Top Car

January 2016|TOPCAR.CO.ZA 45

Road test: Audi RS3 Sportback

ERE’S SOME

good news for a

change: the internal

combustion engine

is showing no signs

of abating and we’ve

got the hot hatch

power ba ttle largely

to thank for this

fact. You see these hatchbacks still employ

relatively small engine configurations and

maximise their power and efficiency by

using crafty engineering, larger

turbochargers and ECU software trickery.

The Audi RS3’s 2.5-litr e five-cyli nder

turbocharged blueprint is a case in point, no

downsizing or hybrid drives here. It’s the

only one of its rivals to eschew the now

segment-standard 2.0-litr e configuration in

favour of its tried-and-tested st raight-five

marvel – a legacy engine if ever there was

one. Now re-engineered to deliver more

power, moretorque and less emissions, it

still offers one of the most emotive

soundtracks around.

Pipe dreams

From a visual perspective the prev ious-

generation RS3 looked a little ordinary and

not as aggressive as some of its RS-badged

siblings of the time but this new edition is

anything but meek. A brief glance at its

sheet metal will reveal several clues that

reference its sinister character such as the

gloss-black grille complete with gaping

airdams, rear spoiler, 19-inch wheels and

blistered wheel arches that house a widened

track. Delve a little deeper and you’ll notice

the cherry-red brake calipers (a R4170

option) and the keyline Quattro logo

H