Audi RS3 vs GWM Tank 500

What's the difference?

The Audi RS3 is a special hot hatch and sedan I’m so glad I experienced before its five-cylinder engine is inevitably retired due to emissions regulations. Full of character and charisma, this car is far from a rational purchase, pitched at boy racers who don’t want to grow up just yet.

From a value perspective, too, while the asking price has crossed the six-figure threshold and the option prices add thousands, it’s still much cheaper than the Mercedes-AMG A45 S. Make of that what you will.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

The GWM Tank 500 Ultra PHEV is an impressive five-seat 4WD wagon. It’s reasonably nice to drive, it’s comfortable and it’s a capable 4WD. These vehicles keep improving and are increasingly stacked with characteristics to like.

There are still glaring range-specific issues with some of its driver-assist tech and its plug-in hybrid set-up doesn’t offer the fuel economy you’d hope for. At least not under real-world testing conditions. But the Tank 500 is packed with features and represents decent value-for-money when cross-shopped against the likes of its stablemate the regular hybrid, or the Prado and Everest.

Audi has made some subtle tweaks to the RS3 that has somehow made this snarling hot hatch look even angrier.

Up front there’s a new fascia featuring more open sections, which in turn improves air flow. A black styling package is now standard so it almost looks like the entire front is open and ready to eat you alive.

The matrix LED headlights now have a darkened finish which adds to the menacing look. There are new signatures, including a special chequered flag one for the RS3 which looks top notch.

Around the side it surprises me just how much wider the front is compared to the rear. Both have big, muscular haunches, but it shows this hot hatch is a bit of a bulldog. I’m a big fan.

These haunches stand out even more when you opt for the new Daytona Grey Matte exterior paint. While the extra $11,400 for the privilege makes me wince, it looks sexy on this car.

The standard 19-inch ‘Y-spoke’ alloy wheel design remains unchanged from the pre-update car, though there’s a new, optional ‘cross-spoke’ design that looks delicious (and tricky to clean).

At the back there’s still the classic RS dual exhaust tip motif which looks mean and it’s surrounded by a new black rear diffuser with a motorsport-inspired vertical red reflector in the centre.

The new LED tail-light signature with the vertical slats is so clean and neat. It looks particularly great in low-light situations or at night.

Inside, the biggest change is the new RS steering wheel with the flat top and bottom. As standard it’s wrapped in perforated leather, but with the optional RS Design package it’s wrapped in 'Dinamica' synthetic suede. I much prefer the standard leather-wrapped unit as the Dinamica likely won’t last in the long run, especially if you’ve got clammy hands.

Other changes include more interior ambient lighting on the door cards through small slits, as well as a new shift-by-wire gear selector. The digital instrument cluster and touchscreen multimedia system set-up remains unchanged which is no bad thing because they look fantastic.

It’s disappointing Audi has stuck with an extensive use of piano black on the centre console because this gets dusty and grimy very quickly, and then can get scratched easily when wiped clean. It now also features on the steering wheel buttons, which are frequent touchpoints.

In terms of dimensions, the Tank 500 Hi4-T PHEV is 5078mm long (with a 2850mm wheelbase), 1934mm wide and 1905mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 2820kg, so it’s not an insubstantial vehicle.

There are plenty of old-school 4WD design cues in the Tank 500’s appearance. It’s mostly chunky and straight up and down, with some softer curves here and there as concessions to contemporary styling.

It's clear to see where the GWM Tank 500 takes its cues from – most of the current crop of popular 4WD wagons, such as the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series.

The Tank 500 is a large vehicle straddling that line between large and extra-large 4WD wagons. It is longer than any 300 Series, but it’s narrower and shorter.

It has a sunroof, roof rails, electric side steps (that extend when doors are opened and retract when doors are shut) and 18-inch alloy wheels.

The interior is well laid-out and functional with some understated class to it. There are soft-touch surfaces and genuine Nappa leather seating throughout.

