Photo: Spdesignsest / Instagram
The ute, short for “utility” is a popular term used by Australians mostly to describe vehicles with a bed and a tonneau cover behind the passenger compartment, traditionally built using passenger car chassis. Some people use the term ute to describe just about any vehicle with an open cargo area (like your typical pickup truck), but we prefer to stick with the original meaning of the word.
Culturally, Australians are also quite familiar with high-performance utes, such as the HSV Maloo, which sadly is no longer in production. Even more sadly, HSV itself is dead and gone, replaced by GMSV (GM Specialty Vehicles), who will gladly sell you a Silverado or a Corvette C8, but not a performance ute, and certainly not one where the bed is integrated within the body.
Well, leave it to designer Siim Parn to do something about the absence of new utes. His solution: using the virtual realm to transform the all-new 2022 Audi RS 3 sedan into something a little more utilitarian.
The result is interesting, to say the least. Actually, we can’t imagine anybody saying no to at least driving such a car, especially with that turbocharged five-cylinder 2.5-liter TFSI engine under the hood.
With a peak output of 401 hp (407 ps) and 368 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque, a hypothetical RS 3 ute should rocket to 60 mph (97 kph) about as quickly as its real-life counterpart – so roughly 3.5 seconds.
By the way, since the car wouldn’t need a back seat anymore and there would be less weight pressing on the rear axle, the RS 3’s new-generation RS Torque Splitter would definitely have its work cut out. It would be a hoot though, because that car also comes with a so-called 'RS Torque Rear' drift mode, which sounds extremely ute-worthy.
Well, leave it to designer Siim Parn to do something about the absence of new utes. His solution: using the virtual realm to transform the all-new 2022 Audi RS 3 sedan into something a little more utilitarian.
The result is interesting, to say the least. Actually, we can’t imagine anybody saying no to at least driving such a car, especially with that turbocharged five-cylinder 2.5-liter TFSI engine under the hood.
With a peak output of 401 hp (407 ps) and 368 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque, a hypothetical RS 3 ute should rocket to 60 mph (97 kph) about as quickly as its real-life counterpart – so roughly 3.5 seconds.
By the way, since the car wouldn’t need a back seat anymore and there would be less weight pressing on the rear axle, the RS 3’s new-generation RS Torque Splitter would definitely have its work cut out. It would be a hoot though, because that car also comes with a so-called 'RS Torque Rear' drift mode, which sounds extremely ute-worthy.
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