After a couple of years on the market, the magic around the second-generation RS3 was starting to fade pretty badly. But with the help of a new engine and some styling tweaks, Audi has made it relevant once again.
By now, we've come to accept the fact that hatchbacks can have infinite horsepower. I still remember when Honda gave the Type R 200 ponies and we all asked ourselves, "boy, where is this going to go now?" But the RS3 now packs 400 horsepower, though we have to admit that it sometimes goes to all four wheels.
It's been almost a year since the A3 and S3 got their facelift. The headlights obviously came from that, while the bumper design is shared with the recently introduced RS3 sedan. The parts sharing continues behind that grille, where you'll find the latest 2.5 TFSI engine, the one the TT RS debuted.
It's got some parts made from aluminum, so it's 26 kg lighter, though we don't expect that to fix the understeer problems. More importantly, extra boost means 400 PS and 480Nm (354 lb-ft), instead of the previous 367 PS and 465 Nm of torque.
On paper, that makes the hatchback 0.2 seconds faster to 100 km/h, reaching the benchmark for acceleration in 4.1 seconds. However, it might be slightly faster in real life. Th top speed is still either 250km/h (155mph), or 280km/h (174mph) with an optional pack.
Fuel consumption and all that doesn't matter. What does matter is that you can order the digital dashboard. The interior is starting to look a little dated, as the curent A3 nears the last years of its life. However, we think those cream perforated leather seats look the absolute business.
"Virtual Cockpit" sounds corny now that Peugeot has a 12.3-inch dash display on the 3008 crossover. Still, Audi made a special RS menu that shifts the tachometer to the center, displaying on either side the readings for torque, G-forces and tire pressure. That's nifty!
If you want, you can check out all the press photos Audi made available. But they don't do the car justice, which is why we got hold of some video footage, complete with 5-cylinder growling sounds.
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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