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Audi RS3

Storming new super hatch offers huge turn of pace, but does it deliver on driver thrills?

Audi RS3 clamp shot

Text: Sam Hardy / Photos: Pete Gibson

June 2011

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The hot hatch has been redefined – now it’s the turn of the super hatch. The new RS3 packs 335bhp from a 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo that sits in a five-door Sportback body, and is the fastest compact family car Audi has ever made. 

We’ve already driven it on the twisty rally stage roads of the Col de Turini in France, but how does the £39,900 machine stack up in the UK? 

*Video review from the international launch of the RS3*

 

Capable of doing 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds, the RS3 is as quick as Audi’s V8-engined R8 supercar, yet seats five and has a 370-litre boot. As well as being practical, it’s well kitted out, with climate control, sports seats covered in Nappa leather upholstery, sat-nav and Bluetooth as standard – not to mention quattro four-wheel drive and a seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch gearbox.

On first impressions, though, you might wonder what the fuss is about. Yes, the wheelarches are flared and, yes, they’re filled with 19-inch Titanium-finished alloys, but our metallic grey car didn’t turn many heads. Expect only those in the know to spot the twin exhausts, big air intakes and RS3 badges. And it’s a similar story inside, with a flat-bottomed steering wheel and those seats the major changes. 

Around town, the RS3 proves very easy to live with – unlike most S or RS-badged Audis, the ride is actually pretty good. It’s firm but not crashy. 

The gearbox is smooth, too, while the 2.5-litre engine is quiet on light throttle openings and that long seventh gear makes for hushed high-speed cruising. 

It all feels extremely civilised.

But there’s another side to the RS3. To reveal it, flick the gearlever into manual, which allows you to take full control of the ratios, and press the Sport button, which sharpens response and opens a valve in the exhaust.

Floor the throttle, and you will be pinned hard into the seat, as the wonderful five-cylinder warble makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. 

Without doubt, the RS3 has one of the world’s best soundtracks, mixing a deep off-beat thrum with just the right amount of turbo whoosh. And with 450Nm of torque spread between 1,600rpm and 5,300rpm, there are no holes in its delivery, either – only easily accessible, absolutely crushing performance. Swift changes from the S tronic box further enhance this towering punch; each flick of the steering wheel-mounted paddle barely interrupts the amazing thrust.

And the RS3 treats corners with as much disdain as it does straights. It stays extremely flat, thanks to a widened track and 25mm lower ride height over a normal Sportback. The springs and dampers are 25 per cent stiffer than those in the S3, so it’s extremely agile, too. 

There is some understeer on the limit, but you’d have to be going very fast indeed on a public road to encounter it. And the real attraction for most buyers will be the confidence and security that 
the quattro four-wheel-drive system provides. Few cars can accelerate as hard and with as little drama out of a wet T-junction as an Audi RS3. A powerful rear-drive model such as a BMW 1-Series M Coupé wouldn’t see which way it went. 

But for all its ability, there’s something missing. Unlike the R8 and previous-generation RS4, the RS3 doesn’t involve the driver as much as it should. The steering feels artificial, while the automatic box is, if anything, too efficient and clinical. This car is so easy to drive quickly that it’s not much of a challenge. 

Despite this, the RS3 is such an incredible exercise in no-nonsense A to B performance, there’s simply no doubting its status as a super hatch. 

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9 Comments

2 many doors!

Nice interior (M-B's SLK designers please not!) - but rather a bland exterior style.

And a 5-door body? Sorry, that's 2 doors too many for an S3!

Is it worth nearly £40K? No way!!

By nickwilcock on 28 June, 2011, 7:42am

Dull, dull, dull

For the performance and the bundled kit, it's not too excessively priced I feel. & I'm a fan of the low key Q-car, but why is this RS3 so unremittingly dull, both inside and out? I agree with nickwilcock that the body shape looks out of kilter, and losing a couple of doors would improve things, but even then it would still be boringly dreary and grey.

By iamaweasel01 on 28 June, 2011, 10:53am

Uber-expensive hot hatch for boy racers?

It's based on an Audi A3 hatch, which in turn is merely a re-skinned VW Golf. It has loud wheels and a body kit, and a lot of grunt.

It just might be worth £30k. At close to £40k, you'd have to be mad to even think of buying one. Who on earth is it aimed at?

By foto2021 on 28 June, 2011, 11:08am

If you don't like it, choose a BMW.

