At this level, practically midway by a decade through which electrification is accelerating at a speedy tempo, most inner combustion engines are fairly related configurations, particularly on the subject of efficiency automobiles. There’s numerous single-turbo inline-fours, turbo’d six-cylinders, twin-turbo V8s which are often 4 liters in displacement… And that’s about it, no less than till you get into supercar territory.
There’s one automotive that bucks that pattern, although, and it’s in a stunning phase. The Audi RS3 has a mega-powerful turbocharged inline-5 that’s probably the most characterful and attention-grabbing engines you should purchase, made much more fulfilling by the truth that it’s in a compact sedan. In a world of great-yet-too-similar engines and EVs that finest their efficiency figures, the RS3 stands out for the appropriate causes, making the case for inner combustion.
Full disclosure: Audi dropped off an RS3 at my condo with a full tank of gasoline and let me drive it round for per week. My mortgage was earlier this 12 months and I’ve had this overview in my backlog, and am lastly getting it printed forward of my first-drive of the up to date 2025 RS3 that’s coming subsequent weekend.
Audi has a protracted historical past of five-cylinder engines, and this explicit motor has been round for the reason that second generations of each TT RS and RS3. Within the 2024 RS3 the turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-5 produces 401 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, making it probably the most {powerful} compact automobiles ever made. That’s double the ability of the usual A3, and a rise of 95 hp and 74 lb-ft over the four-cylinder S3. Audi pairs the five-cyl with a 7-speed dual-clutch automated transmission mated to its Quattro all-wheel-drive system.
And my God, is it speedy. Audi says the RS3 will go from 0 to 60 mph in a mere 3.6 seconds, and even with out utilizing launch management that feels underrated. (Automotive And Driver obtained one to 60 in 3.3 seconds.) In accordance with Audi’s numbers that makes it faster to 60 than an RS5 coupe, and just a few tenths off an RS6 Avant. It’s not simply fast from a cease, both. Ground it at 30 mph and the RS3 rockets ahead with ferocity; do the identical at freeway speeds and also you get EV-esque response and pace positive aspects. Even in Consolation mode the RS3 promptly reacts to a squeeze of the appropriate pedal. That quickness is a bit sudden given how max torque doesn’t are available in till 3,500 rpm, and max energy isn’t reached till 6,500 rpm, 500 shy of the redline. Serving to the RS3’s acceleration is the dual-clutch transmission that fires off punchy shifts, reacting shortly to throttle inputs and instantly downshifting even within the less-intense drive modes.
The five-cylinder engine feels extra particular to wring out than your typical turbocharged four-cylinders, and it sounds way more characterful as well. My check automotive has the $1,000 RS sport exhaust system that makes the RS3 sound like a classic rally automotive, emitting sharp barks and burbles with a pronounced warble at idle. It’s simply begging to be pushed exhausting, and it’s powerful to not punch it from each stoplight.
Being an Audi, and a less expensive small one at that, the RS3 does generally tend to understeer, nevertheless it’s much more enjoyable to drive than most of its siblings. In most conditions it stays impartial by corners, solely beginning to push after I actually get on it. That is helped by a trick torque splitter on the rear driveshaft that makes use of a pair of multi-disc clutches to ship as much as 100% of the obtainable torque (50 p.c of the whole) to both rear wheel as wanted. Come right into a nook too sizzling, and the RS3 is ready to pull itself out of the apex with ease because it shuffles torque round. This isn’t a automotive that requires a fragile contact; it’s extra of a steak knife than a scalpel, the place the reply is often to only use extra energy. It helps that the RS3’s metal brakes are nice, with 6-piston calipers and 14.8-inch discs up entrance and single-piston calipers with 12.2-inch discs within the rear that present a pleasant chew and barely any fade on a quick canyon run.
Its steering is fast and exact however too gentle for my tastes, an issue I’ve with most Audis. The Bridgestone Potenza summer season tires on my check automotive present a whole lot of grip whereas emitting nary a peep, and the RS3’s entrance observe is wider than the rear, measuring 265/30 within the entrance and 245/35 out again. It additionally rides fairly effectively, by no means getting unsettled even with the hydraulically adjustable dampers in Dynamic mode, although the softest setting remains to be fairly agency. Audi quotes a curb weight of
In the event you don’t wish to rip round like a rally driver, the RS3’s Consolation mode makes it really feel mainly as comfy and quiet as a standard A3, or you possibly can put it in Dynamic for sportier on a regular basis driving. A extremely configurable Particular person mode will be introduced up with an RS button on the steering wheel, which may additionally toggle on the RS Efficiency mode that gives probably the most aggressive powertrain and chassis setup with a looser stability management tune. It’s much less fussy than a whole lot of different automobiles’ efficiency modes, and clicking by every setting yields genuinely noticeable variations.
The RS3 appears correctly cool, too. This era of A3 sedan is already extra muscular than the earlier mannequin, with the boxy flared fenders doing a whole lot of that work. The RS3 has a fair higher stance due to a 1.3-inch-wider entrance observe and actual vents added to the entrance fenders simply forward of the doorways. The grille and entrance intakes are even greater, the headlights have a candy checkered flag motif, the facet skirts are extra pronounced, and the rear bumper has a full-width fake vent component above a diffuser that homes an enormous oval exhaust tip on all sides. You’ll be able to even purchase the RS3 in actual colours, just like the $595 Python Yellow of my check automotive or a searing no-cost Kyalami Inexperienced, and the $250 black is a pleasant accent.
It’s simply too dangerous the inside isn’t as attractive. Certain, the entrance seats are aggressively bolstered, the perforated leather-based steering wheel is grippy, and there are many suede and carbon-fiber accents, however there’s not a lot character. Audi’s angular inside design language has been rising on me, however completed in all black it’s simply not an thrilling place to be. (Not less than you possibly can spec vivid inexperienced or purple stitching to liven it up.) I’m glad the RS3 doesn’t get the dual-screen MMI setup, counting on a ten.1-inch touchscreen with a pair rows of bodily buttons for issues like local weather controls. Audi’s digital cockpit 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster stays nice, particularly within the sporty drive modes the place it will get race-inspired graphics, and each screens are in a position to present a whole lot of efficiency data.
The 2024 RS3 begins at $63,395 together with vacation spot, a 63-percent improve from a base A3 sedan. That’s a whole lot of scratch for a compact automotive… Or is it? The most affordable BMW M2 is $66,075, the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing begins at $62,890, and you may’t get a Mercedes-AMG CLA45 for lower than $68,200 now that the S model is the one one obtainable. With objects just like the $2,500 RS Expertise package deal (navigation, a 3D Bang & Olufsen sound system, a head-up show and visitors signal recognition) and the $500 Black Optic Plus package deal (matte black wheels with summer season tires and black badges and different accents) added on, my nearly-loaded RS3 check automotive got here out to $68,590, fairly a bit lower than its opponents could be with all of the packing containers ticked.
In the event you can abdomen spending that a lot on a Volkswagen Golf–primarily based sedan, you gained’t be disillusioned. The RS3 is a particular little automotive that stands out amongst its efficiency automotive friends, and it’s a dying breed. Following the loss of life of the TT it’s the one Audi within the U.S. to make use of the inline-5, and there aren’t any different manufacturers producing five-cylinders. As Audi heads towards electrification we would not get a next-gen RS3 with this motor both, so we ought to be particularly glad it nonetheless exists for now.
