Audi priced the 2026 S3 at $52,000. 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. The official 2026 S3 overview puts it under Performance in plain language: Transmission — 7-speed S tronic®. No six-speed manual. No optional stick. Paddle shifters and Audi drive select modes (including Dynamic Plus with the torque splitter) are the factory’s idea of shifting. Same dual-clutch-only lane as the 2026 Golf GTI and 2026 Golf R, not the stick-kept story of the 2026 Jetta GLI or 2026 Elantra N.
328 hp. 295 lb-ft. quattro. 4.4 to 60.
Audi’s USA book puts a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder at 328 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Power goes through that seven-speed S tronic to standard quattro all-wheel drive with a torque splitter that can send available torque to individual rear wheels. Official 0–60 mph is 4.4 seconds. Standard kit includes S sport suspension and a panoramic sunroof; the optional S sport package adds damper control and red brake calipers.
Compact sport sedan. One shifter story.
For 2026 the S3 stays a compact quattro sport sedan with virtual cockpit plus, a Sonos® 15-speaker system, and wireless Apple CarPlay® / Android Auto™ on the factory page. The MSRP disclaimer shows a loaded Python Yellow example with Black optic and S sport at $55,795 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 S3 Sedan MediaCenter album.
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