MELBOURNE: Audi RS3 sedan will give a hard competition to Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG.
The first production version of the new RS3 Sportback is being showcased for all the Audi fans to enjoy at the Geneva Motor Show 2015. A coupe of details regarding the pricing are still missing, but overall, it’s the most exciting hot hatch right now.
This engine is a reworked version of the one used in the previous 250kW/450Nm RS3, plus the previous TT RS and current RS Q3 models, the latter of which has 228kW and 420Nm. Rumour had it that Audi was set to downsize to a four-cylinder RS3, but instead it has stuck to the tried and true.
The three-box beast will combine with brutal mechanicals of the RS3 Sportback hatch with the A3 sedan body-style. Don’t forget, Audi previewed the new RS3 model with the sedan-based A3 Clubsport concept (pictured above) earlier last year.
We bumped into the chief of Audi’s quattro GmbH division, Heinz Hollerweger, at the 2015 Geneva motor show today, who said the company was working on the car, but also seemed to hint that we may not see it this year.
Speculation suggests the staggered launch is a good way to keep the flagship sports car variant of the A3 range fresh in the public eye, by doling out different body-styles over the lifespan of the car.
Naturally, given the roaring success of Audi’s S and RS divisions in Australia at present (along with its rivals AMG and BMW’s M Division, we should add), an RS3 sedan would seem a sharp fit locally when it becomes available.
As we know, the RS3 Sportback hatch launches in Australia late in 2015, powered by a muscular 2.5-litre TFSI five-cylinder turbo that shades both the AMG 45 and M135i, with outputs of 270kW and 465Nm of torque (the latter available between 1625-5550rpm).
Given its MQB architecture, a weight loss of 55kg (to 1520kg unladen) is expected. The engine sends power to all four wheels via Audi’s variable quattro system that can send between 50 and 100 per cent of available torque to the rear axle.
Controlling the power is a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch auto with paddleshifters. It has an electronically controlled but hydraulically activated multi-plate clutch that weighs 1.4kg less than its predecessor.
