FIVE-CYLINDER SIZZLE IS HERE

Potent Audi RS3 Sedan arrives in SA with 294kW of power and quattro claws

AMONG all the hype surrounding ultra-powerful four-cylinder motors of the type AMG builds nowadays, and all the tears shed about the gradual death of beloved V6s, V8s and anything with more than four pistons for that matter, the good old ‘five-pot’ has been laying quite low of late.

Thankfully the company that produced the world’s first five-cylinder petrol engine is keeping it alive and well in its TT RS, RS Q3 and RS3 performance models, and the latter has just undergone something of a renewal and format change.

The facelifted RS3 has just gone on sale in South Africa, and it’s available in sedan guise for the first time, priced at R925 500. The five-door RS3 Sportback is set to follow in November and that is yours for slightly less, as in R895 500.

The RS3’s 2.5-litre turbopetrol engine has been given a decent little perk-up, gaining 24kW and 15Nm to make it the most powerful five-cylinder production engine yet, with 294kW and 480Nm on tap. Both the Sedan and Sportback, according to Audi, are capable of sprinting to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds and if you speak to the chaps at Audi nicely, you can have the electronically-limited top speed raised from 250km/h to 280km/h. Finding a road where you can safely do that is another matter.

Not only is it more potent than before, but the new 2.5 TFSI engine is also 26kg lighter than its predecessor, while internal friction has been reduced.

Because you’ll want to hear that off-beat five-cylinder rhythm in all its glory, Audi has also installed exhaust flaps that you can liberate through Audi’s Drive Select system. Continued on Page 3