Audi RS3 interior
Audi ensures you can get comfortable while being completely focused on the road ahead. It isn’t as exciting as other hot-hatch cabins, though.
Style
Audis are known for having cabins that play it safe style-wise, and although the RS3’s cabin is a nice place to be, it’s a bit dark and bland next to the likes of the Mercedes A45 S – which is all about visual wow-factor. You can add colourful trim upgrades to give it a lift, though, which appear across the air vents, on the seats and the steering wheel.
The version we tested came with the Nappa leather seats, which featured a honeycomb design with red stitching to match the exterior colour. The air vent trim and steering wheel trim also matched the exterior colour. The Alcantara-trimmed sports steering wheel is another excellent feature, and lends the little RS3 a proper race-car feel.
There are some carbon-effect trim pieces on the dash that aren’t particularly great and feel a bit cheap, but on the whole, good quality materials are used and it feels suitably upmarket.
- Cash
- £53,830
- Monthly
- £635*
Infotainment
The RS3 gets a 12.3-inch instrument display alongside a 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen, which is housed within the dashboard.
Audi’s infotainment system certainly works well in the RS3 and it’s all very simple to use on the move. You can also use either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto if you want to. Annoyingly, Audi still doesn’t allow your phone maps to be mirrored on the digital instrument display though, which is a bit of a let down.
Sticking with the instrument screen, Audi has introduced a new display mode with the RS3 called ‘RS Runway’. Designed to look like a runway, the vertically-aligned rev-counter and speedometer bars move towards you from the top of the screen as you accelerate, rather than moving away from you or round a dial. It just looks odd.
Still, at least you don’t have to rely solely on the touchscreen to control a lot of the car’s basic features. You still get plenty of buttons and switches for the climate control and chassis setup, all of which means you spend less time taking your eyes off the road if you need to make a few quick changes.
- Cash
- £53,830
- Monthly
- £635*
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*Please contact the dealer for a personalised quote, including terms and conditions. Quote is subject to dealer requirements, including status and availability. Illustrations are based on personal contract hire, 9 month upfront fee, 48 month term and 8000 miles annually, VAT included.