It's official! Audi RS 3 Sportback

[doodlebug]

It's 'only' an additional £1200 to have any colour from the Audi range (white being the only free colour, the others all being £500). Given that I'm not in any hurry for the car I took the decision to have what I wanted rather than compromise.

[Abyss]

Is the Sepang or Mica blue?

Either way it's nice. I've ordered Sepang blue with the alu pack. Red, black, white are all too boring, I like Daytona grey but one half of the garage is already that colour, two grey cars would have been too much!

The car in the photo os Sepang, ive gone for Racing Mica which was mentioned to me by the salesman and after seeing an RS6+ in the colour my mind was set




TTRS IN Mica, RS in Sepange showing the subtle differences...

[s3dbw]

Just had a test drive in a dealers demo. This is an impressive piece of kit! Took it over a variety of roads, dual carriage way, A Roads and B Roads including some with a less than ideal surface. All I can say is that any worries any one might have about the ride being too harsh are unfounded. The ride quality is no worse than my 2007 model S3 (though some may argue that's nothing to shout about), however what was interesting is that my wife has a 2010 model S3 Sportback with the magnetic ride option, and I kid you not, the mag ride in the sport setting is a much harder setting than the standard RS3.

For anyone that's interested 7th Gear is quite highly geared with diesel like gear ratio's, just under 2000rpm at 70mph, however the upside, I was seeing mid 30's in the fuel consumption with ease when sitting at sensible cruising speeds and over a steady run, despite the extra cylinder, my guess is that from a fuel perspective this will be no worse than a standard S3, not of course anybody will care too much about fuel economy when buying one of these!

Handling was excellent and in manual paddle mode, this is one hell of a quick car point to point along some twisting B-Roads. The engine is a delight to listen too, particularly with the "loud" button on, but when switched off there is a noticeable drop in noise, particularly when motorway cruising.

The only downside, my build week is 47!, though that has come in by a couple of weeks, so here's hoping it comes in a bit more as I cant wait to hands on one of these full time.

regards

[SteveCuz]

It's a super car isn't it. I have got 32.8 mpg on long trips and my last full tank avg was 27.0 with some mixed driving.

You probably didn't test launch control yet so I'll let you experience that yourself ;-)

Steve

[Abyss]

Just had a test drive in a dealers demo. This is an impressive piece of kit! Took it over a variety of roads, dual carriage way, A Roads and B Roads including some with a less than ideal surface. All I can say is that any worries any one might have about the ride being too harsh are unfounded. The ride quality is no worse than my 2007 model S3 (though some may argue that's nothing to shout about), however what was interesting is that my wife has a 2010 model S3 Sportback with the magnetic ride option, and I kid you not, the mag ride in the sport setting is a much harder setting than the standard RS3.

For anyone that's interested 7th Gear is quite highly geared with diesel like gear ratio's, just under 2000rpm at 70mph, however the upside, I was seeing mid 30's in the fuel consumption with ease when sitting at sensible cruising speeds and over a steady run, despite the extra cylinder, my guess is that from a fuel perspective this will be no worse than a standard S3, not of course anybody will care too much about fuel economy when buying one of these!

Handling was excellent and in manual paddle mode, this is one hell of a quick car point to point along some twisting B-Roads. The engine is a delight to listen too, particularly with the "loud" button on, but when switched off there is a noticeable drop in noise, particularly when motorway cruising.

The only downside, my build week is 47!, though that has come in by a couple of weeks, so here's hoping it comes in a bit more as I cant wait to hands on one of these full time.

regards

great write up, i cant wait to get mine which is due sometime in September (week 38/39)

[s3dbw]

It's a super car isn't it. I have got 32.8 mpg on long trips and my last full tank avg was 27.0 with some mixed driving.

You probably didn't test launch control yet so I'll let you experience that yourself ;-)

Steve

Your right Steve, didn't have time to try launch control, I was too busy enjoying myself!!

Cheers

[doodlebug]

great write up, i cant wait to get mine which is due sometime in September (week 38/39)

You're lucky it's due that quickly with the exclusive paint. I'm looking at Q1 at best!

[tailpipe]

Can someone please tell me how to use launch control. Can you believe it, I've never used it on any car yet! Thanks.

[SteveCuz]

It's in the manual.

Take off traction control, put gearbox in S. Left foot on brake then put your right foot on the gas all the way to the floor (keeping your left foot on brake).

The revs will go up but stop at 3.5k (If the revs go right up then u r doing something wrong)

The simply lift ur foot off the brake and hang on!!

