![]() 2022 Audi RS3 Has 401 HP of Five-Cylinder Fury.Tested: 2022 Audi RS3 Hits 60 MPH in 3.3 Seconds.At our test track, we recorded a blisteringly-quick 3.3-second run to 60 mph and the RS3 eclipsed the quarter-mile mark in just 11.8 seconds at 117 mph. Plus, it was composed and comfortable when driven sedately on regular roads. ![]() The RS3 we drove produced exhilarating sounds, and the car's feisty nature was evident at the racetrack. Compared with the lesser A3 and S3, the sportiest 3 has upgraded brakes, a stiffer suspension setup, and a unique set of wheels on stickier performance tires. Unfortunately, getting the RS3's tail to kick out requires dedication and can be difficult to maintain. Its standard all-wheel-drive system includes a torque-vectoring rear differential with a drift mode. The engine pairs with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that deliberately downshifts with slight throttle inputs, but it behaves less aggressively during hard braking. The latest iteration is again a turbocharged 2.5-liter, but it now makes 401 horsepower. Its odd number of cylinders gives it a unique thrumming soundtrack that was particularly pleasing on the outgoing model. One of the most distinct elements of the RS3 is its unusual five-cylinder engine. We would recommend going with the optional Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R summer tires, but we'd skip the other packages as they're mainly cosmetic. All a buyer needs to know is that the Audi RS3 is good, weird fun.The 2022 RS3 starts at just under $60,000 and few options are offered. But those are corporate justifications for pursuing the project, not what a consumer must care about. Audi also positions it as a direct competitor in what is currently a two-car battle with AMG's equivalent entry point, the similarly priced CLA45. ![]() With little practice and enough room to stop before spinning into anything, the RS3 quickly made sense as a performance product from a company that partners with Ken Block.Īudi positions the RS3 as an entry point to the Audi Sport brand, a way for younger buyers to see what makes the all-wheel-drive focus work before following it up the price range as they grow older. Our course involved drifting around a barrel and transitioning through three hairpins. It's something like the world's most advanced take on putting a lunch tray under a rear wheel, allowing deeply satisfying slides. Here, the car's inherent tossability and some nifty torque-vectoring tricks combined to create the perfect parking-lot toy. On an autocross course laid out in the shape of the letters "RS" next to the circuit, we also got a chance to try the RS3's drift mode. ![]() That, as multiple Audi representatives told us at different times, is five seconds faster than a Bugatti Veyron. With the help of those grippy Trofeo Rs, an RS3 adorned with the five-cylinder's 1-2-4-5-3 firing order lapped the Nürburgring in 7 minutes, 35 seconds. I never actually reached a point where I was punished for doing this instead, the RS3's torque vectoring solved the problem for me in a dynamic way that felt less like a computer working to get the best performance possible in spite of myself and more like one that knew the point of the performance was to have fun.Īnd the car is very fast. It's fun, particularly when playing with the limits of just how much the torque-vectoring all-wheel drive is willing to help exit a corner. While I think Audi set up the little RS3 for disappointment by choosing to display the car in a garage with four of its greatest inline-five racing and rallying cars ever, driving the RS3 on track did feel a bit like a fulfillment of my childhood Audi 90 IMSA GTO dreams.
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