The RS3’s standard sport front seats are deliciously comfortable and offer plenty of electric adjustment. This means people of any size and stature should be able to find their desired seating position.

Thanks to the electric lumbar there’s also a massage function for the front seats. This is pretty cool to flick on and relax into, but I wish the massage was a little stronger.

While the new steering wheel looks cool interacting with the buttons on it can be a bit of a hassle. They’re touch-sensitive but do have a satisfying click if pressed harder.

There were moments where I accidentally clicked on the buttons during intensive track driving as my hands were at the nine and three o’clock positions. Not the best thing when you’re meant to be focussing.

The digital instrument cluster offers so much configuration you won’t know what to do with yourself. There’s even a new rev counter design especially for the RS3 which looks very cool.

Moving across, the touchscreen multimedia system is classic Audi. It’s easy to navigate around and hard to get lost in the sub-menus. There’s also wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity which is virtually a given now.

While you need to use the touchscreen for a number of features, I appreciate how Audi has retained so much physical switchgear up front. It’s particularly handy to have physical toggle switches and a small digital display that’s separate from the touchscreen for the climate control.

Another piece of physical switchgear I like up front is the rotary dial for the media controls on centre console. It’s much like an iPod, allowing you to change the volume if you rotate your finger on it like a click-wheel. Major throwback vibes.

In terms of storage up front, it’s decent but not outstanding. There are two cupholders, a wireless phone charger, a centre console box as well as a lockable glove box.

Moving to the second row, it’s clear it’s more for the sake of it, rather than having a space you’d want to use all the time. At a leggy 182cm tall, I have minimal legroom behind my own driving position.

With headroom, it’s adequate in the hatchback and not great in the lower-slung sedan. I need to kink my neck in the latter to fit, which isn’t comfortable.

The second-row bench seat is comfortable, offering enough support for short-to-medium trips. I wouldn’t want to get stuck back there for too long, however.

In terms of amenities, there are air vents mounted on the back of the centre console with a dedicated third zone of climate control, two USB-C ports, nets on the seat backs as well as a fold-down centre armrest with cupholders.

At the back there’s a power tailgate for the hatchback, however the sedan only has a power-opening boot lid. This means you need to manually shut it, which isn’t uncommon for sedans.

Boot space in the RS3 is a weak spot due to all the componentry for the all-wheel drive system and the tricky rear clutch set-up. There’s only 282L for the hatch and 321L for the sedan, which isn’t much.

In reality, however, the boot space is still usable. It’s fairly square and there’s barely any boot lip, meaning you can slide things in and out with ease.

Boot-related amenities include a netting system to keep things from sliding around, a light, some hooks and a 12V socket. There’s also a parcel cover for the hatchback.

Unfortunately there’s no spare wheel of any kind under the boot floor in the RS3 as this is where the 12V battery lives. Instead there’s a tyre repair kit. This isn’t uncommon in performance cars, though it’s disappointing if you frequently travel in the country, away from tyre repair shops.

This Tank 500 has five seats because the two at the very rear have been removed to accommodate the hybrid battery.

The front seats are Nappa leather, power-adjustable (eight-way for the driver, six-way for the front passenger), as well as being ventilated with massage and memory functions.

The three-position second row – set up in a 60/40 split-folding configuration – breaks the usual 4WD wagon second-row seat tradition of being fine but not fantastic. The second-row set-up in this Tank is a first-class-cabin-style back seat with a flip-down control console (which includes air-con controls) instead of a basic centre armrest.

As mentioned there is no third row in this Tank 500 because of its underfloor battery.

Up front, the 14.6-inch multimedia screen (with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) dominates the dash. It's generally easy enough to use, although I had difficulty getting my iPhone hooked up to the system and the cabin set-up remains clunky and counter-intuitive in its operation.

The cabin has wireless charging, front and rear USB ports, as well as 12V and 220V power outlets.