Steve

[Abyss]

You're lucky it's due that quickly with the exclusive paint. I'm looking at Q1 at best!

Ill believe it when i see it

I know a guy whos received his Sepang which is an exclusive colour on RS3 (but a normal metallic on S3) so hopefully my car will come through before the end of September

[tailpipe]

A Review of Audi’s new RS3 by Tailpipe

Introduction

After recently taking delivery of my Phantom black RS3, I’ve now had time to put a few miles on the clock and to form an impression of the car. I hope that what I write will help those of you still waiting to take delivery to keep the faith and remain patient.

By way of introduction, my frame of reference for evaluating the RS3 is five other cars I’ve owned over the years. These include the original Audi Quattro (which also had a 5-cylinder engine but only 220 bhp); the Lancia Delta Integrale, the VW Golf VR6, the BMW E46 M3 coupe, and the Audi B7 RS4.

Let me jump straight to the heart of the matter: the new RS3 is an epic automobile. It may be built on the old A3 chassis and one that’s rapidly approaching retirement, but it is a completely different car. Indeed, the RS3 is a wolf in sheep’s clothing like no other. Quattro Gmbh have taken a bare-bones A3 and turned it into an extraordinary machine with prodigious capabilities.

First impressions

Visually, the car lacks the drama of BMW’s new 1-Series M-Coupe. The unenlightened will be hard pushed to tell the difference between an RS3 and a standard S3. As has been noted, the revisions are subtle. Without the aluminium pack that my car has, it just isn’t obvious what this car packs under its hood. And that’s the way I like it. Why draw attention to yourself, if you don’t need to?

One very nice detail is that if you specify the aluminium pack the outside door handles have aluminium inlays on top of them – very classy. The rear spoiler is quite large, but again it’s not too obvious. The 19” wheels suit the car perfectly. I went for the plain ones – not those with the garish red rims, which I think are an offence against standards of decency on any RS3 except a red one.

Interior design

Inside, the same restraint is again shown. Yes, the cabin is dated, but the ergonomics are excellent. Since it wasn’t broke, Audi saw no need to fix or change it. This is a very easy car to get comfortable in. When you close the doors, they shut with the kind of reassuring thud you used to get on a Mercedes-Benz 30 years ago. The interior plastics are top notch and the aluminium rimmed air vents must surely be the same ones used on an F-22 Raptor stealth fighter. I opted for the interior aluminium race inlays to brighten-up the cabin. I think they work much better than the standard piano black decor. Overall, the cabin has a ‘hewn from stone’ feel about it. The seats have plenty of adjustment so it is easy to find the perfect driving position.

I have three kids and live in the heart of a big city. So while I wanted a car that was uncompromisingly fast, it had to be compact and yet have good interior space. The rear cabin offers plenty of legroom and a surprising degree of comfort for youngsters. This a genuine 5-seater car and although some boot space is lost to the Quattro AWD mechanicals, it is still adequately spacious enough to swallow four or five decent size bags, a dog basket, assorted carrier bags, and several coats.

The RS3 has a custom instrument cluster with trip computer linked to steering wheel controls and the car’s multi-media system. My iPhone hooked-up to the car within seconds and sucked my entire list of contacts into the car’s memory. The iPhone’s integral iPod was soon playing music through the car’s standard stereo. As good as the Bose system may be, the regular one is a fine piece of equipment.

Down to business

Insert key, flick it clockwise and the engine bursts into life. There is something about the warble of a 5-pot engine that defies description; all I can say is that it emits a great sound long before you switch the S for Sport button on. The hair on the back of my neck bristled in anticipation. The DSG snicks neatly into D – Drive and your feet easily find the brake and accelerator pedals in the footwell. They too are beautifully finished in drilled aluminium.

Despite starting out in nose-to-tail traffic and in pouring rain, the RS3 is extremely docile and easy to control. Totally compliant, you never feel the drivetrain struggling to cope with low revs: it just pootles along until you prod the accelerator to secure a gap that opens in the traffic.

Gently coasting along, heading towards the motorway out of town, you begin to appreciate the massive attention to detail that has gone into this car. It totally cocoons you from the road and other road users. It doesn’t draw attention to itself like a Porsche or large BMW. It is just another hatch until, finally, the tailback gives way to three lanes of reasonably empty motorway. As I exited London, a large black Mercedes-Benz S-Class hugged the RS3’s ass, willing me to move over as the motorway opened out before us. I obligingly moved to the centre lane and floored it… the effect of giving the engine its head was like unleashing a pack of Rottweilers on a bunny. I had to hang onto the steering wheel in order not to be left behind. Mr. Stuttgart was left hogging the fast lane miles behind me.

