Two German titans wrestle for the title of the ultimate hot hatch, but can the new Audi RS 3 really outmuscle the awesome Mercedes-AMG A 45 S?
- Which is the best premium hot hatch – Audi RS 3 or Mercedes-AMG A 45?
- How much does the Audi RS 3 and Mercedes-AMG A 45 cost?
- What are the safety and technology features on the Audi RS 3 and Mercedes-AMG A 45?
- What powers the Audi RS 3 and Mercedes-AMG A 45?
- What are the Audi RS 3 and Mercedes-AMG A 45 like to drive?
- Should I buy the Audi RS 3 or Mercedes-AMG A 45?
Which is the best premium hot hatch – Audi RS 3 or Mercedes-AMG A 45?
The hot hatch has evolved. No longer content with being a goldilocks combination of performance and practicality, the likes of the 2023 Audi RS 3 Sportback and Mercedes-AMG A 45 S now want to scare supercars with enormous power outputs and clever all-wheel drive systems.
But which is best? And can any hot hatch really justify a six-figure price tag?
How much does the Audi RS 3 and Mercedes-AMG A 45 cost?
Let’s get the sticker shock out of the way first. Both these cars are really expensive, both in outright terms and when compared to their predecessors.
The 2023 Audi RS 3 Sportback looks to have a significant price advantage with a basic ask of $91,400 plus on-road costs compared to $106,900 plus ORCs for the 2023 Mercedes-AMG A 45 S.
But as tested, the two draw closer with the RS 3 listed at $109,074 versus the A 45 S at $112,690 (both before on-road costs are added).
The primary culprit for the Audi’s swollen sticker is the $13,000 RS Dynamic Package, which adds carbon-ceramic front brakes and lifts the speed limiter from 250km/h to 290km/h. It’s an easy one to go without if your daily commute doesn’t include an autobahn or a runway.
Exterior carbon trinkets account for the rest of the optional spend and it’s a similar story with the Mercedes, the AMG Performance Package ($5790) adding the aero kit on the outside and performance seats on the inside.
They’ll be a bit ‘Fast & Furious’ for some, but in the eyes of this reviewer, the A 45 needs the flics and wings and spoilers. Without them it looks too much like a standard A-Class and a little bit plain, especially in a less shouty colour than our test car’s hi-vis yellow.
Conversely, a less overt colour would suit the RS 3. It would blend nicely into traffic yet those in the know would spot the flared front guards and monster brakes that signify that it’s not your run-of-the-mill A3.
Thankfully, both cars come stacked with standard equipment. Heated electric seats, head-up display, fancy stereo (Burmester in the Mercedes-Benz, Bang & Olufsen in the Audi), keyless entry and start and digital instruments are common to both cars.
There are a couple of differentiators: the RS 3 has wireless Apple CarPlay but the A 45 has a sunroof that’s optional in the Audi so it’s basically tit-for-tat.
Interior quality is a win for the Audi, albeit by a slight margin. The A 45 majors on glitz and glamour, with its twin widescreens, ambient lighting and quintet of beautifully designed air vents, but it’s all too easy to find hard, scratchy plastics that are unbecoming of a $100,000-plus vehicle.
They exist in the RS 3, too, irrefutable evidence of its more humble A3 origins, but they’re less obvious and its back seat is more comfortable, too.
The same can’t be said for the RS 3’s boot, however, its relatively small 282-litre capacity almost 100L less than the A 45’s 370L, though both car’s rear seats will fold 40/20/40 for more space.
One area the two can be split is aftersales service. Five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranties are common to both, but the RS 3 is substantially cheaper to service over the first five years ($3580 v $5150).
That said, the A 45’s service intervals are 12 months/20,000km whereas the RS 3’s are the same time but 15,000km in distance. It’s really not easy to split these two.
What are the safety and technology features on the Audi RS 3 and Mercedes-AMG A 45?
The back and forth between the 2023 Audi RS 3 and Mercedes-AMG A 45 S continues in terms of safety and technology.
Both offer plenty of airbags and all the active safety aids you’d expect: autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control and attention assist, though the microchip shortage has robbed the Audi of blind spot warning and rear cross traffic alert, both of which you’ll find on the Mercedes.
Each infotainment system is loaded with features including digital radio, satellite navigation with live traffic and parking information, voice control and handwriting recognition, but the RS 3’s is easier to navigate.
The A 45 overwhelms you with choice, with four different ways to interact with the infotainment, via touch-screen, central touch pad, haptic pad on the steering wheel or ‘Hey Mercedes’ voice control.
A special mention must go to the Audi’s satellite navigation. I don’t think it’s outrageous to suggest most people these days just use Google Maps via smartphone mirroring, but Audi’s native use of Google Map’s satellite view makes for a clear and easily adjustable map.
Its digital instrument cluster isn’t as successful. The fact the fuel gauge isn’t readily viewable in normal mode is a major oversight (range is displayed but still…) and while plenty of information can be seen, it’s unclear why you can’t just choose a pair of normal dials.
RS mode is worse, the tachometer becoming two vertical pillars that make it virtually impossible to pick out a shift point when driving in manual mode. The A 45’s instruments are much better both in layout and configurability.
And so these two cars continue to go at it round after round, trading punch and counter-punch, yet as the bell rings again it’s still a draw.
The Audi is cheaper with a touch nicer interior, yet the Mercedes-AMG has more room and better safety equipment.
The situation is ideal, however, as it means the two can only be separated by their on-road abilities.