The second row folds away to expand the rear storage capacity. Cargo volume is a listed 640 litres when all seats are in use and 1400 litres when the second row is stowed away.

The rear cargo area has tie-down points and a cargo slide cover.

The GWM Tank 500 PHEV is only available in high-spec Ultra trim and has a listed drive-away price of $78,990.

Standard features in the Ultra include a 14.6-inch multimedia touchscreen (with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), three-zone climate control, 18-inch alloy wheels, electric side steps, a 360-degree view monitor plus 'clear chassis view', auto parking assist, auto reversing assistance, lane departure warning and lane keep assist, all-terrain driving modes and an electronic rear diff lock.

Worth noting the Tank 500’s 37.11kWh battery supports Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality, which means you can power your camping gear (lights, fridge etc). It offers up to 6.0kW of off-grid power, according to GWM.

'Marble White' paint is standard. Metallic paint, including 'Crystal Black' ($495), 'Dune Gold' ($595), and 'Onyx Silver' ($595) costs extra.

The Audi RS3 is still powered by a 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder petrol engine which produces an unchanged 294kW of power and 500Nm of torque.

This is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with drive sent through an all-wheel drive system.

Audi claims both versions of the RS3 can do the 0-100km/h sprint in just 3.8 seconds, which is technically 0.1 seconds faster than a Mercedes-AMG A45 S. Top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h.

Every Tank 500 Hi4-T PHEV has a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, a 37.11kWh lithium-ion battery and an electric motor. And that combination produces a total* of 300kW and 750Nm. 

* Electric motor 120kW, petrol engine 180kW at 6000rpm. Motor 400Nm, engine 380Nm at 1700-4000rpm.

This system is mostly seamless in operation but as for GWM’s claims that it delivers “outstanding efficiency, performance, and refinement smooth, responsive take-offs, strong acceleration, and exceptional fuel savings - while ensuring minimal noise and maximum driving confidence”. Well, let’s just say this Tank 500 gets off the mark well for a large 4WD but the prompting requires a heavy right foot.

It is generally quiet and comfortable and yields a smooth driving experience. And as for fuel saving, flick your eyes down to ‘Efficiency’ to see how it did on this test.

This Tank 500 has a nine-speed automatic transmission, low- and high-range 4WD gearing, as well as a front, centre and rear diff lock.

The Audi RS3 sedan is claimed to consume 8.2L/100km, whereas the RS3 hatch is claimed to consume 8.3L/100km, both on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle (ADR 81/02).

Both body types come with a 55L fuel tank and require a minimum of 98 RON premium unleaded petrol.

During my testing I saw an average of 9.6L/100km according to the trip computer. We did around 200km of higher speed driving heading east out of Melbourne, including some spirited sections.

Our on-test figure translates to a range of 570km on a full tank of petrol.

Official fuel consumption is 2.1L/100km on a combined cycle on regular unleaded fuel (91) with low-charge consumption at 8.4L/100km. For reference, low-charge fuel consumption on this test was 10.2L/100km as recorded. Okay, but not a particularly compelling result.

The Tank 500 has a 70-litre fuel tank so, going by those fuel figures, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 686km out of a full tank.

Spoiler alert, it’s a cracker.

Starting up the RS3, you’re instantly aware you’re behind the wheel of something special. Audi has made the start-up more “emotional” with this update and also “optimised” the exhaust flap control for more five-cylinder growl across a wider rev range.

When you’re on the boil, this five-cylinder sounds so fantastic. It’s the clear centrepiece of this car and I’m so happy Audi has continued to offer it.

However, thanks to the addition of a petrol particulate filter (PPF) with this latest-generation model it sounds a little muted in everyday driving. Call me a boy racer, but I want more noise.

Staying on the engine, it’s full of character and gets this small hatch and sedan moving along with ease. Even though the outputs are unchanged with this update, it’s still more than enough; 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds shows it's more than enough.