Comfortably ahead of any other car that entered the motorway at the same moment, I glanced down at the speedometer. I was shocked at how fast I was going. Then I got the next surprise: I hit the brakes and the car would have halted on a penny had it been necessary. Few other cars this side of a 911 have brakes this good.

A few words about ride comfort

Various testers criticised the RS3’s ride on UK roads. I cannot understand this. The car is necessarily firm but beautifully compliant. It seems to have a decent amount of suspension travel and never felt uncomfortable or jittery. It sucks up the manifold deficiencies of UK roads with ease and only the worst pot-holes transmit any kind of bump to the car’s occupants. In short, the RS3’s mechanical springs and dampers must surely be among the best available – hats off the Quattro GmbH for fitting them. This car is incredibly well-sorted. The ride is much better than that of the BMW M3 and in my book is as good as the RS4’s. Anyone who says it is too hard is talking rubbish.

The engine and DCT gearbox

I bought this car because of its 5-cylinder 2.5 litre TFSI engine. What an engine it is. . It definitely pulls at any speed in any gear. The RS3’s versatility reminds me of my old Golf VR6 which had the same sort of omni-gear flexibility. While it is controlled and quiet at low revs, once you start to accelerate hard, the sound builds into a throaty rumble of ever increasing intensity. It’s a wonderful sound but it isn’t overplayed or intrusive. If you want a bona fide engine sound track, then swtich on the S – Sport mode button. When you hit the S button on the gearbox, the car's responses sharpen-up noticeably.

While the engine is brilliant, the new 7-speed DCT gearbox is equally good. In fact, it is the unsung hero of this adventure. Designed to contain much more torque than the older 6-speed variant, it allows for a much wider range of ratios to suit the engine’s character. In D as opposed to S, changes are almost imperceptible. When the pace isn’t frenetic, you very quickly progress from gears 1 to 6. If you want to push on a bit, you just floor it and it kicks down – again almost unnoticeably – and blasts you towards the horizon. Seventh gear is a long-legged cruising gear and contributes to commendable fuel economy on longer trips.

On average runs, you should get about 25-27 mpg. More conservative driving styles should yield 30 mpg, but, if you put the hammer down, it may plummet below 20 mpg. My car is still new, so I expect economy to increase as it loosens up. While it is still a novelty, I am driving much more vigorously than I usually do.

After 50 miles covered in a very short amount of time., I left the motorway for a stretch of country road I know well. I was a bit apprehensive because the road conditions were wet and slippery, but decided to push as hard as was prudent in the circumstances. And?

This car goes and goes. I was doing silly speeds without so much as a tyre screech or ASC light flicker. Evo magazine in the UK described the RS3 as a car for going fast for people who have no desire to be part of the process. It was a fatuous remark made by boy racers who have no real understanding of why Quattro Audis exist. With the RS3, the car’s sheer ability to car fast anywhere in any conditions inspires confidence that creates a feeling of intense satisfaction and pleasure. The car flatters you. It is hard to do something dangerous or stupid in an RS3. Its sheer A to B point-to-point ability induces a grin that sticks as hard to your face as the RS3’s wheels stick hard to the road.

This is not a tiring car to drive. It allows you to travel long distances without arriving at your destination feeling exhausted. Its capabilities totally belie its size. Inside, the RS3 feels like a car that is much larger than it is on the outside.

Whatever you do, it hugs bends and accelerates purposefully out of corners. All in all, it wouldn’t surprise me to discover that Audi has been a tad conservative with its performance figures.

I don’t know if it’s possible to reach this car’s limits on normal roads. I really don’t think there are many other cars with the RS3’s breadth of abilities. Describing the experience of threading it through a succession of corners causes you to run out of superlatives very quickly. This is a guided missile of a car.

Summary

The RS3 is expensive for an A3. But for an uncompromising performance car, it’s incredibly cheap. You really do need a 911 to find anything that comes close. Everything about it seems well conceived and carefully executed. It is a Swiss watch of car and I expect it to yield great driving moments long after the price of purchase is forgotten.

