Compare the2023 Audi RS 3VS 2022 Honda Civic Si

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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The RS 3’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Civic Si doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the RS 3 and Civic Si have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The RS 3 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Civic Si’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The RS 3 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Civic Si doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The RS 3 has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Civic Si doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The RS 3 has a standard Audi Connect CARE, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Civic Si doesn’t offer a GPS response system, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the RS 3 and the Civic Si have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

The Audi RS 3 weighs 743 pounds more than the Honda Civic Si. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the RS 3 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 101 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Civic Si has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

The RS 3 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Civic Si’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The RS 3’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Civic Si’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Engine

The RS 3’s 2.5 turbo 5-cylinder produces 201 more horsepower (401 vs. 200) and 177 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 192) than the Civic Si’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The RS 3 has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic Si (14.5 vs. 12.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The RS 3 has a standard automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. The Civic Si doesn’t offer an automatic transmission.

The RS 3 offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Civic Si doesn’t offer an SMG.

To facilitate fast shifting and allow the driver to focus on the road, the RS 3 has a standard up-shift light to indicate when the engine is approaching redline. The Civic Si doesn’t offer an up-shift light.

The RS 3’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Civic Si doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the RS 3’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Civic Si:

	RS 3	RS 3 CCB	Civic Si
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	15 inches	12.3 inches
Rear Rotors	12.2 inches	12.2 inches	11.1 inches

The RS 3’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Civic Si are solid, not vented.

The RS 3 offers optional heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The Civic Si doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the RS 3 has larger tires than the Civic Si (F:265/30R19 & R:245/35R19 vs. 235/40R18).

The RS 3’s 265/30R19 front and 245/35R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 30 series front and 35 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Civic Si’s standard 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the RS 3 has standard 19-inch wheels. Only 18-inch wheels are available on the Civic Si.

Suspension and Handling

The RS 3 has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Civic Si’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the RS 3 is 2.2 inches wider in the front than on the Civic Si.

Chassis

The RS 3 is 5.2 inches shorter than the Civic Si, making the RS 3 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Cargo Capacity

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the RS 3’s trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. The Civic Si’s useful trunk space is reduced by its intrusive beam hinge.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the RS 3. The Civic Si doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the RS 3’s power trunk can be opened or closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Civic Si doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening trunk.

Servicing Ease

The RS 3 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Civic Si uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Honda. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 30% lower rating, Honda is ranked 25th.

Ergonomics

When different drivers share the RS 3, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Civic Si doesn’t offer a memory system.

The RS 3 offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Civic Si doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the RS 3 and the Civic Si have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the RS 3 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Civic Si prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The RS 3’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Civic Si’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the RS 3 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Civic Si can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The RS 3’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Civic Si’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The RS 3 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Civic Si doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the RS 3 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Civic Si doesn’t offer cornering lights.

When the RS 3 is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Civic Si’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The RS 3’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Civic Si doesn’t offer the luxury of automatic dimming mirrors.

The RS 3 has standard heated front seats, which keep the driver and front passenger extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated seats aren’t available in the Civic Si.

The RS 3’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Civic Si doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the RS 3 and the Civic Si offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the RS 3 has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Civic Si doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To direct the driver from any location to a given street address, a GPS navigation system is available on the RS 3. The RS 3’s navigation system also has a real-time traffic update feature that offers alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Civic Si doesn’t offer a navigation system.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Audi RS 3 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Civic Si doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The RS 3’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Civic Si doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

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