The 2025 Audi S3 brings more power and improved performance qualities to your driving experience, ensuring a memorable and entertaining drive.
The 2025 Audi S3 arrives with more than just a refreshed look—it’s got extra muscle and sharper handling to match. With 328 horsepower, improved traction from an RS3-inspired torque splitter, and a new Dynamic Plus mode, the updated S3 blurs the line between everyday luxury and enthusiast performance. We break down the coolest upgrades that make this compact sports sedan one of Audi’s best values for speed-hungry drivers.
25 years of excellence
The 2025 model year is the 25th anniversary of the S3, which is the sporty variant of the compact A3. A lot has changed in the past 25 years, making the Audi lineup more engaging and interesting since the early days of this car pairing. The Sportbacks are gone from American markets, and the only versions we see today are four-door sedans, but that doesn’t stop these cars from being fun and exciting, especially the S3 and its hotter variant, the RS3.
Evolving to be better
Evolution is expected to allow things to get better over time. The 2025 Audi S3 receives a more evolutionary upgrade instead of a generational revolution. This mid-cycle upgrade to the generation that began in 2020 addresses some customer complaints about perceived quality and adds extra performance items to make it much easier to enjoy when you get behind the wheel. The appearance upgrades are pretty cool, but more importantly, some mechanical improvements deliver better overall performance and more responsive handling.
More power from the S3
Who doesn’t want more power? No hands, that’s what we thought. Everyone wants more power whenever they can get it, and the new S3 has 22 more horses than before, reaching 328 horsepower. The peak torque has also increased by 15 to 310 lb-ft, giving this car better acceleration from the start. This increase in power is the result of a higher-pressure fuel injection system and upgrades that keep the turbocharger spinning at a constant speed under light throttle, allowing the car to avoid the hated turbo lag.
This added power allows the little Audi to hit 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, which is one-tenth of a second faster than the previous version. The top speed remains electronically limited to 155 MPH, but that should be more than enough for most drivers.
Improved handling
The new 2025 Audi S3 benefits from some important chassis upgrades, including a new front suspension knuckle that doubles the amount of negative camber at the front axle to 1.5 degrees. The larger front brake rotors, now 14 inches in size, make it much easier to control the power and carve up the corners when you need to go heavy on the brakes while rolling through a turn. The most significant handling improvement is the adoption of the rear axle torque-vectoring system that was previously reserved for the RS3 sedan but is now part of the S3.
Vectoring torque at the rear
The new rear axle torque-vectoring system at the rear axle uses two multi-plate clutches to vary the amount of torque sent to each rear wheel. Each clutch has an electronic control unit, which uses available data to calculate how much torque to send to each rear wheel. This system is meant to improve agility and stability, sending more torque to the outside rear wheel to improve the turning of the S3 in a corner while controlling the inside rear wheel to counter oversteer.
Small changes make a big difference
The upgrades to the new 2025 Audi S3 are significant enough that you’ll need to change your driving style to make the most out of the new setup. Despite the changes being relatively small, they make a huge difference in spirited driving. The new torque-vectoring system allows you to enter a corner with more power than you would normally do in an AWD car. This means you can whip the rear around and cut the corner much more sharply than you would have in previous versions.
The rest of the S3 story
The new S3 can be distinguished from previous models by its new front fascia that has a wider and flatter look to the single-frame grille with body-colored trim underneath. The new grille is flanked by larger, square vents with vertical outer edges, giving the front an improved appearance.
The new 2025 Audi S3 is much more engaging and fun than before, giving you more power and much better handling on the track. Will you take this little Audi out for a spin?
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