With Walter Röhrl in mind
Nobody can deny that the basic Audi A3 is getting a bit tired. There are any number of rivals in the segment and the time for retirement from the fray is fast approaching. But now, late in life, there’s a surprising renewal in Audi’s compact class. And it’s not for the first time with Audi. And those who assume that the RS3 is just an updated S3 would be making a mistake. A big one! For the motor sets the tune and the driving gear, the best in its class, plays along. The deafening roar of the five cylinder turbo mesmerizes as the sport loving driver is catapulted in just seconds into the realm of rally driving. Grasping the chunky wheel and not only with the “Sport” button depressed the driver ponders his recalled images of Walter Röhrl’s rally triumphs. The constant thud of the five cylinder motor is the constant reminder of the unique RS3 character. The driver is obliged to succumb.
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- From the back the RS3, available only as a sportback, looks quite tame. There are not even the oval exhausts left and right to flaunt.
Modest and unassuming
It is not all that easy to understand exactly why Audi have brought out the RS3 so late in the product cycle and as a five-door sportback. The competition is formidable if limited. There’s the BMW 1 series coupé and soon the AMG version of the C Class coupé from Mercedes. Possibly the new Focus RS, but that’s about it. Few care about back seat passengers in this class of automobile. The rear doors are superfluous, the driver of this kind of car shows his respect by piloting it alone! The interior of the RS3 is as unspectacular as its exterior. There is the aggressive front with its radiator vents, there’s a widened track for the front axle and as spoiler at the edge of the roof. Otherwise the little RS stays completely unassuming, even diffident and could be mistaken for a pimped A3 2.0 TDI. Inside there are sporty leather seats and a suede covered steering wheel. The rest is just standard Audi. Only the door sill panels and a speedometer notched to 310 kilometres and hour hint at something more.
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- But the suede-covered steering wheel, the sports pedals, special door sills and a speedometer marked up to 310 kmh advise the driver that this is a rather special A3.
For motorsport fans
For true fans there’s the 2.5 litre five cylinder engine with 340 horsepower. The turbo charging pushes 1.2 bar and the short half-metre long power train, weighing 183 kilos stand for startling performance. From 1,600 RPM there are 450 Newton metres of torque on call. But let the RS3 loose and the RPMs rise to 6,800 and the zero to hundred takes just 4.6 seconds. Apart from the totally superfluous rear doors there remains another question. Why is the RS3 limited to a maximum speed of 250? It could do much more and should be permitted to evoke the rally pedigree of the cars made by Audi in Ingolstadt. Automatic transmission, seven stage double clutch gearing, is standard as is all-wheel drive with the RS3. Average fuel consumption is stated to be around 9.1 litres. And amazingly enough, with this motorization the economy goal can be reached.
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- Push the “Sport” button and a sound experience is guaranteed when the flaps inside the exhaust open up.
A costly indulgence
But when driving the RS3 thoughts of fuel economy are far from the driver’s mind. Because once tried, this becomes an addictive toy for those who like their autos compact but tough. The suspension is first class. With sporty elan the 1.5 ton Audi takes the corners precisely. The power supply via the Haldex-4 gearing is 50:50. As with the S4 and the RS5 it could be delivered somewhat more to the rear axle. When the sport mode option is activated there is less under steer and even more fun. Depress the “Sport” button and the driver feels like a king, with the trumpets supplied by the open exhaust pipes. In fact, this much fun and pure noise is not often to be had for just 49 thousand Euros. The RS3 is manufactured in Gyor, in Hungary. And it remains an automobile in the compact class and thus the smallest RS must be seen as a costly indulgence. However the standard package includes 19 inch rims, wide front mudguards made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic, sports suspension, leather seats, parking assist system and xenon headlights. And yet again Audi manages to surprise us with a model successfully reinvigorated.
