Audi: A3, S3, RS3 News
10-15-2014, 06:10 PM
#481
I drive a Subata.
iTrader: (1)
Nah. Planning a baby next year. We are going to add a minivan. 
Of course, keeping both Avant and BRZ.
Something like this would be cool in the future though. This will be my top choice of sports sedan under $45k budget.
Of course, keeping both Avant and BRZ.
Something like this would be cool in the future though. This will be my top choice of sports sedan under $45k budget.
10-16-2014, 12:14 AM
#483
I drive a Subata.
iTrader: (1)
Hmm.. you are right.
Then, maybe she can traded in her Avant for S3?
And we get a used minivan?
Then, maybe she can traded in her Avant for S3?
And we get a used minivan?
The following 2 users liked this post by RPhilMan1:
charliemike (10-16-2014),
JS + XES (10-16-2014)
10-16-2014, 12:30 PM
#485
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So any chance we see the RS3 here in the states?
The following users liked this post:
JS + XES (10-16-2014)
10-16-2014, 03:19 PM
#487
Fahrvergnügen'd
Honestly, who knows? They still haven't released the A3 Sportback TDI, the Hybrid/Plug-In, the new Q3 is on a decade-old Tiguan platform, and the B8 chassis is now seven years old and counting.
They might do it but they've got a lot of other stuff that are bigger volumes to get here first. And knowing VWoA and AoA, they're going to find every way they can to screw it up.
They might do it but they've got a lot of other stuff that are bigger volumes to get here first. And knowing VWoA and AoA, they're going to find every way they can to screw it up.
12-12-2014, 12:53 AM
#491
Hot Audi RS3 Sportback revealed with 362bhp ? plus first ride review | Autocar
The performance hatch is powered by a reworked 2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol engine producing 362bhp, and will offer a supercar-challenging 0-62mph time of 4.3sec when it goes on sale in the UK next summer.
Scheduled to make its public debut at the Geneva motor show in March, company officials suggest the new model will be priced close to the £39,950 of its predecessor. The four-wheel-drive Ingolstadt mega-hatch has been extensively re-engineered for 2015 in a bid to dethrone the rapid Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG as class champion.
Among the second-generation RS3 Sportback’s more noteworthy developments is a new MQB platform structure that makes extensive use of hot-formed high-strength steel and a body shell incorporating an aluminium bonnet – a combination which sees it shed some 55kg over the model it replaces.
The new car will initially be available in a five-door hatchback body style, although Audi sources hint that a saloon version of the new RS3 is being readied as a riposte to the CLA45 AMG.
The new go-faster Audi is distinguished from its lesser A3 siblings by its aggressive front end styling. Included is a uniquely shaped grille featuring a matt aluminium-look frame and high-gloss honeycomb insert as well as a prominent bumper with large air ducts and decorative matt aluminium-look blades.
Further back, there are widened front fenders, matt aluminium-look door mirror housings and widened sills beneath the doors. The rear receives a uniquely shaped spoiler above the tailgate, a more pronounced bumper with integrated diffuser along with more matt aluminium decorative elements and a pair of large oval tailpipes.
Power for the new RS3 Sportback comes from a reworked version of its predecessor’s turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol engine – the EA855, as it is known internally.
Mounted transversely, the 490mm-long unit gains a number of detail changes to meet EU6 emission regulations while providing a generous 32bhp increase in peak power over the engine used in the first-generation RS3, including the adoption of a new turbocharger which develops up to 1.3bar of boost pressure.
Its 362bhp equates to a specific output of 146bhp per litre – some 3bhp shy of the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine used in the latest S3, which delivers a peak output 296bhp. Torque is also increased by 11lb ft, taking it to 343lb ft delivered between 1625 and 5550rpm – a slightly wider band of revs than previously.
By comparison, the RS3 Sportback’s key rival, the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG, produces 355bhp and 332lb ft from its turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine.
However, AMG officials have already promised an increased output when a facelifted version of the A45 AMG arrives towards the end of 2015, hinting that the Audi’s reign as the most powerful car in its class may be a short-lived one.
