Audi priced the 2026 RS 3 at $66,100. That is the starting MSRP on audiusa.com. Destination is $1,395. Tax, title, options, and dealer charges are extra. The same USA page lists one gearbox only: a 7-speed S tronic® dual-clutch.
No clutch in the book
This is the clutch graf, and Audi left the third pedal out. Official Audi MediaCenter tech sheets list Clutch — Hydraulically operated dual clutch (wet) and Transmission type — 7-speed S tronic. The USA RS 3 overview shows shift paddles and RS drive select modes, including RS performance and RS torque rear with the torque splitter. No six-speed manual. No optional stick. Same dual-clutch-only lane as the 2026 Audi S3, 2026 Golf GTI, and 2026 Golf R, not the stick-kept story of the 2026 Elantra N, 2027 Civic Type R, or 2026 Jetta GLI.
394 hp. 369 lb-ft. quattro. 3.6 to 60.
Audi’s USA book puts a 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbo at 394 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. Power goes through that seven-speed S tronic to standard quattro all-wheel drive with an RS torque splitter that can divert available torque to individual rear wheels. Official 0–60 mph is 3.6 seconds. Adaptive suspension with damper control sits 10 mm lower than the S3. Optional Dynamic plus, Carbon, and RS design packages are on the USA page; Matrix-design LED headlights and a head-up display are new as standard for 2026, with virtual cockpit plus and a Sonos® 15-speaker system also listed.
Compact RS sport sedan. One shifter story.
For 2026 the RS 3 stays a compact RS sport sedan with five-cylinder drama and one shifter story. The MSRP disclaimer shows a Kemora Gray metallic example with RS design, Carbon, and Sport exhaust black tips at $71,245 before destination — still on the same 7-speed S tronic only. If you want three pedals in a compact with real punch, keep looking past this one. Official photos from Audi’s RS 3 Sedan gallery on audi.com.
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