This is our first look at Audi's new RS3, which has been spotted testing ahead of an expected year-end launch.
Based on the five-door A3 Sportback, Audi has previously confirmed the new RS3 would get more power than the previous model, which ran the same 2.5-litre forced-induction engine as the TT RS. That engine had 335bhp available, a figure which Audi claimed was unmatched in the hot hatchback market at the time.
This new model is likely to run the same powertrain, although with modifications to improve its output to somewhere near the TT RS Plus' 355bhp. An engine upgrade should allow the new RS3 to improve on the previous car's 0-62mph time of 4.6sec, something also helped by this car sitting on Volkswagen Group's lightweight MQB platform. A fifth-generation Haldex four-wheel drive system should also be fitted, alongside Audi's S-tronic transmission.
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