The RS3 Sportback’s heady reserves are channelled through a standard seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch automatic gearbox offering both manual and automatic shifting. Like the engine, it has been upgraded with what Audi describes as “new solutions for filling the clutches with oil and the interplay with the engine” for improved shift times.
With the driveline switched into dynamic mode, the downshifts are performed with an automatic double-clutching effect for added smoothness.
The S-tronic gearbox is allied to a modified electro-hydraulic multi-plate clutch four-wheel drive system. Now mounted within the rear axle assembly for improved weight distribution, it sheds 1.4kg over the previous system through the elimination of a pressure accumulator. Drive is constantly varied front to rear with between 50 and 100 per cent going to the rear, depending on the conditions.
An electronically controlled torque-vectoring function also provides controlled braking of individual wheels for a more neutral line during hard cornering.
In a bid to heighten aural qualities, Audi has provided the RS3 Sportback with a two-stage exhaust, with flaps used to control the flow downstream of the muffler.
With an official kerb weight of 1520kg, the new RS3 Sportback tips the scales at 55kg under its predecessor. Along with the gain in power, this provides it with a 28bhp improvement in its power-to-weight ratio, at 238bhp per tonne.
Audi claims a class leading 0-62mph time of just 4.3sec, beating the old RS3 Sportback and A45 AMG by 0.3sec. Top speed is nominally limited to 155mph, although buyers will be able to specify an option that raises it to 174mph.
Reining in the car’s enhanced performance is a newly developed brake system. It uses vented 370mm steel discs with sizeable eight-piston calipers up front and 310mm steel discs with single-pot calipers at the rear. In a first for its class, the new RS3 Sportback also comes with the option of 370mm carbon-ceramic front discs.
Underpinning Audi’s most powerful series production hatchback is a heavily reworked version of the third-generation S3’s MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension.
It has been lowered and also gains a number of unique components, including aluminium pivot bearings at the front end. The tracks are also unique to the RS3, increasing by 24mm up front to 1559mm and by 4mm at the rear to 1515mm. The standard five-spoke alloy wheels are 19 inches in diameter and come with 235/35-profile tyres front and rear.
As an option, buyers can opt for a magnetic ride system which provides adaptive damping. It is controlled by a standard Audi drive select system, which allows the driver to alter the characteristics of the throttle, steering and damping in four modes: Comfort, Automatic, Dynamic and Individual.
Also available are matt titanium or high gloss anthracite black 19-inch alloy wheels with 255/30-profile tyres up front and 235/35-profile tyres at the rear.
Inside, the new RS3 Sportback receives a series of high-quality appointments commensurate with its price tag. Included are leather-upholstered sports seats, a leather and Alcantara-bound flat-bottomed multi-function steering wheel, a leather and aluminium-trimmed gear lever, unique instrument graphics, stainless steel pedals and Alcantara door trim elements.
Buyers can opt for optional RS bucket seats. With integrated side airbags and a carbonfibre shell, they are claimed to be 7kg lighter than the standard sport seats. Further options include an interior design package with red accents on the knee pad, air vents, floor mats and seat belts.
Like most major European manufacturers, Audi’s Quattro division has a workshop at the Nürburgring for both chassis and durability testing, and it retains the services of some tame racing drivers.
Which is enough to make you nervous about ride quality. But former DTM and current GT driver Frank Stippler, who drove us around a soaking wet Nordschleife in the RS3, said: “The new bosses [new managing director Heinz Hollerweger, who replaced Franciscus van Meel at the start of the year] like a softer car.”
Unlike the RS4, in which, Stippler said, he never engaged the Dynamic chassis mode because it is so harsh that it’s “stiffer even than a race car”, the new RS3 is “at the softer end of the scale”.
Also evident on the wet track was the RS3’s throttle adjustability – a willingness to begin sliding at the rear on turn-in, and strong resistance to understeer under power. “Before, a TT or RS3 would drift like this only on ice,” said Stippler. “Now it can do it in the wet.”
The RS3 has three ESP modes: all on, a more liberal setting and an all-off mode, which doesn’t even cut in under braking in order to avoid annoying advanced drivers who like to left-foot brake.
And given that ride harshness and a propensity to understeer have been our primary concerns about fast Audi hatches in the past, the RS3’s signs are encouraging.
