This is the first time Audi has given an A3 sedan over to their RS performance division, and this new RS3 sedan is a pocket monster.
The good folks at RS took the 2.5-litre inline five engine from the TT RS, and dumped it into the RS3, without changing the specifications much. The power and torque figures for the RS3 reads as such, 394 bhp and a 49 kgm, 40 bhp more than a Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG. All that power coupled a seven-speed dual clutch transmission with a permanent quattro four-wheel-drive system means that the RS3 hooks up cleanly as you mash the pedal at standstill, hitting 100 kph within 4.1 seconds. Audi says that an unrestricted RS3 will hit a top speed of 280 kph.
Audi has also dropped the ride height by 25 mm and widened the track, and added flared wheel arches for good measures. Brakes have been upgraded to massive 370 mm discs up front and 310 mm at the back. Should you need more braking power, Audi is offering carbon ceramic brakes as an option. There are also a number of software tweaks to many driving and safety systems to give the driver a bit of leeway before these software systems cut power and save you from being a part of the scenery. Part of that claim is that the systems will allow a bit of ‘controlled drifting’ in the Sports mode and a less restrictive ESC system.
The entire A3 range had got a bit of an update earlier this year, with styling changes that follow the new Audi design language, first seen on the Q7 and new technology, like the Virtual Cockpit display. The Audi RS3 also gets all these changes, along with some bits like a more aggressive bumper design, skirts, dual exhausts, sportier seats and RS badges everywhere.
Should Audi get this to India? An emphatic yes!
