Bucket Seat: Audi RS3 Sportback

Everyone had that one wild cousin, when you were a kid and they used to come along and visit, you'd do the craziest shit with them, stuff that makes you go outside of your comfort zone but you were content with what you were doing because you had complete trust in what they were doing and you'd have the best time. That's what I'd say my encounters with the Audi RS3 have been like, ever since it's launch last year in October, I was waiting to be reunited with this ridiculous hot hatch and I got my chance last month, I had to fly to Johannesburg for it but it was worth it because, my word, what an incredible car Audi have created, it's every bit of fun as I remembered from the launch and more as I got to spend more time with it on the streets of Jozi. While it might be the smallest RS in the range, it is so perfectly balanced, it probably is the best from the lot if I had to be perfectly honest and in this review you'll find out why I'm singing its praises. 

DESIGN

The RS3, like the A3 comes in both the sedan and sportback versions, on launch I had the sedan which proved to be quite a ripper but everyone knows Audi does Sportbacks so I was properly excited to see what the version minus the boot had to offer. Based on the basic A3 design, the RS version receives extensive sporty additions, starting off with the grille which is fully blacked out, including the borders, has a large honeycomb type pattern with high gloss borders than extend the shape of the bumper out to the headlights, which also feature a matrix LED style that has a unique greeting when unlocking the car. The one side has a checkered light display while the other, displays the R, S, 3 in sequence. A pretty cool party trick to show off the car to people who don't know much about cars and are amused by silly things like that. The car came in Kylami Green paint with 19" 5 spoke Y style rims that had graphite paint work that really gave the car a menacing look from the side. The wide body styling is accentuated by the air vent behind the front wheel arches. The honey comb pattern is continued at the rear diffuser with the twin RS tail pipes either side of the car. The LED lights on the back complement the front with their own unique "dance" when unlocking and locking the car. The car also came fitted with a carbon fiber split style rear boot mounted wing. The interior had the Green RS package to compliment the exterior colour which see's green accents on the inside dash and seats with green stitching. 

PERFORMANCE

The magic of the car lies under the hood, a turbo charged 2.5-litre, 5-cylinder monster produced by Audi Performance that delivers 294kW of power with a max torque of 500Nm. Same engine used in the TTRS and RSQ3 but for me is best suited to this car. The balance in performance and drive-ability of it in the RS3 shell is second to none, its like Audi crafted this engine for the car at hand. Everything just works so perfectly and that noise, my word, it's more addictive than hard drugs. The power delivered to all four tyres in the various driving modes is is quite astonishing, where you can be coasting along in eco mode, doing low revs, shorter gear changes, maintaining a decent fuel consumption but hit that RS button on the steering wheel and you unleash the beast, with high revs, longer gear holds, a propulsion of acceleration that catapults you into warp speeds. The throaty exhausts make it known that the car isn't holding back and adds to the thrill of driving it. With the Quattro engaged, you know you're in safe hands, just point and it goes, the car grips like a big cat latching onto its prey. Now with the RS3, it has a party trick that it's other siblings don't have. It's the first Audi RS to receive a torque splitter which distributes driving force between front axel and the individual rear wheels, that allows the car to perform power slides on demand, for added effect, turn off the traction and eat your heart out at what a four wheel car is capable of doing. It really personifies the new catch phrase of the brand which is "Performance Is An Attitude" because this car is full of attitude!

COMFORT

The RS3 might be a performance car but it still offers the driver and its occupants a comfortable ride. With fully electric sports styled seats that offer great support and cushioning for the driver and front passenger, it even has seat heating as an option. The steering wheel is covered in alcantara, which gives the driver a better grip on the wheel seemed a bit warn out, while the idea was clever it doesn't fade very well and given that this car is only a few months old and probably driven very hard, it isn't a great look. The rest of the cabin is styled exactly on the Audi A3, with the high glass plastics, brushed aluminium and silver accents. The large touch screen infotainment screen is easy to navigate and the car comes with wireless mobile app connectivity. As with all new Audi's, only USB C ports can be found in the car, two in the front and two in the back. The car has a dual zone climate control with vents in the back for the rear passengers. The rear seats are also sport styled bucket seats with the honeycomb green stitching. The trunk space is not compromised from the normal A3 and still can fit a lot, just make sure you knot your grocery bags properly as with this car, you tend to get a bit excited when taking corners so more often than not, your shopping is rearranged by the time you arrive home. The Audi adaptive matrix LED lighting  works like a treat and its a joy to see it in action when hitting the dark areas of road at night. Other note worthy extras was the panoramic sunroof, for someone who didn't see the point of them when I first started out testing cars, I quite like having natural light come through the cabin from the top and it makes driving at night, with stars present just dreamy. 