The performance hatch is powered by a reworked 2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol engine producing 362bhp, and will offer a supercar-challenging 0-62mph time of 4.3sec when it goes on sale in the UK next summer.
Scheduled to make its public debut at the Geneva motor show in March, company officials suggest the new model will be priced close to the £39,950 of its predecessor. The four-wheel-drive Ingolstadt mega-hatch has been extensively re-engineered for 2015 in a bid to dethrone the rapid Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG as class champion.
Among the second-generation RS3 Sportback’s more noteworthy developments is a new MQB platform structure that makes extensive use of hot-formed high-strength steel and a body shell incorporating an aluminium bonnet – a combination which sees it shed some 55kg over the model it replaces.
The new car will initially be available in a five-door hatchback body style, although Audi sources hint that a saloon version of the new RS3 is being readied as a riposte to the CLA45 AMG.
The new go-faster Audi is distinguished from its lesser A3 siblings by its aggressive front end styling. Included is a uniquely shaped grille featuring a matt aluminium-look frame and high-gloss honeycomb insert as well as a prominent bumper with large air ducts and decorative matt aluminium-look blades.
Further back, there are widened front fenders, matt aluminium-look door mirror housings and widened sills beneath the doors. The rear receives a uniquely shaped spoiler above the tailgate, a more pronounced bumper with integrated diffuser along with more matt aluminium decorative elements and a pair of large oval tailpipes.
Power for the new RS3 Sportback comes from a reworked version of its predecessor’s turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol engine – the EA855, as it is known internally.
Mounted transversely, the 490mm-long unit gains a number of detail changes to meet EU6 emission regulations while providing a generous 32bhp increase in peak power over the engine used in the first-generation RS3, including the adoption of a new turbocharger which develops up to 1.3bar of boost pressure.
Its 362bhp equates to a specific output of 146bhp per litre – some 3bhp shy of the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine used in the latest S3, which delivers a peak output 296bhp. Torque is also increased by 11lb ft, taking it to 343lb ft delivered between 1625 and 5550rpm – a slightly wider band of revs than previously.
By comparison, the RS3 Sportback’s key rival, the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG, produces 355bhp and 332lb ft from its turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine.
However, AMG officials have already promised an increased output when a facelifted version of the A45 AMG arrives towards the end of 2015, hinting that the Audi’s reign as the most powerful car in its class may be a short-lived one.
The RS3 Sportback’s heady reserves are channelled through a standard seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch automatic gearbox offering both manual and automatic shifting. Like the engine, it has been upgraded with what Audi describes as “new solutions for filling the clutches with oil and the interplay with the engine” for improved shift times.
With the driveline switched into dynamic mode, the downshifts are performed with an automatic double-clutching effect for added smoothness.
The S-tronic gearbox is allied to a modified electro-hydraulic multi-plate clutch four-wheel drive system. Now mounted within the rear axle assembly for improved weight distribution, it sheds 1.4kg over the previous system through the elimination of a pressure accumulator. Drive is constantly varied front to rear with between 50 and 100 per cent going to the rear, depending on the conditions.
An electronically controlled torque-vectoring function also provides controlled braking of individual wheels for a more neutral line during hard cornering.
In a bid to heighten aural qualities, Audi has provided the RS3 Sportback with a two-stage exhaust, with flaps used to control the flow downstream of the muffler.
With an official kerb weight of 1520kg, the new RS3 Sportback tips the scales at 55kg under its predecessor. Along with the gain in power, this provides it with a 28bhp improvement in its power-to-weight ratio, at 238bhp per tonne.
Audi claims a class leading 0-62mph time of just 4.3sec, beating the old RS3 Sportback and A45 AMG by 0.3sec. Top speed is nominally limited to 155mph, although buyers will be able to specify an option that raises it to 174mph.
Reining in the car’s enhanced performance is a newly developed brake system. It uses vented 370mm steel discs with sizeable eight-piston calipers up front and 310mm steel discs with single-pot calipers at the rear. In a first for its class, the new RS3 Sportback also comes with the option of 370mm carbon-ceramic front discs.
