Skip to main content

Audi’s updated RS 3 takes the 5-cylinder engine to new performance heights

There are no signs of détente in the hot hatch war between Audi Sport and Mercedes-AMG. Audi has just upped the stakes once again with an updated RS 3 Sportback that boasts a sharper design and more grunt under the hood. The model will be presented to the public next month during the Geneva Auto Show.

A turbocharged, 2.5-liter, five-cylinder engine is shoe-horned between the RS 3’s fenders. It generates 400 horsepower — 33 more than before — and 354 pound-feet of torque from 1,700 to 5,850 rpm. It’s the most powerful production five-cylinder engine in the world, according to Audi.

Recommended Videos

Power is transferred to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and a performance-tuned quattro all-wheel drive system. The RS 3 hits 62 mph from a stop in 4.1 seconds, and its top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. Customers in a hurry can ask Audi to raise the speed limiter to 174 mph.

The Mercedes-AMG A45 is the RS 3 Sportback’s arch nemesis. It’s equipped with a turbocharged, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine rated at 381 horses, so it’s down on power compared to the RS 3. It nonetheless performs the benchmark 0-to-62-mph sprint in 4.2 seconds.

The visual tweaks are minor at best, which is what we’ve come to expect from Audi. The front end receives sharper headlights shared with the more tame A3 and S3, a wider rendition of the company’s ubiquitous hexagonal grille, and a more aggressive-looking bumper with rearranged vents. Out back, the changes are largely limited to a redesigned air diffuser.

The Audi RS 3 Sportback will go on sale across Europe in April, and deliveries are scheduled to begin in August. In Germany, pricing starts at 54,600 euros, a sum that represents about $58,000 at the current conversion rate. That figure goes up when options like carbon-ceramic front brakes, a digital instrument cluster, and matrix LED headlights are added.

The RS 3 Sportback will not be sold in the United States, but Audi isn’t leaving American enthusiasts behind. While nothing is official at this point, sources close to the Volkswagen-owned brand have revealed the RS 3 Sedan that debuted in Paris last fall will make the trip across the pond in the coming months to give the Mercedes-AMG CLA45 a run for its money.

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Audi once again pushes the envelope with headlights that are frickin lasers
Audi Digital Matrix Light

Audi is one of the most technologically progressive automakers around. In fact, its whole company slogan, "Vorsprung Durch Technik," is focused on it. The phrase translates to "Progress Through Technology." Audi has pioneered countless technological advancements and improvements, from safety systems to vehicle construction methods. But good lord does it love headlights. Audi has easily been the most influential headlight maker (weird flex, I know) and now it's back with a set of frickin' laser headlights.

I love it. Audi isn't even pretending anymore, it just wants to put supervillain tech in the hands of all its drivers. And these headlights are next-level awesome, so you shouldn't be mad. Not only can the beams of multiple lasers create the kind of focused light that prevents other drivers from being blinded, but apparently they are also pretty good at playing party games.

Read more
2020 Audi E-Tron Sportback, RS Q8 confirmed for 2019 LA Auto Show
global debut of second all electric audi e tron at la auto show 6354 laasheroimage

Audi has picked the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show to make the global debut of the 2020 e-tron Sportback. Several other models will make their global debut here as well; the 2020 RS models including the Audi RS 6 Avant and the RS 7, and -- as a highlight -- the global debut of the high performance SUV, the Audi RS Q8.

The e-tron Sportback is the most anticipated debut for fans of Audi, this being only the second all-electric vehicle produced by the German automaker. The five-passenger SUV coupe is equipped with standard electric quattro all-wheel drive and is expected to get just over 200 miles of range on a full charge. It will accept a 150 kilowatt DC charge that in a brief 10 minutes can give you 54 miles of range. Audi will give e-tron owners 1,000 kWh of charging to use at Electrify America fast-charging stations within the first four years of ownership.

Read more
2020 Audi A8 gains plug-in hybrid powertrain, sporty S8 model
2020 audi s8 news specs performance

Previous

Next

Read more