Committed to a confounding combination of hi-per competence: Audi RS3
By Iain Robertson’s reckoning, Audi may have just formulated not one but two entirely new car classifications: mega-hatch and mega-loon, with the heavily revised versions of its comprehensibly reconstituted RS3 (it’s enough to make your head spin!).
It would be reasonable to state that Audi has probably created more ‘firsts’ in its brand’s existence than any other single marque. If you do not believe me, then I advise you to carry out your own Internet search to confirm it. For me, long-time rallying fan and Audi critic, the landmark era lay in the launch of the Ur Quattro, the original flared fender but otherwise square-rigged coupe based on the Audi 80. Much of my fascination arose from its offbeat five-cylinder engine warble, which was seldom characterised better than when on full-chat, belching yellow and blue flames, accompanied by wastegate chatter reverberating off Forestry Commission tree-lined tracks on British stage rallies.
Where other RS models emerging from Audi’s ‘skunk warehouse’ relied on vee-power, there was a period during which I feared that the ‘old’ five-pot might become the slowly erased memory, as reminiscent as Ford’s twin-Weberised BDG performing its customary 7,000rpm yowl but possessing nowhere close to the German’s sometimes terrifying delivery. Virtually fresh from the box, Audi dominated stage rallying, whether on gravel or tarmac, driven by heroes little surpassed in the near-anodyne period since, where racing lines and chassis neutrality may have proven faster but markedly less exciting.
Yet, for the past nine years in a row, the Audi 2.5-litre 5-cylinder unit has lifted the annual International Engine of the Year award and, in its latest guise, with a soupcon of extra grunt, as fitted to the RS3, it is almost certain to have scored a maximum for another year. While I shall come to the more purposeful exterior of the twin models in a few moments, I want to stick with that phenomenal powerhouse. It develops a cool 396bhp, allied to not far off 369lbs ft of unarguably well-spread torque, which is enough to spirit a throttle-mashed RS3 from 0-60mph in just 3.5s, on its way to a potential maximum speed of around 180mph.
I should highlight that the cars’ stated top speed is the customary and politically correct 155mph, however, Launch Edition and Vorsprung trim versions can boast a top whack of 174mph, while factoring in the Dynamic Package and ceramic disc brakes will help owners to realise the 180mph claim. It is an enticing package, especially when mated to the 7-speed, twin-clutch, automated-manual transmission, with its quicker shift times and more closely related ratio spread that are entirely compliant with the cars’ character. There is even an RS Sport exhaust option to ensure that the warble is ring-fenced for perpetuity.
The latest RS3 is the first Audi to come standard with a torque splitter that replaces the rear differential and the previous multiple disc clutch package on the rear axle. In their places, an electronically controlled multi-disc clutch is used on each of the drive shafts, which ensures that an optimised amount of torque is delivered across the rear axle. During more press-on driving, the torque splitter increases the drive torque to the respective outer rear wheel with the higher wheel load, which reduces significantly the car’s natural tendency towards understeer. In left-hand curves, it transmits the drive torque to the right rear wheel, in right-hand curves to the left rear wheel, and when driving straight ahead to both wheels.
The revised technology also makes controlled drifts on private tracks possible, as the torque splitter directs all of the power to only one of the rear wheels, with a near 1,290lbs ft per wheel possible. Audi calls it ‘RS Torque Rear’; a drift mode with its own characteristic curve for the torque splitter. Audi’s RS Performance mode, created specifically for the racetrack, is another never-before-seen innovation, which uses a specific engine and transmission electronic configuration, whereby the torque splitter delivers a particularly dynamic, sporty ride along the longitudinal axis, with as little understeer and oversteer as possible. They can be dialled in using the Audi Drive Select mode system that also offers comfort, auto, dynamic, RS Individual and efficiency driver selectable settings.
Until piloting the new RS3, I had believed that the most driver-orientated car from Audi’s extensive range was the TT RS. While granny was safe to make her next visit to the dispensary with ease, an enthusiastic driver could hop into the same close-coupled cockpit, flicking the car from one lock to the next, indulging in perfectly conducted slips and slides, with the unerring confidence of an automotive professional. RS3 has moved on the game with freshly valved dampers and more pertinent camber angles, while a purposefully lower ride height and quicker steering rack aid stability.
Audi’s most recent honeycomb radiator grille has been adapted to suit the snout of the RS3. LED headlamps, with a matrix option, complete the frontal aspect, with new air outlets built into the widened flanks and more stylish tail-end treatments. Although cast, rather than forged light alloy, the 19.0-inch diameter Y-spoke alloys look splendid, although the 5-spoke alternatives are even racier.
The cabin has been improved with the cross-stitched leather upholstery and the adoption of the VW corporate digital dashboard display. The centrally located touchscreen reveals specific RS details such as coolant, engine and transmission oil, as well as tyre pressures. A head-up display, now as comprehensive and colourful as that of the latest Golf GTi, supplements driver information in a usefully non-distractive manner. Naturally, opt for the Carbon package and the soft trim reverts to the racier alternative.
Both Audi RS3 Sportback and RS3 saloon models will be available to order in the UK from mid‑August 2021, with first customer deliveries being made towards the end of the year. The base price for the Sportback is set at £50,900, while the RS3 saloon is listed at just £1,000 more. For as long as Audi can continue to extoll the virtues of the internal combustion engine, I, for one, will remain a fan of the brand. At a time when more compact equates to greater overall efficiency, I can see that the RS3 in either guise, while pricey, represents tremendous bhp/£ value.
