Photo: Audi
The Audi RS3 sedan has received the green light for production. It's not official yet, but we could even start seeing test prototypes soon, as the current A3 has about 3-4 years to live.
Several people have been told that the RS3 sedan is happening at the Audi Summit for North America. Company execs were all too pleased to report the good news to their employees. The story is spreading like wildfire within the community, as fans have wanted this car since the A3 got its 4-door body.
Nothing is clear at the moment, but a sedan powered by the 2.5-liter turbocharged engine has been on the table since the A3 clubsport quattro was presented back at the 2014 Worthersee meeting. While the concept had over 500 horsepower at its disposal, we'd be lucky to get even 400 ponies on a reliable production car. Still, that's not a bad number at all.
According to Quattro World, the RS3 sedan should arrive with all the features of the A3 facelift. That means it will be available with the Virtual Cockpit from the TT and brand new LED headlights that are similar to the A4's. The leather bucket seats will be borrowed from the hatchback, along with the optional wheels and exhaust.
Considering that electric cars are changing the performance industry, it's a case of "now or never" for the RS3 sedan. The 2.5-liter turbo doesn't have much more to give in its current configuration. However, this model isn't just about performance or keeping up with the Mercedes CLA 45 AMG in a drag race.
You see, the TT RS is in the late stages of development and has been spied with a 6-speed manual gearbox. By offering this alongside the 7-speed S-Tronic option, Audi is going after driver enjoyment. With its first AWD system and a dedicated drift mode, the Ford Focus RS promises to be 2016's performance hero in this part of the market. It might have slightly less power than the RS3, but tuning the 2.3-liter can easily fix that.
So what else will make the RS3 sedan unique? Well, the off-firing five-cylinder engine is nearly unique, and it makes a spectacular sound. The interior will also have some special features that even some luxury limos lack. But getting the FWD-based quattro to work like magic will be the biggest challenge faced by Audi's engineers.
Nothing is clear at the moment, but a sedan powered by the 2.5-liter turbocharged engine has been on the table since the A3 clubsport quattro was presented back at the 2014 Worthersee meeting. While the concept had over 500 horsepower at its disposal, we'd be lucky to get even 400 ponies on a reliable production car. Still, that's not a bad number at all.
According to Quattro World, the RS3 sedan should arrive with all the features of the A3 facelift. That means it will be available with the Virtual Cockpit from the TT and brand new LED headlights that are similar to the A4's. The leather bucket seats will be borrowed from the hatchback, along with the optional wheels and exhaust.
Considering that electric cars are changing the performance industry, it's a case of "now or never" for the RS3 sedan. The 2.5-liter turbo doesn't have much more to give in its current configuration. However, this model isn't just about performance or keeping up with the Mercedes CLA 45 AMG in a drag race.
You see, the TT RS is in the late stages of development and has been spied with a 6-speed manual gearbox. By offering this alongside the 7-speed S-Tronic option, Audi is going after driver enjoyment. With its first AWD system and a dedicated drift mode, the Ford Focus RS promises to be 2016's performance hero in this part of the market. It might have slightly less power than the RS3, but tuning the 2.3-liter can easily fix that.
So what else will make the RS3 sedan unique? Well, the off-firing five-cylinder engine is nearly unique, and it makes a spectacular sound. The interior will also have some special features that even some luxury limos lack. But getting the FWD-based quattro to work like magic will be the biggest challenge faced by Audi's engineers.
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