Compare the2023 Audi S3VS 2023 Toyota GR Corolla

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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The S3’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the S3 and GR Corolla have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S3 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 GR Corolla’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 Audi S3 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Both the S3 and the GR Corolla have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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 S3 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GR Corolla has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

The S3 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The GR Corolla’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The S3’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the GR Corolla’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

The Audi S3’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the GR Corolla’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

Engine

The S3’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (306 vs. 300) and 22 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 273) than the GR Corolla’s standard 1.6 turbo 3-cylinder. The S3’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (306 vs. 300) than the GR Corolla Morizo Edition’s standard 1.6 turbo 3-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the S3 gets better fuel mileage than the GR Corolla 1.6 turbo 3-cylinder (23 city/32 hwy vs. 21 city/28 hwy).

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the S3’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi S3 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The GR Corolla requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The S3 has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the GR Corolla (14.5 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The S3 has a standard automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer an automatic transmission.

The S3 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 GR Corolla doesn’t offer an SMG.

Tires and Wheels

The S3’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the GR Corolla’s 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S3 offers optional 19-inch wheels. The GR Corolla’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the S3 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

The S3 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 GR Corolla’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

Chassis

The design of the Audi S3 amounts to more than styling. The S3 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .31 Cd. That is significantly lower than the GR Corolla (.35) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the S3 get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

The S3 has .9 inches more front shoulder room and 5.3 inches more rear legroom than the GR Corolla.

Cargo Capacity

The S3’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The GR Corolla Morizo Edition doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the S3. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the S3 has a standard power trunk, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or optionally by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Towing

The S3 has a 3500 lbs. towing capacity. The GR Corolla has no towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The S3 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The GR Corolla 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 Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 17% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 20th.

Ergonomics

The S3 has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

When different drivers share the S3, the optional memory seats and mirrors make it convenient. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer a memory system.

The S3 Prestige has a standard 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 GR Corolla doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The S3’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The GR Corolla has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The S3’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 GR Corolla’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the S3 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The GR Corolla 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 S3 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the S3 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer cornering lights.

When the S3 with available tilt-down mirrors 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 GR Corolla’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The S3’s optional 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 GR Corolla offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The S3 has a standard center folding armrest for the driver and front passenger. A center armrest helps combat driver fatigue. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer a front seat center armrest.

The S3 has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The GR Corolla Morizo Edition doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The S3’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 GR Corolla doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the S3 and the GR Corolla offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the S3 has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The S3’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 GR Corolla doesn’t offer an automated parking system.