Underpinning Audi’s most powerful series production hatchback is a heavily reworked version of the third-generation S3’s MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension.
It has been lowered and also gains a number of unique components, including aluminium pivot bearings at the front end. The tracks are also unique to the RS3, increasing by 24mm up front to 1559mm and by 4mm at the rear to 1515mm. The standard five-spoke alloy wheels are 19 inches in diameter and come with 235/35-profile tyres front and rear.
As an option, buyers can opt for a magnetic ride system which provides adaptive damping. It is controlled by a standard Audi drive select system, which allows the driver to alter the characteristics of the throttle, steering and damping in four modes: Comfort, Automatic, Dynamic and Individual.
Also available are matt titanium or high gloss anthracite black 19-inch alloy wheels with 255/30-profile tyres up front and 235/35-profile tyres at the rear.
Inside, the new RS3 Sportback receives a series of high-quality appointments commensurate with its price tag. Included are leather-upholstered sports seats, a leather and Alcantara-bound flat-bottomed multi-function steering wheel, a leather and aluminium-trimmed gear lever, unique instrument graphics, stainless steel pedals and Alcantara door trim elements.
Buyers can opt for optional RS bucket seats. With integrated side airbags and a carbonfibre shell, they are claimed to be 7kg lighter than the standard sport seats. Further options include an interior design package with red accents on the knee pad, air vents, floor mats and seat belts.
Like most major European manufacturers, Audi’s Quattro division has a workshop at the Nürburgring for both chassis and durability testing, and it retains the services of some tame racing drivers.
Which is enough to make you nervous about ride quality. But former DTM and current GT driver Frank Stippler, who drove us around a soaking wet Nordschleife in the RS3, said: “The new bosses [new managing director Heinz Hollerweger, who replaced Franciscus van Meel at the start of the year] like a softer car.”
Unlike the RS4, in which, Stippler said, he never engaged the Dynamic chassis mode because it is so harsh that it’s “stiffer even than a race car”, the new RS3 is “at the softer end of the scale”.
Also evident on the wet track was the RS3’s throttle adjustability – a willingness to begin sliding at the rear on turn-in, and strong resistance to understeer under power. “Before, a TT or RS3 would drift like this only on ice,” said Stippler. “Now it can do it in the wet.”
The RS3 has three ESP modes: all on, a more liberal setting and an all-off mode, which doesn’t even cut in under braking in order to avoid annoying advanced drivers who like to left-foot brake.
And given that ride harshness and a propensity to understeer have been our primary concerns about fast Audi hatches in the past, the RS3’s signs are encouraging.
The following users liked this post:
JS + XES (12-12-2014)
12-12-2014, 09:22 AM
#492
2024 Honda Civic Type R
Five pot!!! 
Bring to the US!
The RS3 Sportback’s heady reserves are channelled through a standard seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch automatic gearbox offering both manual and automatic shifting. Like the engine, it has been upgraded with what Audi describes as “new solutions for filling the clutches with oil and the interplay with the engine” for improved shift times.
12-12-2014, 05:57 PM
#494
I drive a Subata.
iTrader: (1)
Stop with 0-60 talk!
I love this car.
I love this car.
12-14-2014, 10:54 PM
#495
Senior Moderator
Wow, the RS3 Sportback is tits.
S'more pics...
S'more pics...
12-15-2014, 12:02 PM
#497
Moderator
Regional Coordinator (Southeast)
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US please and don't change a thing about it either.
12-15-2014, 01:49 PM
#499
wow I'm in love with that RS3 hatch
12-17-2014, 07:36 AM
#501
Moderator
Regional Coordinator (Southeast)
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Hoping for more of a 50-55k price but I doubt it will happen.
12-18-2014, 05:25 PM
#503
I drive a Subata.
iTrader: (1)
Wow.. that's tits... OMG...
Must be fast... and haul this and that and this and that
Must be fast... and haul this and that and this and that
04-30-2015, 04:48 PM
#504
Senior Moderator
05-01-2015, 07:59 PM
#506
I drive a Subata.
iTrader: (1)
That's one epic commercial. haha
11-23-2015, 01:27 PM
#507
Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Not Las Vegas (SF Bay Area)
Age: 39
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Wtf... Sat in an S3 at the LA auto show... For a car that was optioned out to 57K, I would think one would expect it to have power seats... 