What powers the Audi RS 3 and Mercedes-AMG A 45?
Even if you’re accustomed to fast cars, both the 2023 Audi RS 3 and Mercedes-AMG A 45 S will leave you wide-eyed at the enormity of their respective performance.
Outright acceleration is similar – 0-100km/h in 3.8sec for the Audi and 3.9sec for the Mercedes-AMG – but thankfully the two start to diverge in the way they deliver their outrageous grunt.
The RS 3’s 294kW/500Nm 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine majors on torque, coming in strongly in the lower mid-range and then plateauing all the way to redline.
Its trademark warble is a little muted compared to its predecessor, but the offbeat soundtrack still has plenty of character.
Response is also a strength of the A 45’s 310kW/500Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, a typical trait of modern turbo engines. What’s atypical is the way the AMG’s remarkable M139 engine increases in ferocity as revs build.
In traditional engineering terms it doesn’t make sense; you need a small turbo for response or a big turbo for power, yet somehow the A 45 has both. The numbers suggest it’s not any faster than the RS 3, but it feels more rabid and it sounds equally aggressive, which is no mean feat for a four-cylinder.
Both gearboxes suffer from the low-speed hesitation common to virtually all dual-clutch transmissions, the Audi’s being slightly worse, but then its gear ratios are better spaced, the Merc’s super-close 1-2-3 ratios meaning it’s usually better to just leave it in third even in super-tight corners.
When driven sedately, both cars should approach their official fuel consumption figures – 8.3L/100km for the Audi; 8.9L/100km for the Mercedes – which is impressive for cars of this potency.
But be aware that if you start to extend them that consumption will easily double and then some.
What are the Audi RS 3 and Mercedes-AMG A 45 like to drive?
The current-generation 2023 Mercedes-AMG A 45 S is a quantum leap over its predecessor in terms of driving dynamics and the new Audi RS 3 Sportback has pulled a similar trick.
The initial iterations of both these cars set radical new standards for hot hatch straight-line performance, but neither were particularly engaging when it came to going around corners – nose-heavy layouts with little chassis adjustability put paid to that.
Both were rocketship fast, but a Renault Megane RS or Ford Focus RS were both far more fun.
No longer…
There’s more grip, stronger brakes, more accurate steering and smarter suspension, but what’s really enabled this change in character are clever all-wheel drive systems.
The previous-generation cars couldn’t send enough torque rearwards to relieve the burden on the overstressed front tyres, but these new models are an entirely different matter.
To start with the Mercedes, no longer does the driver have to wait and wait to get on the throttle, but instead can use the accelerator to help rotate the car mid-corner. This makes for a much more enjoyable cornering experience.
In truth, the A 45 feels a little contrived in its exuberance, like the software engineers took it a step too far, but it feels churlish to complain when the result is this much fun.
Merc’s flagship hot hatch really is an incredible weapon and sets an incredibly high benchmark.
But it’s one the new Audi RS 3 can meet. On paper, the new car looks closer to a mild facelift than a complete makeover; in both component parts, performance and low-speed feel there’s plenty of similarity.
Drive the two cars hard, though, and you can’t believe they share the same badge.
Front grip is now tremendously strong. As before, the front tyres are 20mm wider than the rears (now 265mm) but as with the A 45, the key revision has been the ability of the all-wheel drive system to help rotate the car on throttle.
It feels more natural than the Mercedes, though, and it’s a simple machine, a tap of the RS button on the steering wheel changing its mood from mild to wild, whereas the A 45 has multiple drive modes and the ability to constantly tweak various parameters from there via the steering wheel controls. This actually works quite well, but it is fairly involved.
In a sense, the new RS 3 reminds me of the Nissan GT-R. The two cars don’t really feel similar but there’s a sense of unflappability to each and the feeling that the car isn’t driving for you but assisting by sending the torque where it needs to go.
The remarkable levels of performance exhibited by these cars don’t come at the cost of their everyday comfort, though.
With the suspension set to Comfort mode, both display perfectly acceptable levels of compliance and bump absorption, though less acceptable is the tremendous amount of road noise they generate. Lucky they have good stereos.
Should I buy the Audi RS 3 or Mercedes-AMG A 45?
Selecting a winner between the 2023 Audi RS 3 Sportback and Mercedes-AMG A 45 S is a task tantamount to splitting the atom.
Both are incredible performance machines, and not only do they make their sizeable price tags seem reasonable, such is their abilities you could make an argument that they are bargains.
They are so similar in cost, performance, driving thrills, equipment and more that our best advice would be to drive both and buy the one you like best.
But given no one likes a hung verdict, the nod can go to the Audi by the smallest of margins.
Not for its driving prowess. In fact, the Mercedes might just get the guernsey for raw thrills, but the Audi costs less to buy and service and has the nicer interior, if only by a small margin.
To summarise, for daily use go the RS 3, for hardcore driving go the A 45. But given most do much more of the former than the latter, it’s the Audi that gets the win.
2023 Audi RS 3 Sportback at a glance:
Price: $91,400 (plus on-road costs), $109,074 (plus ORCs) as tested
Available: Now
Engine: 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 294kW/500Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 8.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 198g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested
2023 Mercedes-AMG A 45 S at a glance:
Price: $106,900 (plus on-road costs), $112,690 (plus ORCs) as tested
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 310kW/500Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 8.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 213g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested
Keyword: Audi RS 3 v Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 2023 Comparison