AUDI RS3 SPORTBACK
The big problem with owning a hot hatch is that everyone assumes a hooligan in a baseball cap is lurking behind the wheel. Audi’s RS3 Sportback is the most powerful hot hatch in the country and yet it has no such negative connotations.
Perhaps it’s the four-ring badge that makes people assume the driver has a touch of class. It could be the high-quality interior, or the elegant lines. But make no mistake: this is a beast of a car.
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More powerful than a Porsche Cayman GTS, the RS3 has more horsepower than a Mercedes A45 AMG, VW Golf R and Ford’s new Focus RS. It will rocket from 0 to 100kph in 4.3 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 280kph.
At the heart of the second-generation RS3 is a remarkable 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbocharged engine that burbles menacingly and emits a sinister pop with every downshift.
Power has been boosted from 334bhp to 362bhp, while overall weight has been slashed by 55kg to 1,520kg. Audi’s engineers have tweaked the seven-speed S tronic gearbox, giving it faster shifting times and making comparisons between old and new almost pointless.
There’s no faster five-door hatchback on Ireland’s roads, yet the RS3 could easily be passed off as a common-or-garden Audi. This wolf in sheep’s clothing has unparalleled athleticism, clues to which amount to no more than a subtle bodykit, a honeycomb grille and lightly flared wheel arches.
The most obvious rivals — Honda’s Civic Type R and the Volkswagen Golf R — are immediately recognisable as boy racers, but the RS3 is the kind of car that wouldn’t have the boss questioning your salary if he saw you pull up in it at the office car park.
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Priced from €66,750, it’s hardly cheap but it entitles owners to experience a six-time Engine of the Year award winner that gives a performance other hot hatches can only dream of.
Fire it up and it gives off a roar that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Our car had an optional sports exhaust (€1,409) which accompanies each gear change with a crackle that sounds as if the fabric of space and time is being ripped.
With 465Nm of torque, it’s reassuring to know that power is channelled through all four wheels. Audi’s Quattro four-wheel drive system features torque-vectoring software that transfers power between the wheels, and the result is staggering amounts of grip even when you’re pushing to the limits.
Steering is direct but Audi insists the RS3 can perform controlled drifts on low-friction surfaces. A launch-control system lets you turn off stability control and floor the accelerator while keeping one foot on the brake. The engines holds at 4,000 revs until you release the brake, and the car hurls itself out of the blocks.
In comfort mode the change in engine note is instant: there’s less bad-boy burble on each downshift, but the guttural rumble from the giant tailpipes remains.
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Despite its performance feats the RS3 makes for a surprisingly relaxing long-distance cruiser. There’s little wind noise on the motorway and the suspension loses its poise only on the harshest of road surfaces. Drivers have the option of letting the S tronic box do all the work or switching to manual mode and using the paddles behind the steering wheel.
It’s easy to forget you’re in a practical hatchback, not a race car. The 280-litre boot is good but expands to 1,120 litres when the rear seats are folded. Legroom in the back isn’t great but there’s enough head-and-shoulder space for adults on long journeys.
Cabin-quality levels are on a par with anything in the Audi stable, and its nappa leather upholstery resembled seats in a private jet. Standard equipment includes 19in wheels, a flat-bottomed sports steering wheel, Bluetooth and voice control, dual-zone climate control, a front armrest, light and
rain sensors and upgraded brakes. Audi customers tend to upgrade their cars, and the €7,048 of options on our test car pushed the price to €73,000.
I find it baffling that someone could pay that amount of cash and not get sat nav . The incongruous pop-up display on the dash acts as a constant reminder of your tightfistedness, as the aesthetics aren’t the same without a pretty map. There’s an option to turn off the screen, and when you do it glides down until flush with the rest of the dash, but the absence of Audi’s excellent virtual cockpit display is an opportunity missed.
It seems laughable that a car capable of setting land-speed records is equipped with a stop-start ignition. The system works smoothly but I can see most drivers turning it off the minute they get in. Audi reckons the RS3 will return fuel economy of 8.1 litres per 100km, but push it and you’ll be nearer 12 litres. With emissions of 189g of CO2 per km, it’s not the cleanest car, and you’re looking at forking out €750 a year on road tax.
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On paper the €43,915 Golf R seems a better proposition than the RS3, but there’s something about the Audi’s five-cylinder engine that keeps you coming back for more.
Minor niggles aside, it’s hard not to get excited about a vehicle that drives like a race car one minute and blends into the crowd the next. The RS3 is motoring’s answer to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, but the overwhelming temptation to let loose means your dark side will always win out.
Audi RS3 Sportback
Price: €72,948 (including €7,048 of options)
Engine: 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo petrol
Performance: 0-100kph in 4.3 seconds
Top speed: 280kph
Fuel/CO2: 8.1 litres per 100km, 189g /km
Road tax: Band E (€750 a year)
Verdict: A beast within
Rating: ★ ★ ★★☆
On sale: Out now