Audi RS3 Sportback

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There’s an admirable belligerence about the Audi RS3. It hasn’t been made a crime just yet, after all, to put a big engine into something relatively small and create an amusingly alternative driver’s car in the process, much as a great many of Europe’s CO2-based taxation regimes would already suggest it ought to be.

It really would be an aberration, though, if Audi’s excellent EA855 five-cylinder performance engine, motivator of the likes of the Audi TT RS and RS Q3 and winner of more International Engine of the Year awards (yes, they do exist) than you can shake a golden crankshaft at, were taken from us any earlier than were absolutely necessary.

Hot hatchbacks like this used to be a little more common, but the RS3 has become the last of that over-engined breed, with motors significantly bigger, more powerful and more mechanically exotic than you expect to find in any humble five-door and something of the aura of the custom-built, engine-swapped hot rod about them.

The Mercedes-AMG A45 is just as outrageous, but it's powered by merely four cylinders. The Volkswagen Golf R is a more subtle alternative, while the Toyota GR Yaris is smaller and perhaps a bit more fun.

But the RS3 is somehow mechanically bigger and bolder than its rivals. Which could explain why that engine, with its 394bhp output and 369lb ft whack of torque, was left untouched for the mid-life update that has just arrived.

In fact, glance at the technical specification of this facelifted RS3 and you might wonder whether the mechanical bits have even been touched: the top speed and 0-62mph time remain unchanged too.

But while you can easily glen the styling changes, this isn't one of those facelifts that’s all style and no substance. It's just the technical work has all been detail stuff, refining the car's complex hardware and software.

It's easier to understand by starting with the outcome: a new compact class Nürburgring lap record of 7min 33.123sec, which is, most pertinently, more than 7sec quicker than the pre-facelift RS3’s best time. And, Audi is at pains to point out, that improvement came from work on the car rather than Frank Stippler simply having a good day.

Verdict

1Audi RS 3 Sportback daytona grey matt SG18064

Audi RS3 Sportback

Model tested:

Rating:

Audi RS3

Subtle upgrades give 394bhp mega hatch extra poise, although you have to look hard to spot the difference

Good

Gloriously evocative five-cylinder engine

Everyday usability

Design has sporty edge but still nicely subtle

Bad

Expensive for a hot hatch

Interior fails to wow

DESIGN & STYLING

Pros

Tech you'd expect to find in £150k car

Hardware you'd expect to find in £150k car

Cons

Not hugely different from how an S3 looks

No manual gearbox option

1Audi RS 3 Sportback daytona grey matt DSF3260

Available in both saloon and five-door hatch Sportback bodystyles, the RS3 has Audi’s 2.5-litre five-cylinder lump, producing 394bhp and 369lb ft of torque. There’s plenty else that’s interesting about it, but that fact alone is enough (if you tick the right options boxes) to give this little Audi a top speed of – get this – 180mph.

Audi Sport has certainly pushed the boat out for this car. Significant effort beyond the scope of that involved with any RS3 before it has gone into its chassis and suspension. It also benefits from an electronically controlled, torque-vectoring rear differential – and, of course, a drift mode (although traditionally demure Audi doesn’t label it as such).

For the mid-life facelift, those systems have been given a major overhaul. That headline Nürburgring lap record time has come from improvement has come from new tyres (a Bridgestone Potenza Sport or Pirelli P Zero R) and work to refine the torque splitter, steering and adaptive dampers, including much development on the software that controls them.

The goal was to increase the agility of the RS3, especially in the new RS Performance drive mode, in which the torque vectoring reduces understeer on the way into corners by applying braking to the inside wheels so the driver can get on the power sooner on the exit.

The RS3 rides 10mm lower even than the less powerful Audi S3; on special uprated dampers that don’t appear on any other Volkswagen Group relation; on widened 19in wheels with front tyres wider of section than any on a previous version; with a front track 33mm wider than the last version’s; and with increased negative wheel camber, for enhanced cornering grip, featuring at both front and rear.

As with other mega hatches, there's no manual gearbox option, but there is an active exhaust for an even more expressive five-cylinder sound and optional carbon-ceramic brakes, which come packaged with adaptive dampers.

There really isn’t much that you might imagine wanting as part of the mechanical spec of your £150,000 super-sports car that you couldn’t get on this £50,000 (ish) hatch, then – and chief among those things might well be the car’s trick torque-vectoring rear differential. It’s the same hardware that features on the latest Golf R and it can channel 100% of the drive that’s sent to the rear axle (typically about 50% of engine torque) directly at either rear contact patch.

When it was originally launched the RS3 was slightly limited in the exterior styling upgrade it offered over 'lesser' models such as the standard A3 or S3. For this facelift, there's been some effort to give more separation, with larger air intakes at the front end, a bolder rear diffuser and new optional wheels. Lurid green paint is also a no-cost option, should you so desire. It’s a bit more in your-face-aggressive, albeit still in a manicured, Audi sort of way.

