IS IT WORTH UPGRADING TO THE UPDATED AUDI RS3? CHECK THIS OLD VS NEW.
The latest incarnation of the much-loved Audi RS 3 features a sportier appearance than the predecessor thanks to changes to the front end with a new design and a front splitter, that now spans the entire width of the car, some redesigned daytime running lights, and the headlights now have a digital signature of a checkered flag, a cool but pointless feature. To make this odd feature even cooler, drivers can even choose between three additional daytime running light designs in the MMI touch display. The rear of the RS 3 also had some attention paid to it and it now features a large functional RS-specific diffuser that incorporates a red reflector in its centre and, on its sides, the two oval tailpipe trims of the RS exhaust system. They may not be real, but they look great. The taillights, like the headlights, also feature a new graphic with arrows that dynamically light up from inside to out with the coming home/ leaving home function. The updated range also gets RS-specific exterior colours; Kyalami Green, Kemora Gray, Ascari Blue and Progressive Red, and, for the first time, Daytona Gray in a matt finish. The facelift includes tasty matt-black 19-inch aluminium cast wheels as standard and optional rims are available in the motorsport design from the RS 3 Performance Edition, which is where we’d spend our theoretical SARS return. Even more individuality is available with carbon and high-gloss black packages. The interior features a new steering wheel, RS sport or bucket seats, carbon features, and sporty displays. Flattened above and below, the steering wheel has a substantially sportier look. The facelifted RS 3 retains the same turbocharged 2.5 TFSI engine with 294 kW and 500 Nm, and it can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 290 km/h.
So the point of an updated version of a car is to make it better in all areas, or at least a bunch of areas. The thing is, the pre-update Audi RS 3 is also a proper beast of a car and while they’re now only available as low mileage second-hand options, they might still look like a better option than going for an eye-wateringly expensive brand-new updated version. Even though the new one has a bunch of visual changes to the exterior, some tasty trim changes and an improvement in the tech and spec, the predecessor is still miles ahead of plenty of segment rivals. One thing that hasn’t happened with this update is a change to the power output and performance. We may be a bit picky here, but when a new version of a proper performance car hits the market, we kind of expect it to have even more power or updated performance figures. The older version also uses that turbocharged 2.5-litre 5-cylinder powerplant and it’s also rated at the same 294 kW of power with the same 500 Nm of torque, and with the weights of the car staying pretty much the same, the resulting performance figures follow suit. Both can hit 10 km/h in less than 4 seconds and both can get up to nearly 300 km/h. While we’re not going to be in a position to chuck around R1,150,000 on a low mileage 2022/23 model RS 3 any time soon, it’s still the way we’d go if we wanted a performance Audi. The new 2025 spec is amazing, but we’re not convinced it would be worth the price difference. What do you think?
Take a look at the YouTube video from the Car Channel chaps as they compare the latest incarnation of the Audi RS3 to the previous version so that you can decide if you want to upgrade if you have the old one, or get the new over a 2nd hand old one: 2025 Audi RS3 Sedan vs Old Audi RS3 Sedan 🔥 | CAR CHANNEL
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