Last edited by Mizouse; 11-23-2015 at 01:33 PM.
11-23-2015, 01:46 PM
#509
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11-23-2015, 01:52 PM
#510
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Does it have both power with manual adjustments? Sitting there pumping a handle to raise a seat sucked the fat one.
03-16-2017, 08:28 AM
#512
Moderator
https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/rs3/first-drive
An Audi RS3 review: what’s new?
A reasonable amount. There’s a boot on the back for starters, with a four-door RS3 Saloon joining the five-door Sportback in the range. It’s also greener than before. If you spec it in the wonderful Viper Green above, that is.
More importantly, there’s been some fiddling with the oily bits beneath. The outgoing RS3 isn’t a bad car, it’s just one whose dynamics have never been as lively or exciting as its howling five-cylinder turbo engine might lead you to expect. In a world of drifting Ford Focus RSs and mad-as-a-badger Honda Civic Type Rs, it’s just not fun enough to compete.
So what have they done to improve it?
The same Quattro four-wheel-drive system is fitted, but it comes with new software. So while the RS3 could send 100 per cent of its power to the rear axle before this mid-life update, it never felt as aggressively set up as you might hope.
In its new guise, the system never has a standard power split. Audi’s engineers say the ratio between front and rear axles constantly varies, to match both grip levels beneath and driver input inside.
There’s more power, too. The 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine produces a nice round 400PS, or 395bhp, which is up 33bhp on before. Additionally, the engine is 26kg lighter (thanks to an aluminium crankcase and magnesium oil pan, if you want to geek out).
That might not sound like much, but from a single component, it’s impressive. And crucially, it’s weight that’s been taken away from an important part of the car – the front end that was rather too keen to push on in corners, rather than turn incisively into them.
Is it fast?
Oh god, yes. The top speed is 155mph, but Audi will lift this to 174mph with the right options box ticking. And that’s still limited. For a car this size, it’s frankly bonkers.
Its 0-62mph sprint also lives in a more serious part of the market. Audi quotes 4.1 seconds – 0.2sec quicker than the old RS3 – and we suspect it’ll dip below that easily. With the seven-speed S Tronic automatic gearbox linked to a launch control system, it’s all dangerously attainable, too.
More importantly, is it fun?
Yes. The promise shown by the RS3’s slinkier sibling – the TT RS – has been delivered upon with a car that’s notably livelier than before. The caveat is that our first drive has taken place in Oman (why wouldn’t it?), a country whose mountain roads have a slick, low-grip quality akin to a greasy B-road in the UK. We suspect they exaggerate the RS3’s dynamic character, but equally they would starkly bring any weaknesses right to the fore.
In fast, sweeping corners it grips like you wouldn’t believe. And you will be taking those corners quickly: the pace from its engine is just bombastic, right from 2,500rpm to its 7,000rpm redline. Predictably, with five cylinders, it sounds excellent. But it sweeps so quickly through its rev range, I’m not sure you ever fully get time to savour the noise.
First world problems…
Indeed. And the RS3 makes up for it in slower, tighter corners, where it feels adjustable and up on its toes in a way it simply hasn’t before. It’s still not got the most locked down front axle, but the way power is flung to the back to counteract that is far more assertive than before. In short, it’s happy to slide around, this thing. We need to drive it in Britain for full assessment, though.
It also feels right with a paddleshift transmission as standard; I’m a firm believer a hot hatch should have a manual, but three pedals and a stick in here would just feel like an inconvenience when the rest of the spec sheet is so senior. The shifts are super quick up and down the gearbox, though there’s little aural drama on downshifts, even with the optional sports exhaust.
Any differences between the Saloon and Sportback?
Nothing truly tangible. We’d argue the former looks better, and recalls Audi RS4s of old. It weighs 5kg more and comes with less luggage space, but otherwise they’re identical, and Audi tells us suspension changes between the two have only been to account for the effects of different weight distribution.
