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Spyshots: All-New Audi RS3 Rumored to Have a 2.0 TFSI with 400 HP

There's no question that Audi builds a much faster, more relevant hot hatch in the shape the new 300 horsepower S3. Not only is it available in four body styles for the first time ever, but its acceleration is truly impressive if you consider the 2-liter engine class. With S tronic, it takes just 4.8 seconds for the hatch version to reach 100 km/h, which is actually a little faster than an RS5 Cabrio. That car not only has twice as many cylinders, but costs twice as much as well.
All-New Audi RS3 7 photos
Photo: CarPix
All-New Audi RS3 SportbackAll-New Audi RS3 SportbackAll-New Audi RS3 SportbackAll-New Audi RS3 SportbackAll-New Audi RS3 SportbackAll-New Audi RS3 Sportback
But, if you want the ultimate version of the S3, there's no substituting the RS3. We know for a fact that Audi is developing a brand new generation and it could be hugely impressive. This latest set of spyshots shows the Sportback undergoing road testing, under its camo wrap being a more aggressive front end design, wider fenders and a reworked rear.

Previous reports have indicated the car has a 2.5-liter TFSI with 367 PS. Deliveries were supposed to start next spring, but a new story coming from the German media outlet Auto Zeituing says something else. According to them, the new RS3 will have a 2.0 liter turbo engine, a 4-cylinder, just like the one fitted to the TT offroad concept shown in Beijing.

Power would not be limited to just 367 PS, but would reach 400 PS, just like the Golf R 400 that Volkswagen showcased in Beijing and promised to put into production.

While the fact that Audi and Volkswagen are lining up their intentions with a 400 PS 2-liter turbo gives credibility to this report, it's not characteristic to the German modus operandi. Giving 400 hp to the RS3 would make it almost as powerful as an S6. In addition, the 60 PS jump in output from one generation to the next is uncharacteristic. Remember, the new RS6 actually came out with less power than the old one.

We'll stick to our old stories and trust Audi to deliver a good RS3, made all the more cooler by the only 5-cylinder engine in the business.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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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.
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