Sometimes, in a car that is special, there is a single feature that tells you everything you need to know about the car. Like the tire-smoking silhouette on the windshield surround of a Dodge Demon. Or the starlight headliner in a Rolls Royce. In the Audi RS3, that one thing happens when you tap the Alcantara-clad shift knob backwards from D to S.
That engages the transmission’s sport mode, but it does one other thing too. It raises the idle speed. Does that make the car quicker? No. Does it make it launch harder? Not that I can tell. So what does it do? It makes the engine burble at a much more pleasing volume than the quiet note of D.
That’s what you need to know about the RS3. It likes to make noise and it likes to have fun.
The RS3 takes the S3 and adds more to just about every part of it. It’s got one more cylinder, 108 more horsepower, more grip, more style, and more quilted-stitching on the seats.
The 2.5L five-cylinder is a new aluminum block engine that also sees duty in the TT RS. It makes a horsepower figure that is astonishing in a car this size. 400 hp. Backed by 354 lb-ft of torque from 1,700 all the way to 5,850 rpm. The RS3’s torque curve isn’t prairie flat, the prairies wish they were that flat.
The quattro all-wheel-drive system sends power to all four wheels but set it to dynamic mode and it sends more power to the rear wheels. A lot more, if you ask nicely with a poke of your right foot. The RS3 defaults to understeer in hard corners, but prod it with enough aggression and it will send enough power to the back to cure that understeer with a big dose of power-on oversteer. That was with the standard wheels. Get the optional wheels and Audi changes to a staggered set of tires, 255 in front and 235 in the rear. That stagger reversal will likely change the balance in favor of front-end grip and easier tail-out action.
The RS3 uses magnetic shocks at all four corners. You can set it to comfort, automatic, and dynamic, but there isn’t a great deal of difference between hard and soft. Even dynamic mode is surprisingly compliant. Enough to leave it in that setting on anything short of a gravel road.
While it’s surprisingly compliant, it’s far from soft. Body roll is almost non-existent, and turn-in is lightning quick. It helps that the new engine trims 57 lbs from the last-generation iron block putting less weight in front of the front wheels. Steering, through the flat-bottom wheel, is somewhat numb but very well weighted. The quick ratio helps it dive into corners assertively.
It’s a good combination of stiffness that makes it great on a twisty road – it feels more than firm enough for track use – but doesn’t compromise daily use. Even the tiny sidewalls on 19-inch wheels aren’t able to ruin the ride. Unless your local roads resemble a lunar landscape. Toss the RS3 into a corner and while you might not be able to feel what it’s doing at the surface of the pavement, you’ll know that it’s got plenty of stick.
The RS3 makes power everywhere in the rev range. It takes a moment for the turbo to spool, but once it does the RS3 sends you into orbit. Short passing lanes on your favorite tight two-lane? No problem. Trouble merging on a tight on-ramp? Not anymore. The five-cylinder roars to life through the optional sport exhaust and every shift is accompanied by a delightful pop from the massive tailpipes.
The S Tronic dual-clutch box shifts nearly instantaneously, which is nice because even though the torque plateau will pull you along in any gear, you’ll want to shift far more than you need to just to hear the engine burble and pop. If you’re cruising, there’s a particularly nice sound point in fifth at around 2,400 rpm and about 1/3rd throttle. Which is about 55 mph, perfect for back highway listening.
Inside, the RS3 has big bolsters on Nappa leather-trimmed S sport seats. The headrest is fixed, which isn’t great for tall drivers, but if the headrest is too low for you, you probably aren’t fitting in the car well anyway. This is still an A3 at heart, which means it’s a small car. Front seat room is acceptable, but full-size passengers won’t be getting in the rear seat anytime soon.
Look past the beautiful contrast stitching of the seats, and there is carbon fiber and Alcantara surrounding you. The dash uses Audi’s virtual cockpit, and the MMI screen will disappear back into the dash when you’re not using it. And you probably won’t use the audio system that much. Not that the Bang & Olufsen 14-speaker stereo doesn’t sound wonderful – it does – but the exhaust sounds better.
If you’re looking for a practical car, then the RS3’s small trunk and cramped rear seat are still better than what the M2 offers, but they aren’t going to give you much in the way of space. Audi offered the RS3 in hatchback form last time, but the market wants sedans, not hatches, at this price point, so that’s what Audi has delivered. It’s a shame because this would be the hottest of hot hatches, if it weren’t for that tiny trunk.
But practicality isn’t why you buy a 400 horsepower subcompact sedan. If you wanted practicality you’d buy an A3 Sportback e-tron. Or a Q5. You buy a 400 hp tiny sedan because you want power, acceleration, noise, and grip. On those metrics, the RS3 delivers.
The post Review: The Audi RS3 is All About Fun appeared first on VWVortex.
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