Yes, suspension. A frequent fast Audi downfall. Again, we need to fully assess it in the UK, and on the standard steel suspension, we suspect it’ll be firm, given how it handles bumps in the road in Oman. But there’s an optional Magnetic Ride system, its characteristics chosen via the drive mode select button, and we suspect it may be a handy box to tick.
What’s it like inside?
As glorious as all Audi RS models. The seats are plush and finely stitched, there’s Alcantara in the correct places (nine and three on the steering wheel, and on the gear knob) and Audi’s Virtual Cockpit gives you a nice central rev counter, which lights up in a way that mimics racecar shift lights as you howl towards the redline. Perhaps that’s a gimmick, but it’s a fun one.
There’s also copious nice bits you can fit in here, including all the active safety, crash avoidance stuff we now expect in premium cars, even if speccing it is not as cool or desirable as adding carbon ceramic brakes.
Carbon ceramic brakes?
Seriously. This is a hot hatch (or small saloon car) with a 174mph top speed and which has carbon ceramic brakes on its option list. It’s madness. Yet the end result is too classy and day-to-day useable to feel as crackpot as all that suggests.
Given you can expect to pay £45,000 when it arrives in the UK, that’s a jolly good thing. Expect the Saloon to cost an additional £1,000 or so, and those options to crank things up considerably. But I suspect as a one-car-fits-all solution, this would be a fine one. Especially now it’s got a sense of humour as standard.
A reasonable amount. There’s a boot on the back for starters, with a four-door RS3 Saloon joining the five-door Sportback in the range. It’s also greener than before. If you spec it in the wonderful Viper Green above, that is.
More importantly, there’s been some fiddling with the oily bits beneath. The outgoing RS3 isn’t a bad car, it’s just one whose dynamics have never been as lively or exciting as its howling five-cylinder turbo engine might lead you to expect. In a world of drifting Ford Focus RSs and mad-as-a-badger Honda Civic Type Rs, it’s just not fun enough to compete.
So what have they done to improve it?
The same Quattro four-wheel-drive system is fitted, but it comes with new software. So while the RS3 could send 100 per cent of its power to the rear axle before this mid-life update, it never felt as aggressively set up as you might hope.
In its new guise, the system never has a standard power split. Audi’s engineers say the ratio between front and rear axles constantly varies, to match both grip levels beneath and driver input inside.
There’s more power, too. The 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine produces a nice round 400PS, or 395bhp, which is up 33bhp on before. Additionally, the engine is 26kg lighter (thanks to an aluminium crankcase and magnesium oil pan, if you want to geek out).
That might not sound like much, but from a single component, it’s impressive. And crucially, it’s weight that’s been taken away from an important part of the car – the front end that was rather too keen to push on in corners, rather than turn incisively into them.
Is it fast?
Oh god, yes. The top speed is 155mph, but Audi will lift this to 174mph with the right options box ticking. And that’s still limited. For a car this size, it’s frankly bonkers.
Its 0-62mph sprint also lives in a more serious part of the market. Audi quotes 4.1 seconds – 0.2sec quicker than the old RS3 – and we suspect it’ll dip below that easily. With the seven-speed S Tronic automatic gearbox linked to a launch control system, it’s all dangerously attainable, too.
More importantly, is it fun?
Yes. The promise shown by the RS3’s slinkier sibling – the TT RS – has been delivered upon with a car that’s notably livelier than before. The caveat is that our first drive has taken place in Oman (why wouldn’t it?), a country whose mountain roads have a slick, low-grip quality akin to a greasy B-road in the UK. We suspect they exaggerate the RS3’s dynamic character, but equally they would starkly bring any weaknesses right to the fore.
In fast, sweeping corners it grips like you wouldn’t believe. And you will be taking those corners quickly: the pace from its engine is just bombastic, right from 2,500rpm to its 7,000rpm redline. Predictably, with five cylinders, it sounds excellent. But it sweeps so quickly through its rev range, I’m not sure you ever fully get time to savour the noise.
First world problems…
Indeed. And the RS3 makes up for it in slower, tighter corners, where it feels adjustable and up on its toes in a way it simply hasn’t before. It’s still not got the most locked down front axle, but the way power is flung to the back to counteract that is far more assertive than before. In short, it’s happy to slide around, this thing. We need to drive it in Britain for full assessment, though.
