Audi S3 vs Lexus IS

What's the difference?

VS
Audi S3
Audi S3

$75,400 - $81,800

2025 price

Lexus IS
Lexus IS

$47,888 - $72,888

2021 price

Summary

2025 Audi S3
2021 Lexus IS
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Turbo 4, 2.0L

Inline 4, 2.5L
Fuel Type
Premium Unleaded Petrol

Premium Unleaded/Electric
Fuel Efficiency
7.9L/100km (combined)

4.9L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

5
Dislikes
  • Tiny back seat
  • Missing some premium features
  • Lots of road noise

  • Slow
  • Busy interior design
  • Fiddly and over-complicated software
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
2021 Lexus IS Summary

One question frequently discussed in the skunkworks of the CarsGuide office is: What exactly does Lexus stand for?

When the brand debuted its original export-market IS sedan in 1999 the messaging was more or less clear: Toyota’s premium sub-brand was here to be a Japanese BMW.

The brand even employed Nobuaki Katayama – chief engineer on the iconic Corolla AE86 program – to again take the reins of its small rear-wheel drive sedan program.

As the years went on though, Lexus changed. Fundamentally geared toward the US market, the second-generation (wild IS F aside) became a bit more sedate and softer around the edges, while the third generation strayed even further from the sedan’s performance-inspired roots, leaning into a plush interior, hybrid drive, and even CVT transmissions.

This brings us to today’s Lexus IS. Essentially a heavy facelift of the third generation (which arrived back in 2013), the brand has “reimagined” its core sedan with a tweaked design and updated technology for 2021.

Is it enough to keep it relevant against its ever-present European rivals and the newly arrived threat from Hyundai’s Genesis G70? I took a signature IS300h hybrid for a week to find out.

View full pricing & specs

Deep dive comparison

2025 Audi S3 2021 Lexus IS

Change vehicle