The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission in this car keeps the acceleration feeling relentless with snappy gear changes at a moment’s notice. It’s particularly fun taking control of moving between the ratios with the paddle shifters.

In slow-moving traffic, however, the dual-clutch can get a little lost and stuttery, which is a classic characteristic of this kind of transmission.

As standard the all-wheel drive system remains neutral, keeping the front and rear balanced and in check. However, if you flick to the ‘Dynamic’ drive mode you get more rear-biased action which is fun when you exit a corner with some extra heat.

There’s also still a ‘RS torque rear’ drive mode which is essentially a drift mode. Unfortunately we didn’t get to sample this during the launch program.

Additionally, there’s an ‘Individual’ mode that allows you to choose your own destiny. You could spend hours here fine-tuning your desired drive mode which is both great to see but complete nerd-core.

Like the pre-update car, there’s an electronically controlled multi-disc clutch on the rear axle which actively splits the torque between the rear wheels. However, it’s been "optimised" to allow for quicker cornering.

While this is hard to gauge without testing the pre-update and current car back-to-back, the RS3 is so dynamic it feels like you only scratch the surface on public roads. Thankfully we got to see how far we could push it on Haunted Hills, which is a fantastically complicated hill climb circuit in eastern Victoria.

In terms of the steering, there’s a progressive rack as standard which ramps up the steering intensity the more you turn the wheel. In practice, this means the lock-to-lock ratio is very short, making it easy to link up tight corners.

It also makes it easy to navigate tighter driving scenarios, like parking, though it disguises how wide the turning circle is. Expect to do three-point turns fairly often.

For the suspension, the RS3 has adaptive dampers set-up that generally errs on the sportier and firm side. There is a ‘Comfort’ mode which irons out some bumps, but larger road imperfections still transmit harshly into the cabin.

It’s also worth noting at higher speeds there’s a considerable amount of road and tyre noise that comes into the cabin. Thankfully the Sonos sound system does a great job at drowning this out.

Lastly, the safety systems in this car are generally user-friendly, though the lane-keep assist can be a little too hands-on, especially on narrow roads with poor lane markings. Thankfully you can switch this off by pressing and holding a button on the end of the indicator stalk.

The Tank 500 Hi4-T PHEV is decent on road – and that’s good news for anyone thinking about buying this large 4WD.

It has more power and torque than its hybrid stablemate (300kW/750Nm vs 255kW/648Nm) for general day-to-day drivability while it retains all of the regular hybrid’s positive driving characteristics and few of the negatives.

This Tank 500’s turbocharged petrol engine and the electric motor work seamlessly together, with no discernible clunking or shifting between systems in the powertrain.

This is a big, heavy four-wheel drive – even heavier in this plug-in hybrid form than the regular hybrid because of this vehicle’s battery. But it is nicely settled and composed because of that weight.

This flip side is the extra heft on-board means there is some body-roll to this vehicle. It’s noticeable, but not a deal-breaker.

On highways, sealed surfaces or well-maintained bush tracks the Tank 500 is quite impressive. It’s settled, controlled and quite nice to drive.

Overall, this Tank 500’s suspension – double wishbone independent with coil springs at the front, and multi-link live axle with coil springs at the rear – is firm. There has been talk of it having been retuned for Australian conditions, but it remains stiff and jittery at pace, especially through backcountry bitumen in poor condition and lightly corrugated dirt roads. However, GWM informs me that the suspension set-up will undergo more retuning for Australian conditions and those changes will be incorporated into 2026 production vehicles.

Besides that, the engine, electric motor and transmission work quite well together. It is a reasonably smooth 4WD wagon to drive.

There are, however, glaring issues with the driver-assist tech, which is quite annoying in its operation. It’s either very jarring or intrusive in its application (example: adaptive cruise control braking way too early), or bloody annoying/dangerous (example: road-sign recognition abruptly tried to cut my speed from 100km/h to 40km/h because it registered the school zone sign off to the side of the highway. At the time it was outside school drop-off and pick-up times anyway.).