INTERIOR

Pros

Retains useful physical buttons

Typical Audi sheen and style

Comfortable and reasonable space

Cons

Not the most exciting

Boot isn't the biggest in class, especially for the saloon

1Audi RS 3 Sportback daytona grey matt X 4701

The RS3 offers real bang for your buck. And it does this by saving money on the interior. It doesn't feel cheap at all and broadly it’s all well screwed together.

But it’s just not all that different from the regular A3, which means it can feel a bit drab inside.

Bucket seats are optional and swathed in the usual leather/Dinamica fabric combination, along with colour stitching and highlights.

The 12.3in infotainment touchscreen is the same as you’ll find in the regular A3, as are the useful climate and chassis controls, which are housed on physical buttons.

For the facelift, a few further upgrades do add to the sporty demeanour to add a touch of brightness. The steering wheel now has a new motorsport-inspired design with a flat top and bottom (although given the top didn't previously impact your view, unlike in a single-seater, it's largely for show) and big red buttons to select the RS Performance mode. Plus you get a new rev counter for the digital display.

The boot is around 100 litres down on the regular A3's and is considerably smaller than the A45's too.

The RS3 Saloon is slightly longer and lower, by 153mm and 24mm respectively, but the flip side is that the rear head room is marginally more pinched. Certainly, anyone over 6ft tall would struggle in the back seats.

The wheelbase of the two RS3 models is identical, so leg room doesn’t differ at all.

The saloon’s boot is still a decent size, at 321 litres. In fact, it’s bigger than the hatch’s boot under the parcel shelf, so if you’re not looking to regularly fold the rear seats, the saloon is arguably more practical. And certainly more secure.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Pros

Startling performance

Plenty of character from the engine

Cons

Occasionally hesitant gearbox

Nearly 400bhp in a car the size of the A3 produces some startling results. The standard 0-60mph test is dealt with in less than 4.0sec, while the burbling five-cylinder motor sounds genuine for the most part. In an age when EVs are becoming commonplace, it's a soundtrack to enjoy while you can.

Although it works through a blanket of turbo lag that softens mid-range throttle inputs, it’s bristling with vigour and intensity once on boost. Waiting a second for the car’s thrust to chime in somehow only makes it feel quicker when it does take off.

Press the stop-start button and the five-cylinder engine emits a ‘signature’ roar based on its 1-2-4-5-3 firing sequence. A bit loud? There’s also a ‘neighbourhood-friendly’ option.
James Attwood
Acting magazine editor

This is a cracking, characterful engine and a wonderful dominant presence. It's also gloriously responsive and potent.

Performance, however, can be somewhat stunted by the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox's hesitancy. For instance, if you're slowing for a roundabout and spot a gap, it doesn't rush towards it like a sports-car-bothering mega hatch should.

RIDE & HANDLING

Pros

Maintains poise in corners even at speed

Driving modes make a difference

Cons

Slight rustle in the ride at cruising speed

Still feels a bit nose-heavy

The RS3’s body control is generally taut but not brittle or restless, and its four-wheel drive system is just ‘active’ enough most of the time to enrich the car’s handling without making it feel contrived or unnatural.

Audi’s adaptive sports suspension creates a pleasingly calm and reasonably quiet town ride and the steering is light in the tamer driving modes and progressively paced just off centre rather than nervy. There is, in short, Audi’s usual dynamic versatility about this car, even though it has clearly been prepared to do even more dramatic things elsewhere.

Instead of the Nordschleife, our chance to assess the facelifted RS3 on track comes on Catalonia’s Parcmotor Castellolí. Even with just a fraction of Stippler’s driving ability available, the RS3’s poise is impressive: even if you feel the car unsettle going into a turn, by the time you’re past the apex you always sense you could have been on the power earlier.

Of course, the RS3 will spend much of its time on the road, where objective lap times aren’t as important as subjective feel. This generation of RS3 is notably improved than its pre-2019 predecessors: better balanced through long, faster, sweeping bends, where the driveline has time to shuffle torque and influence the attitude of the car, and with much clearer and more tactile steering feel than some fast Audis provide when you flick into the car’s sportier driving modes.

The work on the torque splitter and other systems do feel like they help improve the car's handling, even if it's not a total transformation.

At a more relaxed pace, the RS3 retains all the classic Audi poise, with the ride generally strong despite the performance focus.

There is a slight vibration at motorway speeds, but it's eased by selecting Comfort mode. Even with prices starting at £60,000, you would expect some trade-off, given this is a 174mph hatchback.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Pros

30mpg achievable

Good standard kit and limited options

Cons

Not cheap to run

Some class rivals are more competitively priced

Audi RS3 Sportback

If you're truly worried about MPG, you're looking at the wrong car – although you probably knew that already. The RS3's official WLTP rating is 30.4mpg for the hatch, 31mpg for the saloon, and during our first drive of the updated car on mixed roads Spain, we were in the high 20s.

