the different drive modes. Setting the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to sport instead of drive not only makes it hold gears higher into the rev band, but it snaps off downshifts earlier, too (plus it opens up the exhaust to hear that gnarly wail). The paddle shifters let the driver be in command of gear changes, and will even allow the transmission to hold a gear until the revs bounce off the redline, but it will downshift on its own as you slow to a stop.
Comfort 8 / 10
The drive modes can also be switched from auto to comfort, dynamic, or various user-individualized performance modes, too. In comfort mode, the RS 3 becomes a surprisingly subdued cruiser, keeping the revs (and noise) to a minimum. If anything, it’s almost a little too benign. Such a brightly-painted car calls for a frenetic experience, and I found dynamic mode, with its snappier shifts and throttle response, to be just right for slicing and dicing traffic or my favourite backroads. Happily, even in that setting, the suspension is firm but never harsh even over poorly-maintained pavement.
For such a high-performance car, the seats aren’t so wildly bolstered that they give passengers claustrophobia, instead, keeping occupants in place without constricting them. The back seat, however, is snug enough to remind occupants that this is a subcompact sedan.
Practicality 7 / 10
Although small in terms of interior space, if compared to other cars that deliver the RS 3’s level of performance with four doors and all-wheel drive, it’s a very practical machine that makes for a great year-round daily driver. At 235 L, its trunk space is notably smaller than the BMW M2’s, though.
User-Friendliness 7 / 10
The cockpit is snug but shaped around the driver, with the primary infotainment screen canted slightly toward the pilot. The instrument display can be formatted for a number of very different designs that range from space-age to something reminiscent of the classic white-on-black dials Audi drivers have faced for generations. The steering wheel, with its squared-off top and bottom, feels great in the hand, and it’s wrapped in faux suede for grip. Everything a driver needs to get the job done falls easily to reach, and the view out all sides is very good.
But, the steering wheel buttons are glossy little touch panels, and I frequently called up the phone button that resides just below the track-forward button. The primary 12.3-inch touchscreen is quick and responsive for the most part, but it repeatedly went black when using wirelessly connected Apple CarPlay during this test, suggesting there are still some digital wrinkles to iron out.
Features 8 / 10
The RS 3 is a decently-specced car even without any options. There’s a large sliding sunroof, head-up display, and heated (but not cooled) sport seats trimmed in leather and accented with green trim in this tester. The stereo delivers clean sound through its 15 speakers, and there’s a wireless charging pad. But the real features of this car are the components that make it go fast and handle well, plus the standard sport exhaust that helps it sound so good.
Fuel Economy 6.5 / 10
Typical of such a high performance machine, the RS 3 isn’t going to take home any fuel efficiency trophies. Around town, it’s rated at 12.0 L/100 km. Still, this improves dramatically on the highway to a genuinely decent 8.0 L/100 km, netting a combined figure of 10.2. A mix of urban commuting and some backroad fun showed an indicated average of 9.0 L/100 km, which is surprising given the stifling heat of the test week and, ahem, the heavy foot of the driver.
Safety 9 / 10
The Audi RS 3 comes equipped with a comprehensive collection of passive and active safety features including adaptive cruise control, lane-centring, blind-spot monitoring, and automatic emergency braking. While 360-degree camera views are available, they were not fitted to this test car that had parking sensors and only the back-up camera that’s mandatory on all new vehicles. The RS 3’s adaptive matrix LED headlights provide very impressive illumination.
While the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had not rated the 2026 RS 3 at the time of this writing, crash tests by the not-for-profit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) on the A3 this model’s based produced very positive results, with the organization only complaining that the seatbelt warning chime was too brief to be effective.
Styling 8 / 10
The success of the RS 3’s styling depends on how extroverted the beholder is. Its overall shape doesn’t offer the sort of swoon-worthy sensuality of curves that a low-slung sports coupe presents. In fact, were it not for the retina-searing colour of my tester, most people probably wouldn’t have given the RS 3 a second glance. The violent green colour — a no-cost option — did attract a lot of attention, including more thumbs up and praise than anything I’ve driven in a long time. For others, that an RS 3 in a less flamboyant colour can slice through traffic undetected is a major plus. Having a very quick car that doesn’t attract attention can be a benefit to one’s licence.
Overall, this updated design is an evolution of what the old RS 3 was, while obviously incorporating the current A3/S3 design language. It’s a clean look that’ll age well, but the front end is the car’s one major visual failing. The expanse of gloss-black plastic that surrounds the grille, while making the front end look more menacing, also cheapens it.
Inside, the cabin is much more contemporary than the rather dated previous-generation RS 3’s interior, mostly due to the expanses of screens. The twin vents flanking the gauge binnacle are a really neat (and effective) touch, and I especially appreciated the lime green accents throughout that complement the exterior colour. Other accent colours like blue or red are also available.
Value 8 / 10
In some cases, a top trim car feels like a massive step up in cost for an incremental performance upgrade (such is the case with the BMW M240i versus the M2). But despite its relatively innocuous styling, the RS 3 feels truly special — and worth its lofty starting price of $78,250 before freight ($2,850) and tax. It also happens to undercut the BMW M2 by a whisker or two, by the way.
A Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing is priced similarly and offers even more power and interior and luggage space, while Acura’s Integra Type S undercuts all the others by a huge margin. But none of these competitors can match the Audi’s performance and all-wheel-drive usability. There’s not much that can catch the Audi on a track for the cost of the RS 3.
The Verdict
Beyond all the objective facts and figures, the 2026 Audi RS 3’s unique drivetrain is what truly defines this car and makes it feel deliciously exotic despite its modest appearance. It hasn’t seen a wholesale overhaul since its previous generation landed here several years ago, and yet it’s lost none of its magic during that time, just gained more technology, luxury, and performance.
Some cars are wickedly fast track machines but have no soul, whereas the RS 3 is truly engaging and fun to drive, plus it can be enjoyed as a daily driver all year round. And, if you really need to boast, it has that Nürburgring lap record, too.
