We don't even want to check how long it's been since we first saw the RS3 sedan at that US dealer presentation. However, Audi finally decided to bring it out and it's a spectacular 400 horsepower speed machine.
Calling it the best small RS model is actually an understatement on our part. It's far better designed than the RS3 hatchback, ridiculously faster than the RS Q3 and more practical than the TT RS. No quattro GmbH fan wants a tiny car that can comfortably seat only two people. They want something for the Alpine ski vacation, and the RS3 sedan is it. The only thing that'd be better is an RS3 wagon.
The big story is under the hood, a brand new 2.5-liter TFSI that' built in Hungary with aluminum components. It's 26 kilograms lighter and packs 400 PS and 480 Nm (354 pound-feet) of torque.
All that power goes through a quattro all-wheel drive system. However, there's no mention of the manual we all wanted to see. So is it fast? Well, yes, but the TT RS is still the keen of speed. The RS3 sedan takes 4.1 seconds to reach 100 km/h, making it 0.4 of a second slower than its 2-door brother, but it's still 0.1s faster than the CLA 45 AMG. How much do you want to see that drag race?
If you order the de-restricted model, the RS3 4-door can also reach a top speed of 280 km/h (174.0 mph), which is mind-blowing for a compact.
Beyond the speed, this is also the first 2017 model year RS3, so it comes with the digital dash that you couldn't get before. The interior is sprinkled with horrible red plastic on the air vents, but you can opt to have it in carbon.
We can't complain about the exterior styling, though. Te front end features a deep black grille, followed by a chin spoiler and large side intakes. Pure sound accompanies the experience, as you will be able to witness in the videos below.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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