2024 Audi S3 Review: Just Enough Of Everything

Audi's red-hot RS 3 sedan sure gets a lot of attention, what with its feisty five-cylinder engine and drift-on-demand drivetrain. But it's also $62,795 (including $1,095 for destination), which is a lot of freakin' money for a subcompact Audi sedan. And, you know? I've just never really fallen in love with the RS3. Maybe I'm weird.

Instead, the peppy little S3 is way more my speed. It's significantly less expensive than the RS 3, starting at $48,095, and honestly feels like the better overall package. It's more refined and grown-up than the RS 3, making it a formidable daily driver, but there's still a nice little punch from a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Call me crazy, but the S3 is a whole lot easier to like.

The S3 uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine that makes 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Sure, those are big reductions from the RS 3's 2.5-liter turbo I5, which cranks out 401 hp and 369 lb-ft, but the S3 actually delivers its power and torque slightly lower in the engine's rev range, making that oomph more accessible. Audi says the S3 can accelerate to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, which is more than adequate for getting up to speed on highway entrance ramps or just blowing the doors off your friends at stoplights. Is the RS 3 quicker? Yep; by almost a full second. But it's also nearly $15,000 more expensive. 

Audi's 2.0-liter engine is paired exclusively with a seven-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch transmission, which shifts smoothly and snappily, and is thankfully free of some of the weird off-the-line lurches that can occasionally plague gearboxes of this type. The seven-speed transmission also helps to make the S3 relatively fuel efficient, with Audi estimating you'll see 23 mpg city, 32 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined. In real-world testing, these numbers are a cinch to achieve.

Audi only sells the S3 with Quattro, a fantastic all-wheel-drive system that offers performance and foul-weather benefits alike. Having four-wheel traction quells torque steer and gives the S3 a nicely surefooted demeanor while cornering. Plus, slap a proper set of winter tires on this thing and you've got a subcompact luxury sedan that'll blast through whatever kind of winter slop Mother Nature throws your way.

Every S3 rides on a sport suspension that reduces the sedan's ride height by 0.6 inches compared to a regular A3, and you can further enhance the chassis with a $1,100 S Sport package that adds adaptive dampers. Riding on 235/35-series Bridgestone Potenza tires and 19-inch wheels, my test car with its fixed springs strikes an enjoyable balance between comfy and firm, and the S3's suspension deals with harsh impacts better than rivals like the Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 or BMW M235i Gran Coupe. The S3 is also marginally more compliant than its platform-mate, the Volkswagen Golf R hatchback.

Naturally, the 401-hp Audi RS 3 ups the aggro factor, making it more adept to track use or really attacking canyon roads. The tradeoff is that the RS 3 is a lot less friendly when running errands or commuting to work — it's a more focused tool that caters to performance. That's all well and good, but as a one-car solution, the R-less S3 is better behaved and more mature.

Sharp styling keeps the Audi S3 looking fresh, and it's certainly more premium than its frumpy BMW-badged competitor. Its only major downfall is that you can't get the S3 with a hatchback in the US, making it less useful than an Acura Integra Type S – or any number of sporty-ish small SUVs. The S3's trunk is honestly laughably small, with only 8.3 cubic feet of space.

The S3's rear passenger compartment is also quite cramped. At 5 feet, 8 inches, I'm hardly tall, but it's a struggle to get comfortable in the back of the S3, and I wouldn't want to sit back here on long trips — especially behind a tall driver or front passenger who'll likely position their seat rearward. At least the folks sitting up front will be gripped by plush and supportive chairs, positioned tall enough in the cabin to give you a commanding view of the world outside.

Audi tweaked the S3's cabin last year and the sedan is better for it, with more handsomely designed surfaces and a central touchscreen that's now integrated into the dash. There are a few hard plastics here and there – mostly from, let's say, the waist down – but the majority of the surfaces you actually touch are pretty nice. This cabin feels like it'll wear well over the long haul.

The redesigned center console is refreshingly free of buttons, though it's all done up in piano black that will show every single spec of dust that enters the cabin (and your finger smudges when you try to wipe that dust off). The electronic gear shifter has a toggle-like operation that's easy to get used to, with the large engine start button located to the left and a wheel of audio controls — reminiscent of an original iPod, if you can think back that far — to the right. The latter is positioned a little far from the driver to be useful, so it's best left for passengers. Thankfully, drivers have redundant stereo controls on the steering wheel, with mute, volume, and track-skip functions just under your right thumb.

The 10.1-inch central multimedia screen runs Audi's latest MMI software, and it continues to be one of my favorites. The colorful icon tiles are legible and large enough that you won't press the wrong thing should you need to touch the screen while driving, and a little bit of haptic feedback is built in to remind you that, yes, you hit it, no need to smudge the screen twice. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard as well, and connect wirelessly.

Audi's Virtual Cockpit digital gauge cluster is also here, housed on a 12.3-inch screen in front of the driver, and it's still one of the best systems out there. Bright and colorful, with plenty of adjustability, Virtual Cockpit packs a ton of functionality that's all managed via steering wheel buttons.

Interior gripes? Sure, I've got a few. The adjustment controls under the corresponding climate control functions aren't immediately recognizable as toggles that you move up and down, and they look sort of cheap. Ditto the tiny paddle shifters on the steering wheel, though this isn't a problem exclusive to the S3. No one at Audi seems to know what good paddle shifters look like.

Though the 2024 Audi S3 starts under $50,000, you probably won't keep it that way. My Prestige tester has all sorts of goodies, like Matrix LED headlights, a Bang & Olufsen sound system, head-up display, embedded navigation, and more. Add $595 for premium paint and a $1,600 Black Optic exterior trim get-up, and you're out the door at $57,190. That's basically as loaded as an S3 gets.

The S3 is for sure the better pick over its traditional German rivals, but its fiercest premium foe is an aforementioned newcomer: the Acura Integra Type S. The Teggy has all the same creature comforts plus a more powerful engine and a six-speed manual transmission. Yes, the Acura lacks all-wheel drive, but it's way more of a hoot. Seriously, I'd have this over the RS3, too.

I'd also be remiss not to mention the Volkswagen Golf R, which puts the same basic setup as the Audi S3 in a hatchback body style, and can also be had with a manual transmission. The VW's infotainment system is way, way, way worse, though, and the car doesn't look as good, either.

There are indeed a number of alternatives to the sprightly little S3, but it's nevertheless a sporty and satisfying little sedan. More so than many of its rivals, the S3 offers a best-of-all-worlds approach — one you'd never tire of living with day to day.