Prices for the updated RS3 start at £59,510 for the hatch and £60,510 for the saloon. For that you get a decent level of standard kit, including 19in wheels, sport seats, three-zone air conditioning, three years of Audi Connect services and a Sonos sound system.

Carbon Black trim (£64,160 for the hatch, £65,160 for the saloon) adds 19in wheels, darkened Matrix LED front and rear lights, dynamic indicators and a host of extra RS design details (in carbon black, predictably).

There's also Carbon Vorsprung trim (£68,650 for the hatch and £69,650 for the saloon), which most significantly features an increased top speed of 174mph and adaptive suspension.

Those top-spec cars also feature a panoramic roof, electrically adjustable seats and a parking assistance package.

Bucket seats are now an optional extra, costing £2500 on Carbon Black trim and £2000 on Carbon Vorsprung trim.

There are a handful of other options, including various paint finishes and the panoramic roof, along with a Technology Pack Pro for the standard and Carbon Black models that features the panoramic roof, parking assistance and matrix LED lights offered on the top-spec car.

VERDICT

Verdict

Audi RS3 Sportback

Model tested:

Rating:

Audi RS3

Subtle upgrades give 394bhp mega hatch extra poise, although you have to look hard to spot the difference

Good

Gloriously evocative five-cylinder engine

Everyday usability

Design has sporty edge but still nicely subtle

Bad

Expensive for a hot hatch

Interior fails to wow

This would seem to be the best and most roundly impressive RS3 that Audi has ever built. With prices starting from more than £50,000, though, and rising quite a way further still for a car with all the options you might want, it’s a driver’s car with some proper opposition – so the same barrier to making a case for owning a car like this remains in place, and grows a little higher.

The Golf R lacks the five-cylinder charm but offers much of the RS3's pace and tech for less money. Meanwhile, the A45 also lacks the five-cylinder howl yet has an interior that matches the price of the car.

Still, in the fact of that tough competition this update should help: you still get the glorious powerplant but with a dash of extra refinement.

It would take an extended back-to-back test between old RS3 and new to discern the real difference, and you suspect it might be a gut feeling that the new machine is better rather than anything you could empirically measure without access to a racing driver, some timing gear and the Nürburgring. But sometimes you should just trust your gut.

TECHNICAL SPECS

Model tested:

Audi RS3 Sportback

Price:

£59,510

Price as tested:

£59,510

Engine:

5 cyls in line, 2480cc, turbocharged, petrol

Transmission:

7-speed automatic

Driveline layout:

Front engine, four-wheel drive

Model tested

Audi RS3 Sportback

Price

£59,510

Price as tested

£59,510

View all specs and rivals

Engine

5 cyls in line, 2480cc, turbocharged, petrol

Transmission

7-speed automatic

Driveline layout

Front engine, four-wheel drive

Power

394bhp at 5600-7000rpm

Torque

369lb ft at 2250-5600rpm

0-62mph

3.8sec

Top speed

180mph

Kerb weight (DIN)

1640kg

Fuel economy

30.1-30.4mpg

CO2

212-213g/km

BIK tax band

37%

Rivals Mercedes-AMG A45 Volkswagen Golf R Toyota GR Yaris

Power

394bhp at 5600-7000rpm

Torque

369lb ft at 2250-5600rpm

0-62mph

3.8sec

Top speed

180mph

Kerb weight (DIN)

1640kg

Fuel economy

30.1-30.4mpg

CO2

212-213g/km

BIK tax band

37%

Rivals Mercedes-AMG A45 Volkswagen Golf R Toyota GR Yaris

Murray Scullion

Title: Digital editor

Murray has been a journalist for more than a decade. During that time he’s written for magazines, newspapers and websites, but he now finds himself as Autocar’s digital editor.

He leads the output of the website and contributes to all other digital aspects, including the social media channels, podcasts and videos. During his time he has reviewed cars ranging from £50 - £500,000, including Austin Allegros and Ferrari 812 Superfasts. He has also interviewed F1 megastars, knows his PCPs from his HPs and has written, researched and experimented with behavioural surplus and driverless technology.

Murray graduated from the University of Derby with a BA in Journalism in 2014 and has previously written for Classic Car Weekly, Modern Classics Magazine, buyacar.co.uk, parkers.co.uk and CAR Magazine, as well as carmagazine.co.uk.

James Attwood

Title: Acting magazine editor

James is Autocar's acting magazine editor. Having served in that role since June 2023, he is in charge of the day-to-day running of the world's oldest car magazine, and regularly interviews some of the biggest names in the industry to secure news and features, such as his world exclusive look into production of Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets.

Matt Saunders

Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Tesla Roadster, Ariel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren Senna, Renault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.