The deal-breaker for me was no sunroof option (standard on the RS2 which I was proud to own in '95). Despite moving away from the original RS concept, at least Audi maintained the practicality by using the Sportback shell and not style over substance with a 3-door. Just needs black roof rails and black styling pack in my opinion, though why you have to pay for black is beyond me. And the garish red wheels which devalue the car to "pimped Saxo" level - well, they just about work with a red car, but have the same appeal as the "look at me" metal detailing. All black wheels would have been a welcome option. Let's not forget that RS products were always about stealth (assuming you chose a discrete colour) until recent years/products.

By aphwright on 28 June, 2011, 11:38am

Hmmm...

@foto2021

You know exactly who this car is aimed at.

Not the real drivers but the type of people who simply want to have the most expensive car in the range just for the sake of it to show off. Audi seem to have cornered this market very well. probably temp some Range Rover Sport drivers.

By Chirpy on 28 June, 2011, 11:58am

Whats the point when they are all sold?

Great car, shame Audi is only supplying 1/4 of the demand for the RS3. It just dont understand Audi's business plan which prevents profit being made from greater sales. Its like their Audi Q5, if delaers were supplied with more vehicles they would sell more. It just seems so stupid to me, but then again, Im not German.

By Cyeber on 28 June, 2011, 2:43pm

Hmmm... (2)

I agree with Chirpy

I drove the current S3 when it first came out and is fun to drive, better than the rear wheel drive bigots will ever admit to.

Why didn't I buy one? At £30K it was just too dull, a £40K RS3 is just as dull, and I can't bring myself to part with £40K for an A3 1.6 in a stormtroopers uniform.

Anyone with £40K to spend, buy a good 997, it will make you smile more.

By dav01wat on 28 June, 2011, 6:54pm

Opinion

Yes. Too expensive...and I want a 3 door version.....and uh...a massive wing and some bonnet bulge/ vents! Then I would consider it! Spice it up Audi.

By badboyrocco on 29 June, 2011, 2:10pm

Well this certainly bought out the nasties, and those that speak through the wrong orifice, and as for a 997 making me smile..... you're joking! I value my life to much to put it in the hands of an expertly engineered car, trying DESPERATELY to defy the law of physics.
My 'remaraks' are for AE....
Capable of doing 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds, the RS3 is as quick as Audi’s V8-engined R8 supercar". Umm, is that 5 up?? Or numbers to make the car sound good.
What did you actually drive....a red car or a grey one??
I know this is boring old stuff, but did anyone bother with the weight of the car?? Or the Cd?? Suppose aerodynamics are old hat now.....just make them go faster. And whatever the price, I'd never buy one with those boring as batshit "titanium finished" generic 5 spoke wheels.
"doesn’t involve the driver as much as it should". What rubbish is this?? And according to whom? Some mere [opinionated] two-bob motor noter??
This car is so easy to drive quickly that it’s not much of a challenge. Does no one have a memory round here? Honda beautifully upstaged Ferrari with the NSX, because it was a supercar that WAS easy to drive. I suspect AE get a bit casual with details and sometimes accuracy, for the sake of a loud story. Audi know how to make beautiful wheels, and understand they can absolutely make the finish to a car's looks. In other respects I'm sure its a fantastic car. It would be extremely well screwed together, with panel gaps the envy of most others, and they have always set the bench mark for interiors.



By barina47 on 1 July, 2011, 8:33am

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Pictures

Audi RS3 clamp shot
Audi RS3 front
Audi RS3 dashboard
Audi RS3 engine
Audi RS3 gearstick
Audi RS3 dials
Audi RS3 wheel

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FIRST OPINION

    Audi has a reptuation for producing stunningly fast yet subtle and practical sports cars – and the new RS3 has stuck to that script. It’s powered by one of the world’s best engines, with a great soundtrack, and the quattro four-wheel drive makes it easy to drive fast in any weather. As fast as it is, though, it’s not as involving or as fun as the similarly priced BMW 1-Series M Coupé. That won’t matter to fans of the brand, but it might stop Audi from attracting new customers.
 

AT A GLANCE

    Price: £39,900
    Engine: 2.5-litre 5cyl turbo
    Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch, all-wheel drive
    Power/torque: 335bhp/450Nm
    0-62mph: 4.6 seconds
    Top speed: 155mph (limited)
    Economy/CO2: 31mpg/212g/km
    Equipment: Sat-nav, Audi music interface, Nappa leather upholstery with heated sports seats, climate control, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth
    On sale: Now
     
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