46 TOPCAR.CO.ZA|January 2016Road test: Audi RS3 Sportback
positioned on the lower part of the grille – a
very intimidating sigh t when observed from
a rear-view mirror. Ours is painted in
Sepang Blue, a colour which together with
the aluminiumstyling package, injects the
RS3 with a classy and refined appearan ce.
Things are far morepronounced atthe rear
where two canon-like tail pipes bookend the
aluminium-loo k diffuser.The control room
The cabin is a work of art. While it resembles
that of the regular S3 Sportback the RS3
alpha-numeric coding is liberally scat tered,
featurin g on the flat-bottomed st eering
wheel, instrument cluster, door sills, seat s
and floor mats – there’s no mistakin g which
model you’re sitting in. Ours has beenquite
handsomely kitted with an ar ray of
expensive but necessa ry touches such as the
S sports seat s – a beautifully melded
combination of fine Nappa leather and red
quilt stitching, very Bentley but helluva
supportive. Then there’s the RS design
package which adds contrast ing red accents
on the air vents, seat belts, gear lever
surrounds and knee pads. Although not as
embellished as its rivals, the cabin is
superbly finished echoing the quality and
sophistication we’ve come to expect from the
brand. Owing to it sharing much of its DNA
with th e A3 Sportback the RS3 is also a very
practical machine, with boot spac e rated at
280 litr es with th e seat s up and 1 120 when
folded flat.The grinding teet h
effect
The 2.5-litr e 5-cyli nder turbo resting
under the bonnet is one of the angriest
motors we’ve ever sampled. Loud and
obnoxious, it shrieks on start-up before
settling into a ro ugh but progressive idle. It
boasts a 20kW and 15Nm power and
torque hike over its forebear thanks to a
moreefficient intercooler and a higher-
boosting turbocharger resulting in a
total system output of 270kW and 465Nm.
Astonishing figures, really, help ed along
by a reprogrammed seven-speed dual-c lutch
transmission that swaps cogs with
greate r efficiency an d verve. And the
figures? Well, with launch controliniti ated
the RS3 will cut through the air like a
hot knife through butter securin g a 0-
100kph sprint time of 4.41 seconds. Yes,
4.41 seconds. To put that into perspective
the first-gener ation Audi R8 V8 took 4.6
seconds to record the same feat... In-gear
acceleration is just as impres sive, the
RS3 needing 2.45- and 2.86 seconds to
reach the respective 60-100 and 80-120kph
benchmarks. Top speed is limited to 250kph.
The sensory experience is complemented bya well-o rche stra ted soundtrack, a result no
doubtowing to the optional sports exhaust
system and 1-2-4-5-3 cyli nder ac tivation
sequenc e. Wind it up and the unrelenting
accelerative effects are accompanied by a
rather rowdy whistling turbo and popping
exhaust note. It is loud, the overrun equally
so, like firecrackers ignitin g in a Tuba. Sure,
the entire experience can get abit overbe aring
at times but the Audi Drive Select (ADS)
gives you several options to choo se from
including an Individual mode to tailor
your preferen ces accordingly. The ADS
settings control such parameters as throttle,
steering and ge arbox response, as well as the
magnetic ride dampers.
The transmission tweaks asprev iously
mentione d have also improved fuel
consumption and reduced CO2 emissions by
around 12 per cent, thanks to a tallerseventh ratio and a coasting function.
Despite the spec sheet’s highly optimistic
combined fuel consumption figure of
6.3ℓ/100km we managed to record a
more realistic 9.8ℓ/100km along our 80km
test rout e.Railing the turns
Where the prev ious RS3 was a somewhat
blunt instrument in the corners the
new model is sharper and moreprecise
hang ing on tothe ro ad like a tram on rails.
While it do esn’t have the most
communicative steering around it is direct
and reacts eagerly to inputs. As with all
Quattro-driven Audis the RS3 has a
tendency to understeer at times but grip is
exce llent none theless. The all-wheel drive
system has beenreprogrammed to send
as much as 100 percent of the availableIsthata Bentley Sir?TheSsports
seats togetherwith the RSdesign
package certainlygivethatimpression