As we know, Audi names their most powerfull models with RS letters. But not every Audi was available in this variant. Some time ago there was only RS4 and RS6. Since 2009 that family is successfully expanding. The introduction of the powerful and sporty Audi RS3 was one of the new models. We went for a ride with this car in Poland.
It started with TT-RS, one year later they showed us RS5 and just before end of 2010 pictures of small 5-door devil flashed around the world. After about 8 years of presence on the market of A3 8P the most powerfull variant appeared- RS3. Better late, than never. As we can see, people are now more fussy and they need more horsepower in all segments of cars. Audi meets their desires by enlarging RS model range. Let's get back to RS3. For about €50,000 we get Audi A3 Sportback with an engine and drivetrain from TT-RS. So under the hood you can find 2,5-liter, inline 5-cylinder engine supported by turbocharger, which blows on us with 340 hp and 450 nm of torque. To transmit that numbers to the road, Audi linked the engine and four wheel drive with an 7-speed S tronic gearbox. Unfortunately, customer is restricted by engineers from Ingolstadt, and can't choose for manual gearbox. But, every cloud has a silver lining. Thanks to super-fast gear changes, we can reach 100 km/h in just 4,6 second. If you had the opportunity to configure the Audi RS3 you know that you could not release your creativity. Just ONE, black colored leather which can be fitted on one of two types of seats. We got tough choice when we have to choose paint. There are as many as FOUR different colors- white, grey, black and red. Of course, you can go for something extra by choosing one of Audi Exclusive options, but that costs a lot!
As a standard, our RS3 is quite well equipped. On board we will find everything that driver and his guests would like to. Of course, we can make it even better and take some more options. For example, better, bucket leather seats, multimedia system with navigation or BOSE surround sound system. The list have some more options and our RS3 could costs even about €65,000. Is it worth it? Yes! We feel cosy in the interior, but there is no shortage of sports accents too. Red details just encourage us to driving faster and faster. Flappy paddle gearbox is doing the same! They asks for shifting at high revs and downshifts just before every corner.
Audi RS3 appears as a car for everything. You can fit in your 5-door Sportback body some people and some luggage, and passengers from rear seats don't have to squeeze behind the front seat getting in and out. It is segment C car, so city driving and finding some parking space isn't hard work. But if you are looking for RS3, you don't mind that benefits. So let's move on to the best part of that Audi. 340 hp and 450 Nm of torque in such a small body just 'works'. Quattro is a must, so it handles so good, even on the snow. All wheel drive isn't permanent, but we can't see the moment when it is turning on or off. Apart of great drivetrain, there is great suspension with adjustable hardness. It is called Audi Magnetic Drive. When we press little 'S' button on the dashboard, some magnesium filling in the dampers are positioning in some way to make the suspension harder. But after press of that button it is not the only feature we change. There are some flaps in the exhaust system, which makes the sound of 5-cylinder engine even better. And finally, that little 'S' button is turning off every electronic stability systems, apart of ABS, to make our ride more exciting.
The RS3, i think, is the happy medium between rear wheel drive BMW 1M and front wheel drive Volkswagen Scirocco R. Additional pair of doors don't disrupt aggressive apperance, so Audi RS3 is sexy car too. If we are driving normally in the city, our car would like to eat about 13 litres of gasoline per 100 kilometers. If we would hit some highways, it will came down to 10 litres. But if our grandpa will borrow our car, on the screen we would see even 8l/100km. For a car with that performance is such a great result! Unfortunately,and perhaps fortunately, production of RS3 has ended and if you are looking for it, you will have to take on from second hand. Across the golbe there are less than 3000 copies, so you have to be lucky to find some nice one.
In Poland Audi sold twelve RS3, so if you will spot one, you are lucky guy. But that gives us nice prospect for the future. People, who bought RS3 can now sit back and see how the value of their car grows up. There will be less and less, because in spite of the incredible traction performance, any mistake can happen even to the best drivers, so we can't protect every car against some accidents. But Audi now is planning to put on the market new RS3 in the 2014. Interesting how many copies will be made. But I know, that RS3 which I drove, will be nice rarity soon.
This driving impression is written by our Polish colleague Łukasz Elszkowski.
