Audi RS 3 Swings for the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S Hot Hatch King, But Does It Hit?

The Affalterbach brand's two traditional rivals, BMW's M division and Audi's RS range appear to have all but downed weapons in this segment. With no proper 1 Series M version, the former has essentially withdrawn altogether, whereas the latter has fallen prey to complacency as the A 45 S took the old RS 3 completely by surprise.

In its top trim level, the Mercedes-AMG hot hatch develops 415 hp (421 PS) and 369 lb-ft of maximum torque (500 Nm), reaching all four corners of the car through a sporty all-wheel-drive system. The specs are quite impressive on their own, but they become absolutely astounding when you find out all that power comes from a turbocharged two-liter four-cylinder engine - OK, it's not just any two-liter four-cylinder engine but the most powerful of its kind used in any production car in the world.

Obviously, gaining access to this kind of supercar-rivaling performance in a car that still maintains the same practicality levels as any other Mercedes-Benz A-Class comes at a price, but then again, seeing the look on the faces of all the sports car drivers you're going to leave behind is probably worth paying entry-level Porsche levels of money for it.

Funnily enough, the thing that makes the A 45 S so great, its engine, is also one of the few things that could be used against the hot hatch. The complaint has nothing to do with its power or delivery but rather its sound. Try as it might, AMG couldn't hide the fact it's just a four-cylinder unit, which means its acoustic note will always pale in comparison to Audi's five-cylinder or BMW's potential straight-six.

Apart from that, the only other quibble one might raise would have to be the AMG's super ferocious nature. It may still be usable as a small family car, but that doesn't mean it'll ever stop biting at everything in its path, even with the kids inside. The A 45 S doesn't know how to take a break from being the adrenaline junkie it was built to be, so you better know what you're signing up for if you plan on buying one.

The new Audi RS 3 Sportback does a great job at exploiting these very few shortcomings of its rival by sticking to the 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine and its unique note as well as giving the hot hatch all the performance it needs while also offering the user the option to switch some of it off and make the car a lot easier to live with.

Yes, it has less power and doesn't match the A 45 S in terms of performance and drama, but it's not that far off on either of these measurements. Where it provides a very big departure from the AMG, however, is under the day-to-day usability metric.

The new RS 3 Sportback, this review claims, fails only marginally to match the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S in terms of performance but is by far the more practical car out of the pair. If it's the ultimate performance you're after, you'll want the Merc. If it's the ultimate hot hatch, though, then the discussion is a lot more nuanced.