In essence, this is an unquestionably good car. It would leave my old Quattro for dead as well as the Lancia Delta Integrale. it is infinitely better built than both. The RS3 is also considerably better than my old BMW M3 - faster, easier to live with, and less scary in adverse conditions (it's worth noting that no car is fun to drive when it makes you think you'll have an accident it you drive it over 50 kph in winter). Looking back on the cars I've owned, I loved my Golf VR6 almost more than any of them, because it always worked. It was always ready to do the business and it always felt so sure footed. The RS4 was a magical car and provided some memorable driving moments , but it drank petrol and had a paltry range. I feel that my RS3 will be as bullet-proof as the my old VR6 and sporty as the RS4. My romance with the RS3 is new, but every acquaintance with it leaves me looking forward to the next one. I think it's going to be a great experience.

[SteveCuz]

Good write up.

Still loving my RS3 :-)

The brakes are amazing aren't they!!

Steve

[Ruergard]

Thanks for a great writeup!

[Erik]

Wow, great write-up.

Guess what, it's been promoted to an article - check www.RS6.com

[ved]

Here is my comparison of my RS 3 vs my REVO 2+ S3 :

Appearance :

Pics do not do any justice to the RS 3. It is really much more macho looking compared to the S3. With the 2 cars parked next to each other, you can really see the difference. The RS 3 wheels and flared arches really stand out.

Sound :

I have a DP on the S3, so it is very brute and loud with a purposeful bark. Given the mood that I am in, I sometimes enjoy it and it sometimes annoys me.
The sound of the RS 3 is now something that is very special. With the "S" button pressed, the sound of the 5cyl motor is purely orgasmic. I can not explain how awesome it sounds. The 5 pot has a tone that just wants to make me drive more and more and more. To note : without the "S" button pressed, the car very soft in side.

STronic and Launchcontrol :

Put simply the STronic box on the RS 3 is LIGHT YEARS ahead of the S3 gearbox. The gearbox does have the lag like the S3 box, and the gear changes are super slick. It really makes the car an absolute pleasure to drive. I have always thought the the STronic box on the S3 was an after thought, and it was never perfectly mated. The RS 3 box, allows the power to be applied instantaneously (as can be seen when racing the S3 on rolling runs - more about that late).
The LC on the RS 3 is FREAKEN AMAZING. I have never been in a car that consistently can do 1.8 60ft time every time (measured on my VBOX), without a sweat. Together with the LC and the superior STronic box, it accelerated to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds. This is not an indication of how fast the car is, but rather how good the LC and STronic box ( more about that later).

Handling :

I have not done too much mileage in the RS 3 yet, and have not pushed it around too much, but in the few slow corners on my way to work, I could feel that the suspension and wider tyres gave a lot more feedback, and just out right gripped better than the S3. The S3 is very very sure footed, and is a brilliant car but the RS 3 is just better.

Power :

I guess this is the part that everybody is waiting for.
I have done a few rolling runs against my S3 (cousin driving) on REVO setting B4, T3, F7 on 95 RON.
(Going from the line would not prove anything due to the RS 3 having the superior LC being 0.2 seconds better on the 60ft.)
Race Result : The REVO 2+ S3 is faster The RS 3 can get the power down quicker and get away but the S3 catches very quickly, and it's legs start showing. It is not murder on the dance floor for the RS 3 at all. The S3 just starts edging ahead. We only ran till about 160km/h. If we raced from the line, I think it would have been very much more difficult for the S3 to catch the RS 3. Hence for our testing purposes we kept it to rolling runs. The RS 3only has 350km under its belt, so I also know that after a few 1000 km's it will open up a bit more. Therefore for me, the RS 3 may not have all the power right now to compete on fair grounds to the REVO 2+ S3, but it does have the LC and STronic box to show it a clean pair of heels. As a comparison on the VBOX, my REVO 2+ S3 with Race octane and setting B7 T7 F9, can do a best of 4.4 seconds to 100km/h. I am really waiting for the RS 3 to get some mileage in and I will retest.
For me personally, I think it is fantastic that running the S3 at it's strength (rolling), the RS 3 just marginally fell behind. It says a lot for a brand new car against one that is modified.

[ved]

Black Berry pics :






My S3 and RS 3 with my ex S3, which my cousin now owns :

[Ruergard]

Thanks for the pics and another nice writeup.

How much power does that S3 put down?

[ved]

Thanks for the pics and another nice writeup.

How much power does that S3 put down?

Tx

The S3 makes roughly 215 kw at the wheels. (~ 290 bhp at the wheels). This is in Johannesburg, which is 1600m above sea level.
I have not dynoed the car recently, but all REVO 2+ S3's make around this power.