Audi S3 vs Honda City
What's the difference?

Audi S3

$73,980 - $98,888

2025 price

View pricing & specs

Honda City

$8,000 - $19,249

2018 price

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Aston Martin Vanquish

Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Mercedes-Benz A35

Mercedes-Benz A45

Mercedes-Benz AMG GT

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

Mercedes-Benz CLA250

Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Mercedes-Benz E53

Mercedes-Benz EQS

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

Summary

2025 Audi S3

2018 Honda City

By Emily Agar

By Tim Robson

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Turbo 4, 2.0L

Inline 4, 1.5L

Fuel Type

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

7.9L/100km (combined)

5.7L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Athletic and sporty in all the right places
Improved engine outputs
Gorgeous cabin space

Roomy enough to fit four adults
Huge boot
Handsome looks

Dislikes

Tiny back seat
Missing some premium features
Lots of road noise

Underdone engine
Average CVT performance
Multimedia system is a disaster

2025 Audi S3 Summary

In a world where car upgrades often feel like saying, “Can I upsize that?”, it’s refreshing to hop into the updated Audi S3 Sportback.

The flagship RS 3 may still be the holy grail of hot hatch dreams, but with boosted engine outputs and upgraded tech, the S3 is stepping up.

Is the S3 Sportback the smarter pick over pricier rivals? It delivers serious performance and polish without stretching into RS 3 territory. With fierce competition in the segment, let’s see what this contender brings to the table.

View full pricing & specs

2018 Honda City Summary

Honda built its four-wheeled automotive empire on the back of small cars, flying in the face of 1970s convention that bigger was better. As the ubiquitous Civic grew larger and larger, a niche for a smaller car appeared, and that niche was subsequently filled by the City in sedan guise, and the Jazz hatch that sits alongside it.

The buying public, however, is simply not as interested as it once was in small hatches and sedans, and Honda, along with other importers, is feeling the pinch when it comes to slumping sales for its smaller models.

But are we all missing out on something here? After all, the Thai-built City is priced from a rock-bottom $15,990 in base manual form – which is not a lot of money for a Honda.

We’re trying the range-topping, $21,590 VTi-L to see what we may have been missing.

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Deep dive comparison

2025 Audi S3 2018 Honda City

Verdict

The updated Audi S3 Sportback is a fun-sized dynamo with impressive outputs and athletic road manners. It’s missing a few premium features, but its compact size paired with a gutsy engine makes it a compelling option for drivers who don’t want to compromise on performance (just space).

Verdict

Small sedan sales are on the wane, and as a result, the cars that remain in the market often aren’t the best in a brand’s lineup.

This is the case with the Honda City. While it’s got plenty of space for passengers and it’s economical, the performance of the drivetrain in terms of composure leaves a lot to be desired.

The underdone steering, too, makes the car uncomfortable for passengers more often than not, while the buggy, hard-to-use multimedia system is unforgivable in an almost-$22,000 car.

Put it this way… the larger, newer, more refined base model Honda Civic is tantalisingly close in price to the top-spec City, and we know which side of the dealership we’d be walking towards.

Audi S3 vs Honda City What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Audi S3 vs Honda City
What's the difference?