Whiteshadow89

Hi Everyone,

A little while ago I did a write up on the RS3 vs S4 on a few forums to share my thoughts, one of the commenters had a good idea on doing a write up on how the S3 stacks up to the RS3. I liked the idea, and I owned a Unitronic tuned S3 for 3 years so why not do a comparison?

Details:

2015 Audi S3 Premium Plus- Dynamic package (for MRC and 19 inch wheels, believe this changed the year after to the sport package or something), B&O sound system, MMI Tech package, LED light package, Unitronic Stage 1+ ECU tune and Unitronic Stage 1 DSG tune.
2018 Audi RS3: Loaded minus the RS design package, and the Dynamic Plus Package.

Interior/Exterior

The RS3 wins hands down for the exterior battle. The exterior is more aggressive looking thanks to the different grill, diffusers, and massive dual exhaust outlets. I also greatly enjoy the "Audi Sport" hologram that shines down from the side mirrors onto the pavement as a tasteful touch to the RS3. Interior wise things are mostly identical. The main differences here are that the RS3 gets RS3 illuminated RS kick panels, RS badging throughout the interior, and Alcantara inserts. To me this is enough to over come the lack of a home link and give the RS3 the win for the interior over.

Driving/livability

Around town the S3 in stock trim loses pretty handedly in my book. I find my RS3 in comfort to be softer than my 15 S3 was in comfort mode, in fact virtually every mode in the RS3 is just better suited to the cause than my 15 S3. Not only is it better chassis wise, but it is better when driving away from a dead stop. My S3 always had hesitation and lag when moving from a dead stop, and this made around town driving a little annoying at times. Not only this, but the S3 was just nowhere near as fun. My RS3 around town shows its loveable personality and tries to goad me into doing things I shouldn’t do on public roads while I hear the turbo 5 burble with the baffles open. It is just another level of fun factor all while being the better daily driver.

Using “fun factor” as a segue into spirited driving, how do the RS3 and S3 differ? Truthfully they share some similarities. You can feel the eagerness and agility that was built upon in the RS3 from the S3. In a corner the S3 was always eager, and pretty nimble on its feet. You feel this in the RS3 just on a whole new level. The RS3 has greater levels of grip and the Quattro system does a much better job of transferring power to keep you rocketing through a corner. This combination makes the RS3 feel like it is on rail, and always ready to carve up any twisties you want to through at it.

The corner carving pro’s don’t stop here as there is still one more crucial pro the RS3 has going for it over the S3, the steering. While I found the S3 to be weighted well, it didn’t really communicate with me at all. The RS3 does suffer Audi’s famous numb steering, but it isn’t totally numb. The RS3’s steering does communicate with you some to let you know what is going on so you aren’t solely relying on the chassis for clues. Not only this, but I find the steering weight to be better on the RS3 in each of the driving modes when my S3 was set to the same mode.

Onto the other half of the performance battle, straight line thrills. The S3 has the ability to humble a large amount of cars in stock trim when using launch control. It is fast and pushes you into the seat. Still by comparison the RS3 feels about a full second quicker than my S3 did stock. It does not matter whether the pull is from a dead stop, a rolling start, or highway the RS3 is on a different level in power. It isn’t just the fact that the RS3 feels quicker, it is more fun. This thing slames you into the seat with great authority as the turbo 5 adds a hair raising exhaust note while the RS3.

Add in the Unitronic Stage 1+ ECU and Stage 1 DSG tune to the S3, what does this change? Well it changes some things in favor of the S3. Around town the tune combination helped my S3’s lag from a dead stop, to the point that it leaves more smoothly than my RS3 does in stock trim. The DSG tune provides better shift points, and the enhanced drive modes that give the transmission the edge in responsiveness from a dead stop. As noticeable as these improvements were with the tunes over my stock S3, I still give the win to my RS3. In comfort mode the RS3 is still softer. Perhaps there are improvements in MRC from my 15 S3’s MRC to my an 18 S3 MRC, but the RS3 is certainly smoother than my S3 was over bumps in comfort mode. Plus the RS3 still provided smooth shifts around town, and it still has fun factor in spades over the S3 thanks to its personality.

