Compare the2023 Audi RS 5 SportbackVS 2023 Tesla Model 3

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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The RS 5 Sportback’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Model 3 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the RS 5 Sportback. But it costs extra on the Model 3.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the RS 5 Sportback’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Model 3 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The RS 5 Sportback offers an optional Top and Corner View Cameras to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model 3 only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the RS 5 Sportback’s optional rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Model 3 doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The RS 5 Sportback has a standard Audi Connect CARE, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model 3 doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the RS 5 Sportback and the Model 3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available blind spot warning systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi RS 5 Sportback is safer than the Tesla Model 3:

	RS 5 Sportback	Model 3
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	333	384

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

There are almost 2 times as many Audi dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the RS 5 Sportback’s warranty.

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 13 places higher in reliability than Tesla.

Engine

The RS 5 Sportback’s 2.9 turbo V6 produces 173 more horsepower (444 vs. 271) and 132 lbs.-ft. more torque (442 vs. 310) than the Model 3 Rear Wheel Drive’s standard electric motor. The RS 5 Sportback’s 2.9 turbo V6 produces 60 more horsepower (444 vs. 384) and 67 lbs.-ft. more torque (442 vs. 375) than the Model 3 Long Range’s standard electric motors.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the RS 5 Sportback’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Model 3:

	RS 5 Sportback	RS 5 Sportback	Model 3	Model 3 Performance
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	15.7 inches	12.6 inches	14 inches

The RS 5 Sportback 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 Model 3 doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

The RS 5 Sportback stops much shorter than the Model 3:

	RS 5 Sportback	Model 3
70 to 0 MPH	154 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the RS 5 Sportback has larger standard tires than the Model 3 (265/35R19 vs. 235/45R18). The RS 5 Sportback’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Model 3 (275/30R20 vs. 235/45R18).

The RS 5 Sportback’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Model 3’s standard 45 series tires. The RS 5 Sportback’s optional tires have a lower 30 series profile than the Model 3 Performance’s 35 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the RS 5 Sportback has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Model 3.

The RS 5 Sportback has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Model 3; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The RS 5 Sportback has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the RS 5 Sportback flat and controlled during cornering. The Model 3’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The RS 5 Sportback offers an optional 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 Model 3’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The RS 5 Sportback handles at .97 G’s, while the Model 3 pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Cargo Capacity

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the RS 5 Sportback’s trunk can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Model 3 doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

A Service Interval Display is standard on the RS 5 Sportback to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Tesla doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Model 3.

Ergonomics

The RS 5 Sportback offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, warning 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 Model 3 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the RS 5 Sportback to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Model 3 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

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 5 Sportback has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Model 3 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The RS 5 Sportback’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model 3 doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the RS 5 Sportback has standard extendable sun visors. The Model 3 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the RS 5 Sportback keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Model 3 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The RS 5 Sportback has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Model 3.

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