Less is more
£50,900
FOR Damping, engine, confidence inspiring
AGAINST Complicated initially, needs a noisy exhaust mode
This is the third generation of Audi’s superfast megahatch (the second gen of the saloon), and at first glance, you’d think it had just sprouted some extra bodywork and Audi had called it done. The motor is the familiar 2.5-litre 5cyl, this time boasting the same just-under-400bhp and a whisper of an increase to 369lb ft of torque, accessed a bit lower in the rev range. Marginal gains there. Similarly, the broad strokes of the drivetrain consists of quattro all-wheel drive and a 7spd Steptronic auto, and similar performance figures to the last one – albeit with a 180mph top speed option with the optional Dynamic Pack.
But look a bit closer and there are proper changes. The car itself is bigger in every direction. The body is 10mm lower than the S3, the front track is widened by 33mm (with an extra 10mm in the rear for this ‘Sportback’), and there are unsubtle arch flares, twin exhausts, and those various vents and grilles. And yes, the two black oval exhausts are actually part of the bumper trim – the actual exhausts are very obviously sat behind. Gah. All cars get adaptive damping, and an ‘RS torque splitter’ that vectors torque to whichever rear wheel needs it, and also overspeeds an outside rear to quell understeer. There’s even an ‘RS torque rear’ mode that spins the loaded wheel so that you can drift, though that feels like a party trick.
And yes, there are many modes. As an example, the Audi Drive Select now features seven different settings. After that, the RS Individual mode allows a triplet of adjustments to the drive system, suspension, steering, engine sound, and stability control intervention thresholds. And yes, while this offers a good deal of personal fine-tuning, it’s also a bit annoying.
And yet, when you do take the time to commit to figuring out what the right combos are (and loading them into the RS button on the wheel), the results are gently extraordinary. The engine is strong and faithful, the grip intense. And the damping is utterly brilliant. Better than a Mercedes-AMG A45 S? Different. Where the Merc is angry and pointy and hard, the Audi is more cultured, better damped and less aggressive. I wouldn’t say it was slower though, and especially not on a bouncy B-road. The Merc you wrestle, the Audi is an ally. There’s a deeply impressive car here, buried under a landslide of data, adjustability, and the choice that it brings with it. But it’s damn good on the right kind of wrong road.