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Tuned Audi RS 3 Sportback Sounds Like a Hoot, Drives Like a Rocket at 198 MPH

Standing out in the powertrain crowd as a rare oddity, Audi’s 2.5-liter straight-five TFSI engine has become a staple of the RS 3 Sportback hot hatchback. And it has more potential than its stock 400 ps/395 hp.
Tuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNL 19 photos
Photo: AutoTopNL / YouTube
Tuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNLTuned Audi RS 3 Sportback with 675 ps/666 hp high speed trials by AutoTopNL
Although on a visual level there have been enough changes to make sure anyone will recognize the fourth generation RS 3 Sportback from its predecessor, mechanically they’re still very much related. Sure, the Ingolstadt-based automaker will try and make up for the €62,000 (around $73k) price tag with perks such as the all-new RS Torque Splitter, and more.

But the third- and fourth-generation RS 3 Sportback share the same horsepower rating: 400 ps/395 hp. So, you’re not going to miss much if you are already the proud owner of the previous iteration. Instead, one could easily go down the aftermarket route and make sure the hot hatchback stays relevant for years to come.

The good folks over at the AutoTopNL channel on YouTube got to try out this tuning scenario with an RS 3 that was massaged by Luxembourg-based DVX Performance. After the aftermarket session was done, it came out with an exhilarating soundtrack and supercar abilities. As we are about to see in the video embedded below.

Everything starts with the customary performance card. It now shows 675 ps/666 hp as opposed to the stock format of 400 ps/395 hp. The torque rating has also copiously jumped from 480 Nm/354 lb-ft to no less than 800 Nm/590 lb-ft, while performance has also been enhanced accordingly. Now, it should be able to reach 100 kph (62 mph) in 3.2s (4.1s from the factory) and a maximum speed of 315 kph/196 mph (250 kph/155 mph).

Naturally, all of these get submitted to the GPS-based Autobahn test. But only after we get a neat close-up with the exhaust outlets for the customary sound check along with an AWD launch from the 0:28 mark. The camera switches to an interior POV from the 1:12 mark and it’s time for the festival of very low figures. As such, the 62 mph/100 kph threshold is reached in precisely 3.21s, followed by the 200 kph/124 mph benchmark in 9.62s.

A traditional quarter-mile is wrapped up in a mere 10.74s, while the half-mile takes a total of 16.86 seconds. Even more impressive, it turns out the DVX Performance rating for the top speed was a bit conservative, as the tuned RS 3 Sportback briefly reaches 319 kph/198 mph and there was still a bit of leeway on the rev counter...

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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