Revealed last year, the Audi RS3 finally made its public debut at the 2015 Geneva Auto Show.
Motivation for the RS3 is a 2.5-liter turbo-five capable of 367 horsepower and 343 lb-ft of torque. The power is fed to the Quattro AWD system via a seven-speed dual-clutch auto, while the aforementioned Quattro system can direct 50 to 100 percent of that power to the rear with torque vectoring.
The RS3 is an inch lower than the A3, and loses 121 lbs over its previous incarnation for a weight of 3,351 lbs. Braking is handled with the help of carbon ceramic rotors up front and eight-piston calipers. All corners are shod in 19-inch wheels with 235/35 tires.
Other features include boost pressure indicator, lap timer, Nappa-covered sport seats, and plenty of RS badges.
Alas, while deliveries are set to begin this summer, none will be headed to the United States; Audi is rumored to be considering an RS3 sedan for North America.
Am I the only one who thinks this thing looks kinda meh?
No I agree. Rather plain. I like the specs and I know it won’t come to the US, but to build a car like this and be plain on the style is a disappointment.
I beg to differ. Total sleeper, Chevy SS Euro-style. This is my “sticker is fine, take my money” car.
Most Audi S and RS car’s haven’t been very vsually different from their more civilized brethren. I like it that way; you’re a debadge away from a real sleeper.
I prefer the highest model to stand out in some way. This looks almost boring in my opinion. Very uninspiring.
Not at all…I looked at all the pics and thought…BLEH…
everyone’s got their view point, but for what is likely a $50k car in the US market, it’s got a nothing going on, visually speaking.
I mean, I’ve owned a number of different Audis over the years. I have my car serviced at the Audi dealer, I have friends who are Audi nuts.
I doubt I could, at a glance, differentiate this thing from my wife’s 2006 A3.
Or a TT or any other small Audi. I agree. Nothing exciting.
I think this is a fantastic looking car.
I like this car packaging-wise. The dimensions are near Identical to the old B5 A4 I had a decade ago, which IMO was a right-sized vehicle. Here’s hoping they follow BMW’s lead and the US-only RS version has a manual as an option.
I love performance cars that have almost no visual difference from regular models, I wish all automakers gave the option of deleting all the spoilers and splitters and giant wheels they usually put on those models.
Most higher end manufacturers that I know of do offer this. Or at least, it is available. You just have to know. In the same way you can get custom colors, or two tone leather, or different interior options not otherwise listed, you can delete sunroofs, change wheels, delete spoilers. They don’t usually advertise it.
The problem I see for the RS3 is that the S3 is already very good and makes a great compromise of sport vs every day usability. If you really want more performance than the S3 has to offer and have $60K in your pocket then there are much better options at that price range.
This is a real problem for Audi right now. RS models offer minimal differentiation over S models and a high premium to do so. It’s the same arguement with the RS5 over an S5. High cost of entry, minimal differentiation, and modest performance increase.
People who can afford a new Audi S3 are in the top tier and at least some of them will pay an irrational premium to own The Best, even if the improvement is only incremental and not financially justifiable to us mortals. A similar phenomenon can be seen with the Golf R and WRX STi, albeit on a smaller price scale.
Look at the price of a used’ 07 RS4 if you need any more convincing. Clearly there’s a strong elite cult following this could tap into.
I don’t understand how you can say that. The S5 gas a supercharged V6, the RS5 a naturally aspirated V8 making 450hp that revs to the sky. That’s some major differentiation!
No disagreement, Marone, but I have friends who are Audi dealers and they have no trouble selling every single RS model at sticker. In fact, one local shop almost never has one in inventory – they’re almost always pre-sold.
I think Audi purposely keeps the allocation on RS models relatively low in order to create some scarcity. It’s good for the brand and, at least for now, seems to be working just fine for them. The RS7 doesn’t do much for me, but it is a beasty mo’fo.
These are people who are hypercompetitive and have made their way in life beating down everyone who was unfortunate enough to get in their path. Sometimes they beat people by a lot, sometimes by little, but they’ve always won.
They don’t want to have the same S3 as a 5 percenter. They are a 1 percenter, and they are better, smarter and faster than you and want an RS3. So when they encounter you at a stoplight they can turn your face into hamburger. An extra 20 grand isn’t going to get in the way of them expressing this to you, sorry.
Wow, talk about a sleeper. Aside from that badge and the arch filling wheels, there is nothing to make one suspect this packs any more punch than a fwd 1.8T.
I do have one question though, do they really need 8 piston calipers to hold onto the rotors?
The subtle looks are what attract some people (me). I like to be under the radar. I have no need to go ‘look at me’