Photo: CarPix
Only a few months before the official unveiling, pre-production prototypes of the third generation of the bonkers Audi RS3 hot hatch are roaming around the world testing.
A poorly camouflaged prototype was recently spotted on its way to or from the ski slopes, somewhere in snowy northern Sweden.
Obviously, Audi’s test drivers had no time to go skiing, but if they did, an all-wheel-drive hot hatch would be a rather nice means of transportation in these heavy winter conditions.
Speaking of AWD, the 2021 Audi RS3 is expected to feature the same system as the current generation of the hot hatch, mainly because the car is based on the exact same platform as its predecessor.
Called MQB Evo, the architecture is shared with other VAG products like the Volkswagen Golf Mk8, SEAT Leon Mk4, and Skoda Octavia Mk4.
Sadly, despite the RS3 being developed by Audi Sport (the artist formerly known as quattro GmbH), the platform doesn’t leave a lot of room to wiggle in the sense of offering a rear-biased driving experience. Part of the decision not to offer a ‘drift mode’ like some of its rivals is deeply linked to the performance division’s way of doing things, albeit they’re not necessarily technical in nature.
That said, don’t think that the next RS3 won’t be a land missile, though, with the turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder being massaged to deliver around 420 horsepower or more this time around.
That amount of firepower should make it even quicker off the line than its bigger brothers, the RS4 and RS5, while also offering a slightly better driving experience thanks to the much smaller weight and size.
The legendary inline five-cylinder engine is likely to live its last ever years in the 2021 Audi RS3, so Audi Sport engineers might have added a 48-volt mild-hybrid system to quench some of its first for fuel while also providing less turbo lag.
We’ll know more once the model get unveiled sometime in the spring of 2021.
Obviously, Audi’s test drivers had no time to go skiing, but if they did, an all-wheel-drive hot hatch would be a rather nice means of transportation in these heavy winter conditions.
Speaking of AWD, the 2021 Audi RS3 is expected to feature the same system as the current generation of the hot hatch, mainly because the car is based on the exact same platform as its predecessor.
Called MQB Evo, the architecture is shared with other VAG products like the Volkswagen Golf Mk8, SEAT Leon Mk4, and Skoda Octavia Mk4.
Sadly, despite the RS3 being developed by Audi Sport (the artist formerly known as quattro GmbH), the platform doesn’t leave a lot of room to wiggle in the sense of offering a rear-biased driving experience. Part of the decision not to offer a ‘drift mode’ like some of its rivals is deeply linked to the performance division’s way of doing things, albeit they’re not necessarily technical in nature.
That said, don’t think that the next RS3 won’t be a land missile, though, with the turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder being massaged to deliver around 420 horsepower or more this time around.
That amount of firepower should make it even quicker off the line than its bigger brothers, the RS4 and RS5, while also offering a slightly better driving experience thanks to the much smaller weight and size.
The legendary inline five-cylinder engine is likely to live its last ever years in the 2021 Audi RS3, so Audi Sport engineers might have added a 48-volt mild-hybrid system to quench some of its first for fuel while also providing less turbo lag.
We’ll know more once the model get unveiled sometime in the spring of 2021.
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