For performance the Unitronic tune pairing with my S3 made a noticeable difference. The tunes felt OEM, but under WOT the extra power gave my S3 a welcomed level of violence. The S3 would now push you into the seat with authority regardless of the type of pull you were making. The shifts also felt quicker than my S3 did stock. This definitely brings things closer to the RS3 in terms of power. Still, the RS3 does feel quicker in stock trim than my Unitronic tuned S3, and I found the RS3 more thrilling. I found it more thrilling thanks to the RS3’s glorious engine, and again the RS3’s personality. Straight line power is only half the battle though. In a corner the Unitronic tunes did help my S3 better itself as the added power is welcome, and shift points are great. As much as the tunes helped my S3, it isn't enough to make things close between the two cars. The engine, suspension, brakes, steering, confidence, and fun factor are all noticeably in the RS3's favor.

Conclusion:

So is the RS3 worth the price gap? For me, without a doubt. So far there is not a day that has gone buy where I miss my S3 over the RS3. The Unitronic tunes gives the S3 some edges in certain areas, but it isn’t enough to say that the price gap isn’t worth it for me. The RS3 is just a better car, and it should be. It is a substantial amount more, and Audi did their homework to make sure the RS3 was worth it for those who have the extra money to play with. The RS3 does the majority of driving aspects noticeably better than my S3, and it has key components that the S3 will never have in this body style. Not only this, but the RS3 is just flat out more fun to drive regardless of your driving situation.

Rans09vert

uniqueMR

Nice write-up. I will jump into RS once done with S

Nachos Libres

Thanks. I think the issue we see with most people saying the RS3 is so much better in handling and suspension is because they are coming from 2015/2016 models where this seems to be greatly improved in the 2017/2018 models. I have mag-ride on my 2017 S3 and I have to say it feels pretty comfortable, especially compared to the STI I had before. Unlike many people - I prefer the looks of the S3 over the RS3 (at least the front fascia - I will say the RS3 dual exhaust looks much better than the quad tips we get) and I like the more muted interior of the S3 compared to the RS3 (again, just my opinion). I will disagree with you and agree with the majority that I do believe the stock RS3 wheels are ugly, although I don't love my black optic wheels either, and would like to eventually get my hands on they S3 regular dynamic package wheels.

M0J0

I was torn when buying a S3 vs RS3. I just could not justify the price jump. Coming from a M3 the RS3 just did not feel special. It is rumored the new M3 will be awd. I might spring for it in a few years.

Nachos Libres

Haha, this is why I love opinions and just shows that no one car is going to be the best for every single person. I drove my friends 2018 M3 on a trip a couple of weeks ago and honestly felt underwhelmed - especially seeing as how it is a $90k car. Maybe it was because it was a 6 speed manual - which I honestly didn't care for - but it didn't feel any faster than my S3 and I actually preferred the interior of my S3 to the BMW (aside from the heads up display and the much bigger infotainment screen).

Kurac

Nachos Libres

Lol, no.

M0J0

I had the old E92. The newer M3s were not as good. I miss having a standard. The interior of the Audi's is leaps and a ton better than BMW. Well for now. The S3 and the RS3 felt slow and souless compared to my E92. Though I know the RS3 is faster. I can't really drive fast in Summit County anyways. It is lined with cops. Everyone has an opinion!

Whiteshadow89

Huh, that might be the first time I have heard someone refer to an RS3 as slow and souless; whether average joe or a credible publication. This is why opinions are great, and car variety for competition is always welcomed. What really works for someone may not work for someone else. Cheers man.

That would depend on the person. There are people on other forums that have done this, and for me after selling my S3 the price gap I refinanced was a little higher than that. If I were you I would enjoy your S3 for a while before looking to upgrade, you just bought it. At 36.6K that S3 is a steal.

Fair enough, enjoy the S! Loved mine.

Yea I probably should have put a subjective comment for the interior/exterior section as what one person really likes, another may not. I agree, the S3's regular dynamic wheels were spectacular. For me I liked them as much as my black optic wheels which I also like a lot. It wouldn't surprise me if Audi made adjustments to their MRC over the years for it to behave more how an Audi should.
Interesting feedback, thanks! Yea, it doesn't surprise me that Audi would have tweaked the S3's MRC over the year's. Interesting that you found the S3 to feel better handling, even though the RS3 is registering higher stats. For me it wasn't even close. See I disagree, at 1/2 throttle in my RS3 felt more potent than my S3. Granted I am running tuned now, but still even in stock trim I didn't find my S3 to feel more potent at 1/2 throttle or under. If you are willing, I would recommend you try out Unitronics Stage 1+ ECU and Stage 1 DSG tune. I loved my RS3 stock, but those tunes made a wonderful difference. I agree, I actually like the RS3's rims. They look nice, and thankfully are easier to clean than my S3's dynamic package wheels.