It also feels right with a paddleshift transmission as standard; I’m a firm believer a hot hatch should have a manual, but three pedals and a stick in here would just feel like an inconvenience when the rest of the spec sheet is so senior. The shifts are super quick up and down the gearbox, though there’s little aural drama on downshifts, even with the optional sports exhaust.
Any differences between the Saloon and Sportback?
Nothing truly tangible. We’d argue the former looks better, and recalls Audi RS4s of old. It weighs 5kg more and comes with less luggage space, but otherwise they’re identical, and Audi tells us suspension changes between the two have only been to account for the effects of different weight distribution.
Yes, suspension. A frequent fast Audi downfall. Again, we need to fully assess it in the UK, and on the standard steel suspension, we suspect it’ll be firm, given how it handles bumps in the road in Oman. But there’s an optional Magnetic Ride system, its characteristics chosen via the drive mode select button, and we suspect it may be a handy box to tick.
What’s it like inside?
As glorious as all Audi RS models. The seats are plush and finely stitched, there’s Alcantara in the correct places (nine and three on the steering wheel, and on the gear knob) and Audi’s Virtual Cockpit gives you a nice central rev counter, which lights up in a way that mimics racecar shift lights as you howl towards the redline. Perhaps that’s a gimmick, but it’s a fun one.
There’s also copious nice bits you can fit in here, including all the active safety, crash avoidance stuff we now expect in premium cars, even if speccing it is not as cool or desirable as adding carbon ceramic brakes.
Carbon ceramic brakes?
Seriously. This is a hot hatch (or small saloon car) with a 174mph top speed and which has carbon ceramic brakes on its option list. It’s madness. Yet the end result is too classy and day-to-day useable to feel as crackpot as all that suggests.
Given you can expect to pay £45,000 when it arrives in the UK, that’s a jolly good thing. Expect the Saloon to cost an additional £1,000 or so, and those options to crank things up considerably. But I suspect as a one-car-fits-all solution, this would be a fine one. Especially now it’s got a sense of humour as standard.
03-16-2017, 08:28 AM
#513
Moderator
03-16-2017, 09:09 AM
#514
Azine Jabroni
Sorry I mean: What a boring RS3. Boring boring boring. It's just a Jetta. My 1998 TL can go 0-900 mph in 2.5 seconds.
03-16-2017, 12:29 PM
#515
2024 Honda Civic Type R
When I scrolled to the last two photos I literally said to myself "oohhhhh shiittttt". That gray hatchback!!!
If only it had a manual.
I want to hear what the five-pot sounds like.
If only it had a manual.
I want to hear what the five-pot sounds like.
03-16-2017, 12:40 PM
#516
They get a wagon too? 
03-16-2017, 03:49 PM
#517
Class-leading interior as usual but I'd rather drive an M2.
I like the exhaust note of the 5 cyl though. Put this engine in a Cayman, thanks.
I like the exhaust note of the 5 cyl though. Put this engine in a Cayman, thanks.
03-25-2017, 06:39 AM
#519
Banned
I love the idea that they gave it more character with the I5.
This A3 sedan is very similar to the lovely A4 B5 of '96-01, but that interior is not as nice and what it used to be. True for both A3/A4.
http://www.autos.ca/first-drives/fir...2016-audi-rs3/
It will be $62900CA.
2018 Audi RS 3 Sedan Pricing Leaked » AutoGuide.com News
This A3 sedan is very similar to the lovely A4 B5 of '96-01, but that interior is not as nice and what it used to be. True for both A3/A4.
http://www.autos.ca/first-drives/fir...2016-audi-rs3/
It will be $62900CA.
2018 Audi RS 3 Sedan Pricing Leaked » AutoGuide.com News
03-25-2017, 08:26 AM
#520
I feel the need...
And if I'm being nit-picky, not really feeling the "cobra" seats.Looks like the paint shop at the Ford also sprays the RS3. The blue and grey are almost identical colors to the Focus RS.
Oh and for $650 bucks my chipped Golf R 6MT is almost as quick.
