It has been a long time coming and after a few leaks, we can finally reveal the all-new Audi RS 3.
Like the previous generation, there is a turbocharged five-cylinder under the hood but for this new generation, there is now torque-vectoring Quattro all-wheel drive.
Thanks to the 2.5-litre turbocharged inline-five, Audi claims the 2022 RS 3 has the best in class acceleration. The five-pot delivers 394 hp (294 kW) and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque allowing the 0 to 100 km/h sprint to take place in just 3.8 seconds. Audi also boasts that it will hit 250 km/h (155 mph) in standard form or 280 km/h (74 mph) with an optional performance package. And if you opt for those ceramic front brakes, the RS 3 can hit a staggering 290 km/h (180 mph), making it the fastest vehicle in its class.
As mentioned, there is a new torque splitter that replaces the rear differential to divert up to 100 percent of torque to either wheel as needed, counteracting understeer by overdriving the outside wheel in corners. There is also a new drive mode RS Torque Rear which sends as much power as possible to the rear wheels, enabling a so-called drift mode. The new RS Performance mode balances power distribution more judiciously, and Audi claims it nearly erases over and understeer for truly quick motoring.
The standard sport suspension obviously improves the dynamics of the vehicle but if you opt for the adaptive suspension, you get active dampers that continuously adjust based on road conditions, driver demands, and drive mode settings.
Both RS 3 variants (Sportback and Sedan) get aggressive new designs. The grille and its gloss black surround dominate the front end, with air intakes in the bumper corners providing additional cooling capacity. An LED headlight signature with a checkered flag motif does a little choreography when approaching or leaving the vehicle, spelling out RS3 in the matrix. The front fenders get slit-like vents just ahead of the door shut line, and box-style flares over the wheels add a little visual link to the original Audi Quattro.
More aggressive side skirts, a vented rear bumper with the same hexagonal mesh as the front bumper, and a subtle roof spoiler on the hatch or decklid spoiler on the sedan round out the other aerodynamic changes. The kinked-LED taillights have their own lock and unlock animation, and Audi RS–signature dual oval exhaust outlets appear on either side of a gloss black rear diffuser. Finally, the RS 3 gets an available blacked-out roof panel for some added evil.
Inside you will find a Lamborghini-like interior with a 12.3-inch Audi Virtual Cockpit gauge cluster and 10.1-inch infotainment display running MIB3 as standard. You can opt for some RS-signature honeycomb seat quilting with either green, red or black stitching and if you add the interior design pack, you get even more red or green accents scattered around the interior.
Local introduction, pricing and model availability will be made available at a later date but we can assume both variants will be making their way to our shores and if Audi pricing at the moment is anything to go by, we could see this become some serious bang for your buck.
