When you unlock the car, its Matrix LED headlights — standard on Carbon Black, Launch Edition and Vorsprung models — play an ‘R’, ’S’, ‘3’ animation on one side and a chequered flag on the other within the 15-piece LED panel. Is it a gimmick? Yes. Will you show every one of your friends? Also yes.
At the heart of the RS 3 is the latest iteration of Audi’s 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine. It has a maximum power output of 395hp, while torque peaks at 368 ft lb. The power figure now arrives earlier in the rev range than before and a new engine control unit enhances the responsiveness of the engine despite tightening emissions controls.
The Audi RS 3 is an incredible car that is exceptionally competent and quick, although it is arguably a touch too good. There are some drivers that will wish it were a bit rougher around the edges from a dynamic standpoint, in order to make it feel a bit more extreme. That refinement, and the fact that electric cars in general are recalibrating our sense of outright acceleration means that, bizarrely, a 395bhp hot hatch doesn’t seem all that wild anymore.
Still, the engine alone is worth celebrating as it is, surely, not much longer for this world. Enjoy what is most likely its last hurrah.
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