You can switch off the driver-assist features every time you start up, but the system resets and defaults to being annoying again when you switch off.

When it comes to 4WDing though, the good news returns.

This hybrid retains all of the regular Tank 500’s 4WD mechanicals, including the (BorgWarner-sourced) transfer case with high- and low-range 4WD, and it offers up plenty of torque across a decent spread of revs.

The off-road traction control system is suitably dialled in, hill descent control is effective, keeping you to a nice controlled low speed and there’s low-speed cruise control or the equivalent that keeps the vehicle to a controlled pace across varying terrain.

Not forgetting, the Tank 500 is triple locked – front, centre and rear diff locks – so there are few excuses to not be able to crawl over most off-road obstacles.

However, the tyres on this vehicle (Giti Xross HT71 SUV - 265/60R18) aren't up to scratch when it comes to off-roading beyond anything other than well-maintained tracks in the dry. The Tank 500 as is well suited, straight out of the dealership, for light to moderate off-roading. But if you swap in a decent set of aggressive all-terrain tyres the Tank 500 will be able to more comfortably take on more challenging terrain.

But it's capable of climbing. I took on a 30-35 degree incline of rock steps and the Tank 500 did it easily and comfortably on its standard highway tyres.

Most of the plug-in hybrid Tank’s off-roading characteristics check out. Approach, ramp over and departure angles are as per the regular hybrid Tank 500 (30, 22.5 and 24 degrees) and wading depth is a listed 800mm although the country was so dry at our proving ground that I never had the chance to test that claim.

Ground clearance on the Tank 500 Hi4-T PHEV is listed as 213mm (it’s 224mm in the normal hybrid) but that doesn't negatively impact this vehicle's off-roading capability if you drive it with control and consideration.

It is big, so it can be a little bit tricky to steer around, especially when the track becomes tighter and the obstacles become a bit more cheeky, but generally this can be driven very safely and with the utmost control through a lot of tricky four-wheel driving challenges.

It's not as polished in its off-road performance as something like the Toyota Prado or Ford Everest, but it does the job and there's a bit of a gruff edge to it, which some people might consider part of its charm.

As mentioned, the Tank 500’s 37.11kWh battery supports Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality, which in theory means you’ll be able to power your camp-site (lights, fridge etc), but I’ll reserve final judgement on this set-up until I have the opportunity to test it over a long weekend with several appliances drawing power at the same time.

If you’re thinking about using this Tank PHEV as an adventure touring vehicle then it’s handy to know its payload is listed as 610kg, while it’s noted as 790kg in the Tank 500 HEV. Throw two adults, two teenagers, a dog, and camping gear in and you’ll hit that 610kg mark in no time.

The Tank 500 is rated to tow a 750kg unbraked trailer and 3000kg braked. Gross vehicle mass is 3430kg and gross combined mass is 6430kg.

The Tank 500 has the maximum five-star ANCAP rating from testing in 2024. As standard, it has seven airbags and a comprehensive suite of driver-assist tech including AEB, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring, front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree around-view camera.

Like all Audis, the RS3 is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. There’s also five years of roadside assistance.

Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

You’re able to purchase a five-year pre-paid service package for $4010. That averages out to $802 per service, which seems like a lot until you see how much Mercedes-AMG charges to service an A45 S.

RS3 owners can also purchase two-year packages to extend the warranty, roadside assistance and servicing coverage. This allows new RS3 owners to have warranty coverage for up to nine years and it’s transferable to future owners.

The Tank 500 is covered by a seven-year/unlimited km warranty, seven years' roadside assistance and seven years' capped price servicing.

The Tank 500’s 37.1kWh traction battery has an eight year/unlimited km warranty.

The first service is scheduled at 12 months/10,000km; the rest of the servicing appointments are set for every 12 months/15,000km. Lowest price per services is $335, highest is $975.

GWM has 122 dealerships nationwide at time of writing.