VERDICT

I said at the start of this review that this is one of my favourite packages from the Audi RS range, having driven a few of them, this one just seems the best balanced in terms of power to size ratio. The addition of the RS Torque Splitter is just genius, allowing you to do things to a Quattro Audi that you could never do before. The size and comfort offered here, is quite special and with great quality of materials used in the interior coupled with that price tag, it definitely feels like the more attractive option than the one from GroBaspach. When I drove the new GTI and the S3, I was a bit disappointed that they added the soft limiter to the tailpipes to take the thrill away from the driver, but with the RS3 there is no such thing, even in Eco mode this bad boy still rumbles like King Kong on an empty stomach! I certainly had a brilliant time with this car in the short period I had it, exploring the vast north west part of Gauteng with exceptional company, that just made the whole experience a whole lot better. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2.5-litre, 5-cylinder Turbo
Gear Box	7-Speed Dual Clutch Automatic
Torque	500Nm
Power	294kW
0-100km/h	3.8 seconds
Price	R1,246,600*

*base price

 

Bucket Seat: Audi RS 3 - First Impressions

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the local media launch of the Audi RS 3 Sportback and Sedan in South Africa. As you can imagine, the day was action packed with us, the media getting to experience the latest performance model from Four Rings German manufacturer both on the road and on track! I think the term "feeling like a kid on Christmas morning" is pretty appropriate because it isn't often OEM's allow us to have fun on a closed off circuit with high-end models like this. 

But before I go into the details of the day and my experience with the car, let me give you some facts and figures you'll be finding in the brochure for the latest variation of the baby RS model. As mentioned it is offered in both, the Sportback (hatch) and Sedan with a variety of extras and colours that you can customize it in, standout options include for the first time, RS ceramic brakes and the option of semi-slick P Zero Trofeo R tyres from Pirelli. What's under the hood you ask? Well, none other that Audi's award winning 5-cyclinder 2.5-litre turbo-charged motor that produces 294kW and 500Nm of torque. Engaged launch control and the RS 3 propels you from 0-100km/h in just 3.8 seconds! With the Quattro S Tronic gearbox, it fires through the gears giving you optimum performance as you accelerate. The RS 3 has an electronically governed top-speed of 250km/h which can be pushed up should you opt for the RS Performance package. 

On the road, the car when driving in comfort mode is very easy to drive, almost as good as the normal A3, the only difference is that the cabin is more sportier and the ride is slightly more stiff, the eco mode does a good job in masking the noise from the performance tail-pipes giving you a smooth and quiet journey but I wasn't here for a long time with the car, just a good time so when the road allowed for it, it was into Dynamic mode and pedal to the metal, the firing sequence in the 5-pot engine is more addictive than any drug in the world, making you just want more and more of it. I had to contain my excitement as I was driving on public roads and knew I would get my opportunity on track a little later but it was great to see that in the real world, the car can be calm and composed when required. 

On the track it was time to learn about the driving performance driving modes which can be accessed via the toggle on the middle cluster or a short-cut on the steering wheel via the "RS Performance" button. After doing a few hot laps in RS Dynamic, it was clear to see what a monster they've created. The car was mental as we tore around the tarmac at Zwartkops Raceway, with the back wanted to come out but the Quattro keeping it planted, steering felt very direct and the car I had, came fitted with the ceramic brakes and Pirelli option tyres, it made gripping the apexes like knocked a nail in the corner and turning. Next it was time to test our "RS Performance" driving mode, the more track focused setting that makes the car more stiff and rigid but planted for track use, this was the mode used when setting its lap-time around Nurburgring, that lap time which I might add is exactly the same as set by the first Bugatti Veyron which has a W16 engine with a 1000bhp! So it's just mind-blowing what Audi have managed to achieve with this little 2.5L motor in comparison. Like the description says, for the RS Performance, the car is more settled on the track, you don't get that sway motion and its almost like point and shoot, this is the setting that I felt more settled with while going around a track I had very little knowledge off. 

Before the day was over, there was one more party trick the RS 3 had up its wheel arches for us, that was "RS Torque Rear" or "Drift Mode" as everyone seems to call it. Yes, you read right, a four-wheel drive car that can now drift. No, I am not pulling your leg, the RS 3 comes fitted with a torque splitter than enables the car to not only be rear biased but sending almost all its power to either one of the rear wheels, up-to 1750Nm of torque! The engineering behind this is still baffling to me but it works! Having 3-attempts to get it right, it was more challenging than I thought but when you get it right, boy what a feeling it is! 

Audi definitely have come up with an unbeatable package in the RS 3, setting the bar high for their rivals in the segment. With the pricing already announced starting at, R1,215,000 for the Sportback and R1,245,000 for the sedan. It really is looking quite attractive for the enthusiast and let me tell you straight after experiencing it properly, this car is worth the hype! With the amount of deliveries already taken over the past week, I can assure each owner has the biggest smile on their face and cannot wait till they're behind the wheel of their car.