Audi RS3 Sportback Debuts Packing 367 Horsepower! Should The Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG Be Worried?

So, yeah, Audi is launching an über A3 in the form of the new RS3 Sportback. Powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder engine, it pays respect to Audi’s proud history of five-cylinder Quattro rally cars.

We loved the previous-generation RS3 hatch, and this one promises to be even better. Power rises from 340 to 367 horsepower, and maximum torque is rated at 343 lb-ft and available from 1625 to 5550 rpm. The power is channeled to all four wheels through a seven-speed “wet” dual-clutch automatic; a manual transmission, disappointingly, is not available. Zero to 62 mph is said to take 4.3 seconds, and top speed is governed at either 155 mph or—if you pay for it—174 mph. That latter figure is higher than in the compact Mercedes-Benz CLA45 and GLA45 AMG models.

The engine will exhale through an active exhaust that can open post-muffler flaps for a fuller sound depending on load and engine speed. The five-pot utilizes an iron block, is hand-assembled by a team in Györ, Hungary, and has max boost pressure of 18.9 psi. The compression ratio stands at 10.0:1.
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Car4Life - 12/11/2014 11:31:31 PM

+1 Boost

Yawn...in the states we could care less...elsewhere time will tell...

cidflekken - 12/12/2014 12:07:53 AM

+1 Boost

If they decide to create a 4-door version in the US, it would definitely be a foil to the CLA45 AMG and the upcoming M2. It would probably cost more than both as seems to be the trend with Audi's RS line of cars. Based on the price gap between the S7/RS7 and the S5/RS5, which is about $20k) the price for an RS3 may be over $60k (the S3 starts at $41k), so now it is right up with the RC-F and M3.

AND...it could sabotage the potential for a TT 4-door coupe/sportback. But, then again, potential overlap hasn't stopped BMW from continuing to make the 3/4 Series into every possible configuration.

As far as an RS3 wagon/hatch, no go in the US.