Audi RS3 vs Maserati Ghibli
What's the difference?

Audi RS3

$104,727 - $107,727

2026 price

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Maserati Ghibli

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2021 price

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Maserati Quattroporte

Mazda 2

Mazda 3

Mercedes-AMG E63

Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Mercedes-Benz A35

Mercedes-Benz A45

Mercedes-Benz AMG GT

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Mercedes-Benz C43

Mercedes-Benz C63

Mercedes-Benz CLA

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Summary

2026 Audi RS3

2021 Maserati Ghibli

By Jack Quick

By Stephen Corby

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Turbo 5, 2.5L

S/C & T/C V8, 3.8L

Fuel Type

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Premium Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

8.3L/100km (combined)

12.3L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Dynamic and engaging to drive
Iconic five-cylinder soundtrack
Luxuriously equipped

Beautiful exterior design
Beautiful interior feel
Cinderella point in the range

Dislikes

Options dollars add up quickly
Tight rear headroom in sedan
Engine note could be louder

Seats lovely but a bit firm
Confused sense of identity
Expensive

2026 Audi RS3 Summary

Five-cylinder fury is still kicking!

Audi has just launched the mid-life updated version of its RS3 hatch and sedan in Australia.

With new looks inside and out, the German carmaker has also made a number of subtle tweaks under the skin via software updates. Thankfully, however, the five-cylinder beast lurking under the bonnet remains untouched.

As the viability of pure internal combustion engines in the hot hatch segment dwindles in the age of ever-tightening emissions regulations, will this be the last hurrah for the five-banger RS3?

Read along to see how this latest version stacks up.

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2021 Maserati Ghibli Summary

Maseratis make a certain amount of sense to a certain kind of person. As the folks who run the brand in Australia will tell you, its buyers are the kind of people who’ve driven German premium vehicles, but find themselves wanting something more.

They are older, wiser and, most importantly, richer.

While it’s easy to see the high-end lure of Maserati’s Italian sex appeal styling and luxuriously appointed interiors, they’ve always struck me as cruisers rather than bruisers.

Again, they’re for the older, more generously padded buyer, which makes the Trofeo range something of an oddity. Maserati says its Trofeo badge - seen here on its mid-sized sedan, the Ghibli, which sits below the vast Quattroporte limousine (and side on to the other car in the range, the SUV Levante) - is all about the "Art of Fast".

And it certainly is fast, with a whopping V8 driving the rear wheels. It’s also completely bonkers, a luxury car with the heart of a track-chomping monster.

Which is why Maserati chose to launch it at the Sydney Motorsport Park complex, where we could see just how quick and crazy it is.

The big question is, why? And perhaps who, because it’s hard to imagine who wants, or needs, a car with such severe schizophrenia.

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Deep dive comparison

2026 Audi RS3 2021 Maserati Ghibli

Verdict

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.

Verdict

The Maserati Trofeo Ghibli is a very strange beast, but there's no doubt that it is a beast. Fast, loud and capable on a race track, and yet still closely resembling a classy, expensive Italian family sedan, it is genuinely unique. And genuinely strange, in a good way.

Audi RS3 vs Maserati Ghibli What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Audi RS3 vs Maserati Ghibli
What's the difference?