A four-wheel drive, techno-overload hot hatch that thinks it’s a super-sedan. And probably really annoyed that the Aston Martin DBX has it licked for the Biggest Grille At Speed Week award.
What’s the Audi RS3's killer feature?
Ordinarily, the RS3’s trump card is its outrageous engine: a 2.5-liter rally-inspired five-cylinder powerhaus good for just shy of 400hp. But for this generation, Audi actually bothered to make an effort with the handling. Fitting a ‘Torque-Splitter’ rear diff finally unlocked a sense of humour from an RS3 chassis.
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Is the Audi RS3 a good car?
Here's what we said in our original review: "There’s a deeply impressive car here, buried under a landslide of data, adjustability, and the choice that it brings with it. Layers upon layers of individualisation, for every different surface, road and need. And while it searches for perfection, what the RS3 does is put the onus on the driver to pick the right combination. But when you do, it’s brilliant. A really good car on the right kind of wrong road."
Does it deserve to be called one of the greats?
RS3s have always been blunt instruments, but this one has some adjustability and agility to go with the sledgehammer performance. We’ll see how that digitally augmented handling stacks up next to the very best ‘authentic’ performance cars.
What are the Audi RS3's specs?
Engine: 2.5-liter 5cyl turbo, 394hp, 500Nm
Transmission: 7spd DCT, AWD
Performance: 0-100kph in 3.8 sec, 250kph
Weight: 1575kg
This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
