The refreshed 2025 Audi S3 injects some much-needed fun into an otherwise capable but slightly vanilla platform. But its biggest problem is that the Volkswagen Golf R features the same mechanical bits, a more practical layout, and its own round of enticing updates for 2025. Is the lustre of the four rings worth it?
What’s new for 2025?
Visually, not much. It’s a typical Audi facelift, where most people wouldn’t notice the changes right away, outside of perhaps the much more aggressive rear bumper. And that’s OK, because the S3 still looks just modern and chic since this generation first debuted in 2022. One neat upgrade is the ability to customize the LED daytime running light signature, allowing you to choose from four different patterns for some individuality.
The fun stuff is actually underneath. Notable performance and chassis upgrades really liven up the S3, transforming it from a competent-but-sedate sporty sedan to a true performance toy that makes you want to hunt backroads. First, there’s a power bump, not that the S3 needed it. It’s now up to 328 horsepower—22 more than last year—but the accompanying turbocharger “pre-load” feature is more interesting. It basically keeps the turbo spinning at high RPMs even with your foot off the throttle, thus improving throttle response and reducing turbo lag at the same time. Peak torque remains at 295 pound-feet, but the tweaks result in a slightly broader torque curve.
The seven-speed automatic transmission bolted to the engine is said to shift 50 per cent faster at full load. It’s a lofty claim from Audi, but it certainly seemed immediate and eager. I’m still not sure why Audi continues to use some of the smallest paddle-shifters I’ve seen, whereas the Golf R’s are more properly sized for a sporty car.
Proving hand-me-downs aren’t a bad thing, the biggest upgrade the 2025 S3 receives is the trick rear differential and software from the RS 3 and Golf R. The S3 can send up to 50 per cent of peak torque to the rear axle, but this new diff and programming can send 100 per cent of that to one wheel, giving it more of an inclination to drift. The Dynamic Plus drive mode enables this function, as well as more lax stability control programming, and a hard rev limiter that doesn’t automatically upshift when you’re in manual mode. Finally.
2025 S3 interior updates and impressions
Audi has given the 2025 S3’s interior a bit of a do-over as well. Highlights include the new door trim and ambient lighting treatment, which features a smattering of little squares cut out of the Alcantara-like fabric. The screens remain as-is, meaning they’re typical Audi—clean, crisp, and responsive. The digital gauge cluster is still a highlight, offering deep black levels and a configurable layout, including a racy rev counter in the Dynamic Plus drive mode. The oddball toggle-switch gear selector has been swapped out in favour of a slider similar to the Q4; I still don’t love it, but it’s an improvement.
What I do love is an Audi steering wheel, and the S3’s feels great. It’s appropriately sized and avoids overly soft padding or unnecessary, ahem, girth. There’s something of an old-school feel to an Audi stering wheel, and it really elevates the driving experience. The seats are comfortable and supportive, holding you in place in spirited driving while simultaneously being comfortable highway companions. The contrast from the red diamond-pattern stitching against the black leather is lovely, although it clashes somewhat with our tester’s Python Yellow paintwork.
Rounding out the interior updates for 2025 is a new Sonos sound system. It replaces the previous Bang & Olufsen setup in the previous S3, and it sounds mostly great, if a little bass heavy. Other tech bits work well, like the full suite of active safety features and adaptive cruise control.
So wait, is this actually a fun Audi?
Oh, yes it is. The S3 accelerates with a ferocity that belies its diminutive size and place in the Audi pecking order. The power bump, punchier engine, updated transmission, and Audi’s unflappable Quattro all-wheel-drive give you tangible real-world performance improvements without the drama of wheelspin. Some people may take that as the S3 being too serious, but there’s a different kind of drama: the need to hold on as you approach its limits. The soundtrack from the exhaust, further amplified through the speakers, works well to keep the fire inside you going.
Handling and steering are equally impressive. The suspension does an excellent job keeping the S3 composed in hard corners, but the trade-off is a surprisingly harsh ride even in comfort mode, though the 19-inch wheels and 35-series tires don’t help. Audi steering typically doesn’t provide much feedback (what modern car does?) but it’s sharp and accurate, allowing you to easily point the car through apexes or darting around a slower car in the left lane.
The S3 is just so satisfying to manoeuvre. The all-wheel-drive system instills loads of confidence and will easily pull you through a corner, even if you get back on the gas too early. The transmission is aggressive in its sportiest drive modes and responds very well to your inputs in manual mode. And now that you can bounce off the rev limiter, the S3 is a riot to bang through the gears.
Should you buy one?
As much as I’m smitten with the refreshed S3, it’s an interesting value proposition, but not necessarily in a good way. Compared to its closest direct competitor, the Mercedes-AMG CLA 35, the S3 feels sharper, more fun, much nicer inside—and at $66,840 as-tested, undercuts the Benz by thousands. BMW no longer offers the 2 Series Gran Coupe, so its closest competitor is the truly excellent M240i coupe, but you’re losing two doors and a lot of practicality. You could also consider the significantly cheaper Acura Integra Type S, which offers far more engagement through its lovely six-speed manual but slightly less power, not to mention a front-drive layout and an interior essentially pulled from a Civic, if those are even deal-breakers.
The real issue is the friendly fire. The Golf R is mechanically identical, and also sees enhanced performance and a freshened interior. The S3 feels perhaps a touch less plasticky inside than the Golf R, but it doesn’t have the solidity of an Audi of old. The Golf R also undercuts the S3’s price by some $10,000, and the hatchback body style is more practical.
None of this is to say the 2025 Audi S3 is far from the wrong choice, though. There’s certainly a level of panache, not to mention an improved dealer-level experience the four rings bring to the table, so I can’t fault anyone for justifying the price premium. Whichever you choose, the updated S3 proves Audi still knows how to have fun.
