Audi RS3 Saloon
Togged out in Viper Green paint, demure it ain’t. But is our new compact supersaloon all bark and no venomous bite?
OK, SO WE PROBABLY NEED TO talk about the colour. When I first selected the Viper Green option on Audi’s configurator, some of my colleagues raised their eyebrows. The hubbub didn’t die down the day the car arrived in our car park, where it stuck out like, erm, a bright-green thumb. There was a sense that maybe it was a bit too much; that the novelty of such a retinaassaulting hue could quickly wear off.
Yet I’m pleased to report that the more I look at it, the more I love it. And I’m not the only one, because I have genuinely not driven a car that has attracted more positive attention. Supercars, stripped-out trackday specials and ultra-rare classics have nothing on this mass-produced, four-door saloon. Parked up in a petrol station, kerbside on the high street or crawling through traffic, this RS3 always gets a thumbs up, plus plenty of ‘nice colour’ comments. And I don’t think they’re being sarcastic…
Anyway, that’s the colour out of the way – what about the rest of the car? The RS3 lost out to the BMW M2 when they faced off in issue 243, but we have a feeling that with increased exposure the Audi might worm its way into our affections – its lack of immediate driver engagement offset by its ability to access deep reserves of performance, whatever the weather. First choice was which body style to choose. That turned out to be fairly easy, because a fast, compact saloon is at least 15 per cent cooler than a hatchback – that’s probably an actual scientific fact.
On top of the Viper Green paint (£2400. Gulp), we selected the £695 diamond-cut 19-inch alloys, £800 matt aluminium styling pack and £795 Super Sport seats with grey stitching, while the tech upgrades run to a Bang & Olufsen hi-fi (part of the £995 Sound and Comfort Pack), folding mirrors (£275) and wireless phone charging (£325). The really big money was spent on the car’s dynamics, with adaptive dampers (£995), an RS Sport exhaust (£1000) and the – brace yourself – £4695 carbon-ceramic front brakes. As a result, our RS3’S price inflated from a
‘We have a feeling that with increased exposure the Audi might worm its way into our affections’
not inconsiderable £43,765 to a breathtaking £58,625. That’s nearly sixty grand for a small saloon car, albeit one that’s beautifully finished and well equipped, even before the options.
That said, for many the 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine will be worth the price of entry alone. The recently revised unit features an aluminium rather than iron block, saving a handy 26kg, while power has risen to 394bhp. I’ll just let that number sink in for a while.
At the time of writing we have only just completed the car’s 1000-mile running-in period, but already the five-pot is getting under the skin. From the theatrical flare of revs on start-up, through to its spine-tingly, sports exhaust-enhanced off-beat wail at 7000rpm, it stands out as one of the finest internal combustion engines money can buy. It’s potent too, the combination of 354lb ft from 1700rpm and rapid-fire twin-clutch gearbox resulting
Above and left: our RS3’S £2400 paintwork has attracted lots of attention already. Top left: turbo five-pot is one of the best engines out there, and good for 394bhp and 354lb ft of torque
in electrifying pace, particularly in throttle-sharpened Dynamic mode.
The driver settings also alter the damping, but even in Comfort mode the RS3 feels a little stiff-legged. It’s not exactly uncomfortable, although striking an unsighted pothole will cause you to wince – both from the sharp impact and from the thought of those vulnerable 19-inch rims potentially making contact with broken tarmac.
The rest of the driving experience is as you’d expect, with the RS3 feeling planted and composed, particularly so during the spell of wintry weather earlier in the year. The quattro’s all-wheel-drive ability to keep going when others are stranded in a flurry of impotent wheelspin is truly staggering. That said, low-profile Pirellis ain’t so good at steering or stopping in the snow, so slow progress is the order of the day. But at least you’re moving, which means that there’s a chance you’ll get home when others are stranded.
With the engine now fully loose and the temperatures rising, I’m looking forward to going a little faster in the Audi and testing the limpetlike traction and iron-fisted composure. I’m also hoping some extra time with the RS3 will reveal a car that brings a little extra colour to my life.