Audi has updated the RS3 with an emphasis on cornering capability.
Upgrades to software have made the car’s control systems more responsive, Audi says. “The agility of the RS 3 can now be deployed earlier and with greater control. This operates by means of finely calibrated brake interventions at the inside wheels on corners. The components connected in the modular vehicle dynamics controller, such as the electronic stabilisation control, the torque splitter and the adaptive dampers, are decisive for this. Thanks to an improved algorithm, they respond even more sensitively to the respective driving situations.”
Audi claims higher cornering speeds are possible and that the car’s initial turn-in is sharper as well. There’s more grip from new tyres which, unusually, are wider at the front than the rear. Fitted to 19-inch Y-spoke matte black alloy wheels they’re sized at 265/30 up front and 245/35 at the back. A smaller footprint at the rear, combined with tweaks to the car’s electronics means that it’s easier to provoke the RS3 into oversteer on demand. While in the previous iteration the RS3 would slide under power, a drift can now be initiated through the steering input alone, which Audi reckons “allows the driver to obtain the same drift angle faster.”
Accompanying such antics is an enhanced soundtrack from the 2.5-litre 400bhp five-cylinder motor. The engine’s 1-2-4-5-3 firing sequence already makes it distinctive, but now it’s louder and fuller, especially in the mid range, thanks to a revised exhaust system flap.
There’s a facelift featuring an updated grille with vertical black blades, and a new front splitter. Apparently it’s been inspired by the Audi Sport quattro S1 Pikes Peak from 1987. At the rear there are vertical side reflectors that mimic the front blades, a new diffuser and black-framed twin tailpipes.
Moving inside you’ll find sports seats trimmed in Nappa leather with honeycomb stitching, a polished vanadium look for the shift paddles, door handles and air vents, plus a new steering wheel that’s flat-topped and bottomed. Amendments to the 12.3-inch “virtual cockpit” display include a new rev counter and blinking shift lights.
UK prices start at £59,510 for the Sportback and £60,510 for the Saloon.
