THIS week’s Audi test drive is really special thanks to two little letters.
And those letters are ‘RS’. Most people know that stands for Rally Sport, meaning this is no ordinary car.
Audi have taken the mild-mannered A3 and fitted its legendary quattro all-wheel drive system.
Then they shoe-horned under the bonnet its equally iconic 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo petrol engine.
And the engineers have turned the turbo boost up to the max, creating the most powerful rendition of that powerplant and it now produces 400bhp and 500Nms of torque.
This means the RS3 is a seriously quick car with supercar performance as it can blitz 0-100kph in just 3.8secs.
And it won’t run out of puff until it’s knocking on the door of an electronically limited 250kph (155mph).
Opt for the Dynamic Pack and this removes the top speed limiter so the RS3 will max out at 290kph (180mph) as well as add adaptive suspension, ceramic brakes and a sports exhaust, for a hefty price of course.
KEY FACTS:
AUDI RS3 SALOON
Cost: From €93,805 (£51,900 in the UK)
Engine: 2.5-litre, 5 cyl, turbo petrol
Power: 400bhp
Torque: 500Nm
0-100kph: 3.8secs
Top Speed: 250kph (290kph option) 155mph (180mph option)
Economy: 32mpg
Real world economy: 26.3mpg
Emissions: 214g/km of CO2
Drivetrain: quattro all-wheel drive
Gearbox: S-Tronic 7 speed
Euro NCAP: 5-stars (2020)
Rivals: Mercedes-AMG A45, BMW M2, Volkswagen Golf R, Audi TT RS
The 2022 RS3 is not only quicker and more powerful than its predecessor, it’s angrier, with its RS driving modes more brutal in their delivery.
You have three RS driving mode options — RS Individual, where you can fine-tune RS Torque Splitter, the drive system, the steering, engine sound and electronic stability control (ESC).
Then there is the really rowdy RS Performance.
The RS3 won’t change gears until you hit 5,000rpm and the driver’s display shifts into a race-style, RS-specific layout with a central rev counter, G-Metre and Power and Torque displays.
Finally there is an even crazier setting called RS Torque Rear and it comes with the on-screen warning — Do not use on public roads.
So like the good law-abiding citizen I am, I never selected that mode nor got to experience what 100 per cent power to the rear wheels felt like or see if the RS3 turned into a tail happy drift car . . . honest!
With full-time quattro all-wheel drive it handles like it’s on rails and the noise from the twin oval rear exhaust is sublime.
With a soundtrack from the engine that harks back to the glory days of Group B Rallying and the insane Audi Sport quattro rally cars.
But the sad thing is that with the push towards electrification this will most likely be the last ever version of this five-cylinder turbocharged monster.
And the next RS3 will be a hybrid or, worse still, even fully electric.
All that power from that five-cylinder turbo means the fuel economy isn’t great.
Drive around in RS mode and you will be lucky to see 20mpg on the clock.
Leave in Auto or Eco mode and lay off the accelerator and you might see 30mpg.
But after a week of serious amounts of fun, I only averaged 26.3mpg but that was down on test-drive research.
The seats are amazing, with deep bolsters that hold you firmly in place, almost rally car bucket seat in their design.
They’re black leather with red stitching and panels in red Alcantara and they were heated but not electrically operated.
There were loads of creature comforts, such as cruise control but press the adaptive cruise control button and a message pops up to say that the licence for this function has not been purchased.
For a car that starts at €93,805 (£51,900 in the UK), you’d think something like adaptive cruise control would come as standard.
Audi are always pushing the boundaries when it comes to its Daytime Driving Lights and the RS3 features its craziest yet, with the front lights doing a cool visual sequence spelling out the words R-S-3, see below.
The RS3 comes as a more traditional hatchback and Sportback or, as in the case of my test car, a sexy saloon that is a very nice addition and I’d really struggle if I had to pick one.
The saloon has a 315-litre boot, smaller than the RS3 hatchback’s 335-litres.
And with four doors you could even go as far as to say that the RS3 is practical.