See The Radical 2026 Audi S3 Interior Before You're Supposed To

CamilaSci/Tech2025-07-199370

See The Radical 2026 Audi S3 Interior Before You're Supposed To originally appeared on Autoblog.

Audi S3 Preparing For Another Update

The 8Y generation of the Audi A3 and S3 was introduced in 2020, and last year, it was given an update, with the latter performance-minded model getting more power and the RS3's so-called Torque Splitter, which prioritizes the rear end when apportioning output. Several other handling improvements were made, along wth a revised exterior and a cabin with new air vents, an updated shifter design, more ambient lighting, and a few extra places to charge phones from. In a word, the facelift was substantial.

But now that Audi has begun rolling out 2026 variants of numerous vehicles with completely different looks inside and out, the 8Y's interior is beginning to look and feel a little dated in the company of its siblings, and our spies have seen how Ingolstadt intends to remedy that.

New Cabin Abandons Traditional Audi Interior Tropes

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This writer is a lifelong BMW fan, but ever since the 8V generation, even I haven't been able to argue with the sentiment that Audi made the best interiors in the business - elegant, rattle-free, ergonomic, and practically timeless in their balance of tech and tactility. The circular air vents with their stunning knobs to adjust airflow and intensity were a particular highlight. But recently, Audi, like my beloved BMW and others, has jumped head-first into the big-screen game - it's what younger buyers seem to want - and the 8Y is losing texture as a result. Using a long lens, our spies can't get all the angles they'd like, but we do expect a volume knob to live on as it does in the Q6 e-tron, alongside the engine start button and controls for the transmission and hazard warning lights, in that 2025 center console. The rest, however, is completely different.

Related: Audi may Build Future EVs in the United States Due to Tariffs

Say goodbye to a textured badge on the reshaped steering wheel and hello to a flat plastic plaque, a one-dimensional representation of the revised Audi logo introduced when the company was leaning into an all-electric future with near-certainty. Bid farewell to what felt like a driver-focused cluster shroud and welcome a singular display merging the central infotainment screen. Forget about feeling your way around the steering wheel as easily as with physical buttons and a scroll wheel; embrace touch-capacitive pads for your thumbs, albeit with recesses to at least minimize the time spent looking down when adjusting controls.

A3/S3 May Not Be As Screen-Infested As Others

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As malicious to driver concentration as big touchscreens have been proven to be time and time again, the risk should be minimized when a passenger is onboard. Spy photos show that this side of the dashboard is also covered up, and comparing how it's covered up to images of the latest A5 and S5 interior, it looks like this test mule doesn't have a screen on the right-hand side of the cabin. It may yet prove to be a costly optional extra, but for now, Audi's entry-level sedan is staying as simple as possible.

With the negative tone in which I've described the above updates as they appear to me, it's only fair to note that the interior door panel looks great, with double-stitching, a mix of materials, and a similar perforation to the steering wheel grips. There may be a lot of dull plastic, as in most rivals in the segment, but the design is sharp and what we can see of the cabin is still well structured. We'll see more as this edges closer to a reveal, which, considering the exterior is unchanged, shouldn't be long now.