Audi RS3 Revealed With 5-Cylinder Turbo Engine

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

I’d never buy an Audi S3 because I can buy a VW Golf R for thousands less. But the RS3 is another story.

Motivated by a 362 horsepower turbocharged 5-cylinder engine, the RS3 will hit 60 mph in 4.3 seconds on its way to a 174 mph top speed. The only gearbox is a 7-speed DSG, which allows the RS3 to hit 35 mpg on the European cycle and emit 189 grams of CO2 per mile. Yes, a manual would be preferred, but the DSG helps the car achieve semi-respectable figures on the all important European fuel economy and carbon emissions tests.

Will the RS3 make it to America? Nobody knows. Audi has the S3 already, but a limited production RS3 would be a shot across the bow of the Mercedes GLA45 AMG – and likely cost a fortune, just like the M-B pocket rocket.




Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Carguy Carguy on Dec 12, 2014

    It looks great but let's hope its a dynamic improvement over the last generation which had chronic understeer issues that sucked most of the fun from the driving experience.

  • Stuki Stuki on Dec 13, 2014

    5 cyl. 3 cyl......... more of the obviously unbearable "boredom" of simply doing things right to begin with, and sticking with it...

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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