Ever since its introduction, the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG has been receiving praises all around. With only a 2.0-liter turbocharged four, it gets 355-horsepower to gallop around and that is quite a lot for a hatchback. But Audi is not going to sit back and let Mercedes take all the glory as they had now come up with their own version of a hot hatch.
Introducing the new Audi RS3 Sportback and while the A45 gets a four-cylinder engine, this new hot hatch gets an extra cylinder for a better oomph. This new engine is the most powerful production five-cylinder in Audi’s history with 362-horsepower and 343 lb-ft of torque from 1,625rpm to 5,550rpm.
“There is a long tradition of five-cylinder engines at Audi. In the 80s, they turned Audi into a sporty brand, both in motorsports and in production. The new Audi RS3 Sportback features the latest generation of our 2.5 liter, five-cylinder engine – the most powerful production engine in the modular transverse matrix,” said Audi CEO Ulrich Hackenberg.
This new 2.5-liter power plant is mated to an improved seven-speed S Tronic dual-clutch transmission that sends the power to Audi’s quattro permanent all-wheel drive system with electronically controlled torque vectoring function. Despite all the additional equipment and safety features, this RS3 Sportback is 55kg lighter than its predecessor, weighing at 1,520kg (without driver).
With such a package, it returns a supercar-like acceleration of zerotohundred in 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h. The car now sits 25mm lower than the regular A3 due to the retuned suspension and can also be equipped with an optional magnetic ride adaptive damper system. Stopping power is provided by a set of 370mm discs with eight piston calipers up front and 310mm with single-pot calipers in the rear.
The interior gets the usual RS treatment of a flat-bottomed steering wheel with leather and Alcantara trim, leather-upholstered sports seats, aluminium pedals, Alcantara door inserts, and a driver’s information system enhanced with a boost pressure indicator, an oil temperature gauge and a lap timer.
