Audi RS 3 vs RS 6 Avant: How the Smaller and Less Expensive Car Can Win You Over

[Source: Torque News]

The Audi RS 6 Avant is a tremendous car. And with the R8 no longer in the lineup, it can be argued that the RS 6 Avant is the closest thing to a halo car in the Audi range. However, the RS 3 is also a fantastic car, and it comes in at half the price of the RS 6. The folks over at Torque News, scoured social media and found one RS 6 owner that swapped it for an RS 3 and is happier for it. What do you think?

The example cited in the Torque News story was from an owner that had an RS 6 but was buying a house and wanted to free up some cash. So, out went the RS 6 and in came the RS 3. Getting the downsides out of the way first, the RS 3 is obviously smaller so taking large families on long trips is not the strong suit of the RS 3. And there is noticeable wind and tire noise at higher speeds. But that is really where the downsides stopped.

Pros of RS 3

The owner reported that the handling of the RS 3 was brilliant. The sound of the inline 5-cylinder engine is engaging and urges you to push harder. And that sort of exuberant driving doesn’t extract as heavy of a toll as it does in the RS 6.

Fuel economy is noticeably better in the RS 3. Tires and brakes last longer on the RS 3 compared to the RS 6. The RS 3 offers more ‘guilt free’ performance. Yet it still earns the RS chops. Smaller, lighter and less powerful can be advantages. Especially when it is combined with a 50 percent reduction in price.

But is this new RS 3 owner falling victim to confirmation bias? Looking for information that confirms our beliefs or expectations is a real thing. This can be especially true when you are forced to get rid of a car for monetary reasons and then “convince” yourself that the newer, cheaper car is actually better.

Or is the RS 3 just punch so far above its weight class that it can even knock out the reigning Audi performance car champ? Which would you choose?