The last Audi RS3 to grace our roads did so in 2020, and since then a small contingent of Canadian drivers has been yearning for the return of the corner-happy sedan. It was initially scheduled to continue being sold in Canada, but then something happened: Canadian laws regarding the approval process of new vehicles changed, and the RS3’s turbocharged five-cylinder engine no longer met “certain technical requirements.”
Alas, the feisty sedan disappeared from showrooms here, leaving its followers salivating in anticipation that it would one day return. The car was redesigned in 2022, and it was still available in other markets — including to our neighbours down south — which simply intensified the frustration of Canadian RS3 fanboys and girls.
The Audi RS3 is coming back to Canada
Well, the day to rejoice has arrived: Someone pushed some buttons and pulled the right strings, and the Audi RS3 now conforms to Transport Canada’s tightened regulations. After a nearly five-year hiatus, we will finally get the third-generation RS3, which has been facelifted and upgraded for 2025.
And what’s not to like about the RS3? It’s sized right for a sporty sedan; it boasts almost double the horsepower of the A3 on which it’s based; and it comes equipped with all the go-fast goodies that make it an ideal track-day accomplice. It’s the entry point into Audi Sport, the high-performance subsidiary of the German automaker that takes cars off the regular assembly line and turns them into high-performance, track-friendly toys for adults.
The Audi RS3 gets some minor changes
Some minor styling changes have been made for 2025 — though they’re not really changes for the Canadian market since it’s the first time we’re getting this generation. The front end gets a slightly angrier appearance, and it sports a new honeycomb grille, larger air intakes, and new Matrix LED headlights that feature dynamic daytime running lights with four selectable, animated lighting signatures. The rear gets new taillights and a restyled rear diffuser. Some subtle changes have been made inside, too. The steering wheel is now flat on the bottom and on top, and it has two new red buttons for quick drive-mode selection; trim selection and colours are new.
Ahead of the driver is a 12.3-inch virtual display with a configurable layout (I preferred the large, central tachometer). You’ll find the same infotainment system utilized in the A3 and S3, with a centre-mounted 10.1-inch touchscreen that can also be controlled through buttons on the steering wheel or voice commands. Also included is Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, imbedded navigation, and wireless phone charging.
What powers the Audi RS3?
One of the first things the RS3 gets in the Audi Sport transformation is its unconventional, 2.5-litre inline five-cylinder turbocharged engine, which claims 394 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. That’s almost double 201 hp of the base 2.0-litre inline-four, and almost 150 lb-ft more torque. The engine mates to a quick-shifting seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which drives all four wheels. The upgraded power train can propel the RS3 from zero to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds, and to a top speed of 290 km/h.
While the engine layout is unconventional, the sound it makes when working hard in the upper revs will make any gearhead grin. The exhaust emits a rich, semi-angry drone that sounds more at home on the track than when running errands, and even in Performance mode, it’s not excessively loud.
Compared to the 2024 RS3 (which we didn’t get…) it has received some chassis tweaks and revised engine tuning that have helped it set a new compact-car lap record at the famed Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit, posting a blistering 7:33.123, five seconds faster than the previous class record, and seven seconds faster than the previous-generation RS3.
One bit of corner-cheating trickery introduced in 2022 on the RS3 is Audi’s torque-splitting rear differential. Its function is simple: It automatically transfers torque to the outside rear wheel when turning, through an electronically controlled multiplate clutch on each half shaft. The understeer-reducing feature is further assisted by a “finely dosed” application of the inside rear brake. In Audi’s words, this torque vectoring: “avoids understeer at the entrance of a corner,” while “oversteer is easier to initiate,” at corner exit.
How does the Audi RS3 handle?
What this translated to in a morning lapping session with the car in Performance mode, at the twisty, undulating, 4.1-kilometre long Parcmotor Circuit Castelloli, in Spain, was exceptionally sharp corner entry with very little scrubbing of the front tires, and a car that pivoted easily mid-corner with a bias toward oversteer that pointed you straighter at corner exit. These handling traits were especially noticeable in the slower turns, where steering was communicative and surprisingly quick. The RS bucket seats provided excellent support when cornering on the racetrack, and were comfortable on the road, though the road drive only lasted a couple of hours, so long-distance comfort is yet to be established.
The torque-splitting system performs other magic tricks on the track, as sensors constantly monitor what the wheels, steering wheel and throttle are doing, and if you overcook it into a turn, those rear differential clutches react in less than 200 milliseconds to turn oversteer into mild understeer, which can get you out of trouble before spinning out.
If you’re a total delinquent with an unlimited tire budget, there’s a Torque Rear mode, which is Audi speak for drift mode. While we didn’t sample this mode, there are a few videos online demonstrating the RS3’s tire destroying capabilities.
In manual mode, the gearbox shifted quickly, and the paddles operated accurately, though if I initiated a downshift with the engine revving too high, the car didn’t ignore the command; it just (smartly) made the gear change when the revs dropped into the safe zone. On the road in Comfort mode, it shifted intuitively and smoothly.
Audi’s Dynamic Plus package
The test cars were equipped with Audi’s optional Dynamic Plus package, which includes ceramic rotors and red calipers, Pirelli PZero Trofeo R tires, and the ECU is unlocked reach a top speed of 290 km/h. On the track, the brakes performed flawlessly, with consistent, race-car-like stopping power, and the tires exhibited tenacious racetrack grip. But unless you plan on taking the RS3 to the track regularly, you don’t need the Dynamic Plus package’s overly sensitive brakes, or the Trofeo Rs, which will probably melt away on the road with daily use.
I had to mostly rely on my driving impression on the morning’s dry racetrack session, because by the time I hit the road, the clouds came through with their threats of heavy rain. And rain it did as I crawled up the switchback-laden roads heading to Montserrat. Rust-coloured water began running across the road, and later carried with it reddish rocks in what turned out to be small landslides that later in the day had blocked the roads. I treaded with caution.
Fortunately, the rain subsided in the lower elevations, and I picked up enough speed to enjoy the RS3’s cornering prowess, which was still precise and forgiving in Comfort mode. The standard adaptive suspension was compliant enough in this mode to reduce the stiffness of the ride when it was in Performance mode, though it’s still tuned on the firm side.
No hatch, no pricing yet for the Canada’s Audi RS3
Other markets will get both the hatch and the sedan, while Canada will make do with only the latter. Some will lament that the five-door model won’t be coming here, but they should nonetheless be thankful that Audi has managed to bring the RS3 — in any form — back. Audi RS3 pricing will be released closer to the car’s arrival in Canada in the spring of 2025.
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