RE: New Audi RS3 Sportback confirmed
Friday 12th December 2014
In one of those entirely spooky coincidences the day after Ford confirms a new Focus RS and speculation of 300hp-plus and possible four-wheel drive are rife Audi weighs in with confirmation of the new RS3 Sportback.
The five-cylinder turbo stays; hurrah!Spotted testing at the 'ring recently we suggested "over 350hp" and, inevitably, Audi has delivered. Sticking with its trademark 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo the new RS3 will have 367hp and 343lb ft, up from 340hp and 332lb ft in the previous one. That's also more than the 360hp and 332lb ft in its most obvious rival, the A45 AMG, and a significant step up from its closest MQB relative, the 300hp VW Golf R. It is, confirmed Audi's Dr Hackenberg in typically poetic form, "the most powerful production engine in the modular transverse matrix."
174mph. In an A3At 1,520kg with driver it's still no featherweight but at least 55kg lighter than the previous car, the technology quota has also been significantly boosted. This may or may not be a good thing, the old RS3 Sportback's more back to basics, old-school approach being one of its more charismatic features. Still, time waits for no man and an increased gadget count was inevitable, torque vectoring, an active centre diff (actually mounted at the rear) and options including Audi's Magnetic Dampers and (first in class) ceramic brakes all available. Reading between the lines the four-wheel drive system would appear to be a Haldex 5 design, Audi promising that with Sport mode in the Audi Drive Select the previous car's nose-heaviness can be mitigated with the throttle and the system "enables the driver to even perform controlled drifts on low-friction road surfaces." We'll look forward to putting that claim to the test...
Insert observation on style and quality hereIn typical RS fashion the suspension components have been revised and beefed up over regular A3 Sportbacks, the RS running 25mm lower and boasting wider track front and rear, revised pivot bearings and dedicated spring and damper rates. Worryingly it seems Audi's 'Progressive Steering' is also standard and able to vary the rack ratio from 15.3:1 to 10.9:1 - Audi is promising it works with "an RS-typical characteristic" but if the benchmark for that is the similarly equipped RS5 we'll not be expecting much in the way of steering feel.
New Audi RS3 Sportback confirmed
"Hot, throaty sound" and "brawny power" promised for new 367hp Audi RS3 Sportback
The five-cylinder turbo stays; hurrah!
More stats? OK then... Via a seven-speed S Tronic dual-clutch gearbox the RS3 can hit 0-62 in 4.3 seconds (A45 4.6 seconds, Golf R 4.9 seconds should such things matter) and will go on to 174mph. At the other end of the scale official figures of 189g/km and 34.9mpg are impressive for what in this day and age is to be considered a big engine.
174mph. In an A3
Insert observation on style and quality here
More information to follow, including pricing, but by the time you've added your ceramic brakes, magnetic dampers and optional carbon engine cover there's a very real possibility we'll be looking at a £50K hot hatch.
And on that bombshell...
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Discussion
Mr Whippy said:
Over 15 years we've come full circle and are back at a ~ 380bhp turbocharged RS avant model of a medium size... just the 4 is now a 3 
I saw an old RS4 the other day, I think I'd still prefer one of those over one of these.
Indeed, I sometimes have to give the rear arches on my B5 RS4 a cuddle, I love them so much. At the moment it has been a bit naughty and decided it no longer likes its clutch. I saw an old RS4 the other day, I think I'd still prefer one of those over one of these.
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