2022 Audi RS3 (8Y)

The new Audi RS3 ‘competition limited’ is a *very* expensive hot hatch with fancy coilovers

Over *ninety grand* expensive. Yeesh. Audi stiffens up its five-cylinder hero, but will only make 750 of them

This is the Audi RS3 competition limited. To no great surprise, it is a limited edition of the RS3 competition that’s been built to celebrate 50 years since Audi first slotted a five-cylinder engine into the slender nose of the 1976 100. To great surprise, it is supremely expensive. More on that later.

How then, you might wonder, does an Audi famous for its five-cylinder engine celebrate 50 years of Audi making famous five-cylinders? Nope, not like that. Audi has instead bolted in a set of coilovers and bolted on a set of carbon accoutrements to its rampaging little hatch, and left that famous five-cylinder well alone.

As such, there’s the same 395bhp and 369lb ft you get in a so-called ‘regular’ Audi RS3, and the same 0-62mph time of 3.8s. Though for the RS3 competition limited, the speed limit’s been raised right up to 180mph out the box.

To be fair, this is a bit of a masterstroke of an engine; one that’s won multiple Engine of the Year awards. Doesn’t really need anything. So for this installation, Audi’s decided to fit a variable RS sports exhaust system, said to “broaden the spectrum of the exhaust note”.

 
Audi RS3 Competition Limited Revealed

The Audi RS3 Competition Limited celebrates 50 years of the iconic 5-cylinder engine, yet there’s no powertrain upgrade? Here’s all you need to know…

The Audi RS3 Competition Limited will go on sale in limited quantities, with just 750 units to be made. The reason for its existence? To celebrate the iconic 5-cylinder petrol engine that has been powering legendary Audi vehicles for 50 years.

You’d think a powertrain milestone would result in a performance bump or increase in outputs, but sadly the turbocharged 2.5-litre 5-cylinder’s outputs have remained identical to the current iteration. As a reminder, it sends 294 kW and 500 Nm to all 4 wheels via an automatic gearbox and Audi claims 0-100 kph is dispatched in 3.8 seconds. That said, a top speed of 290 kph is claimed for this special edition.

Visually, you can spot the Audi RS3 Competition Limited with its new canard winglets on the front bumper, unique roof spoiler, split front lip, 19-inch Neodymium gold alloy wheels and plenty of carbon-fibre goodies, like the side-mirror caps, rear spoiler and so on. There are new colours to choose from, including Glacier White matte and the Malachite Green you see in these images. Daytona Gray is also pictured, and Audi says that is its most popular hue.

The biggest enhancement can be found in the handling department, where the Audi RS3 Competition Limited now features an adjustable coilover suspension, including a new rear stabiliser. This setup was specifically developed and tuned for this model.

We say adjustable and this is where things get interesting as Audi will be supplying the tools and manuals so customers can adjust compression and rebound rates themselves. The new rear stabiliser is stiffer than the standard car’s unit and Audi says it helps with directional stability and agility when accelerating out of a fast corner.

 
Audi celebrates 50 years of five-cylinder firepower with RS3 competition limited

Celebrating 50 years of its much vaunted five-cylinder engine, Audi has whipped the wraps off the RS 3 competition limited.

Audi is commemorating the 50th anniversary of its renowned five-cylinder powertrain, with the German marque revealing a new special-edition RS 3, the competition limited. Available in both Sportback and Sedan body styles, only 750 units will be made.

So, what sets the RS 3 competition limited apart from its standard stablemate? Well, for starters, the special edition gains a “sharpened” front facia with new carbon-fibre canards; a split lower front lip; and matte carbon finish for the side mirror caps, side skirts, and roof-mounted rear spoiler, to name but a few items. A neat addition, the fore and aft badging are finished in heritage hues.

Unique to the limited-run model, the headlamp clusters have been darkened. A nod to the five-cylinder powertrain’s firing order, the matrix LED units illuminate in a 1-2-4-5-3 pattern when unlocking or unlocking the car.

 
Is the RS3 Competition Limited the final 5-cylinder Audi?

Audis aren’t really regarded as high-performance investment cars the way Mercedes-AMGs and most BMW M GmbH cars are. However, the 5-cylinder Audi RS models are different...

Rare engine configurations make performance cars more valuable. And there’s few engine types rarer than a 5-cylinder Audi. Enter the latest RS3 Competition Limited.

Nobody else makes a 5-cylinder production petrol engine anymore except Audi. Until a few years ago, in 2020 to be exact, you could still buy a Ranger with Ford’s 5-cylinder, 3.2-litre turbodiesel. A few years before that, Volvo phased out its 5-cylinder petrol engines.

The high-performance car market is about status and perception. But mechanical differences play a big role in creating that aura of rarity enhancing vehicle status. The worst thing you can do as a performance car sub-brand is give buyers lots of features without any rare mechanical engineering feats.

For Audi, the novelty of its 5-cylinder engines is one of the brand’s few real differentiators when it competes for wealth-driving enthusiast customers with AMG and BMW M. Audi’s latest 5-cylinder model is the RS3 Competition Limited. And the question is: could this be the last 5-cylinder Audi and the most collectable?

Why are there so few 5-cylinder cars?

Audi’s official reason for creating the RS3 Competition Limited is as a homage car. It celebrates 50 years of Audi’s 5-cylinder engines tracing their origins to Audi’s revolutionary Ur-Quattro. This is the car that revolutionised Audi’s brand standing and set it on a journey to become a true German premium and high-performance driving brand.

But why have 5-cylinder engines become so rare? If they are the perfect answer to the need for more power than a 4-cylinder, but fewer emissions than a 6-cylinder, why aren’t there more 5-pots in production?

Five-cylinder engines have real advantages over 4-pots, especially in high-power applications. Why? Because a high-performance 5-cylinder engine runs smoother than a 4 (despite the former having inherent mechanical imbalance). Versus 6-cylinder engines, meanwhile, the 5-cylinder nearly matches power output but is smaller and easier to package. And that’s really important in a compact performance car.

If, then, 5-cylinder engines are so great, why is only Audi still making one? The off-cylinder count, which helps create that unique and appealing 5-cylinder engine sound, is also the configuration’s weakness. Even-cylinder engines are inherently more balanced than engines with an odd number of cylinders. That means that balancing a 5-cylinder requires balancing shafts, which add cost and complexity.

 
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