What's this all about?
400hp. 480Nm of torque. 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds. That's what this is about.
Hmmm, sounds interesting...
It certainly is. Audi has taken the delightful move of stuffing its warbly 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo petrol engine (of RS 3 Sportback and TT RS fame) into the A3 saloon to create an RS 3 version, and thankfully hasn't overlooked the chassis along the way. All-wheel drive with Haldex torque proportioning, a 25mm drop in ride height and revised steering and damping mean that cornering ability should live up to the increase in straight-line pace. Top speed is limited to 250km/h and there are seven speeds in the S tronic gearbox.
But how will people tell that it's the fast one?
Bigger wheels, the grille-and-lip treatment on the bumpers and 'quattro' emblazoned across the front should do the trick. There's some natty sports seats inside and Audi's Virtual Cockpit can be configured to put the rev-counter in prominent view on the dash.
My new RS 3 isn't racy enough. Please help.
No problem! There's also an RS 3 LMS version with which you can compete in touring car racing's TCR category. You'll have to make do with the 2.0-litre four-cylinder TFSI engine, but the six-speed sequential gearbox and super-aggressive aero should more than make up for it. Yours from only €99,000 (about £85,000), excluding VAT...
Maurice Malone - 4 Oct 2016