2022 Audi RS3 (8Y)

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Opinion: I’m crowdfunding a subtle, discreet Audi RS3. Who’s in?

Sounds like Audi’s new mega-hatch is a monster. Pity it looks like one

I haven’t driven the new Audi RS3 yet. But I’m prepared to take Tom Ford’s word for it that the new 400bhp quattro-drive mega-hatch is a proper bit of kit. I very much like the sound of car the same size as an AMG A45, with similar eyeball-warping pace, making a more exotic noise. And absorbing a bump.

In short, a car that’s tailor-made for slimy, nadgety British B-roads.

But, one request: can I please have mine dressed like a completely standard A3?

Look, we all get why the RS3 looks like it does. People who want an RS3 want you know, at fifty paces, this is The Hot One.

It’s the same reasoning behind BMW’s 4 Series having the face of the baddie from Watership Down. Coupe buyers insisted their car was more extrovert than the 3 Series saloon. Yep, BMW reads you LOUD and CLEAR.

But there’s something about the personality of a fast Audi that suits Q-car’ness. Discreet, subtle nods to the performance within. Audi hasn’t really done Q cars for a while now: the latest RS4 and RS6 shout ‘I Am Powerful And You Are In My Way’ at the top of their lungs.

Opinion: I’m crowdfunding a subtle, discreet Audi RS3. Who’s in?

Sounds like Audi’s new mega-hatch is a monster. Pity it looks like one

www.topgear.com

 

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That green is something else!!!!

 

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Shmee & Co got a '22 8Y RS3 Sedan as a long term loaner (±6 months) from Audi UK. Cool spec & colour.

 

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Audi RS3 Saloon 2021 review

Should I buy one?

Cars like these might be right-sized for the classic UK b-road, but they are getting pricey. The RS3 saloon starts at £51,900, and you’ll definitely want the RS Dynamic pack (£5500) and the more interesting paint colours are £575. So that’s £57,975 - a punchy figure no matter how much pace is on offer.

But look past that, if you can, and this is a great addition to the pack. It’s taken the standard RS recipe of outlandish pace and built in improved handling - two elements that tick most of our boxes when it comes to performance saloons.

RS3 hatch or saloon? That's trickier one. There's no tangible difference so it purely comes down to personal preference. On that basis, I'd go saloon.

We put Audi's Euro7 refugee hyper hatch against the stopwatch | Autocar

Ingolstadt sharpens up its five-cylinder hyper-hatch

www.autocar.co.uk

 

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The new RS3 is much quicker than Audi claims

Audi reckons on a 3.8s 0-62mph time for its mega hatch. TG disagrees (but in a good way)

When Audi unveiled the new, third-gen RS3 back in July, it claimed a 0-62mph time of 3.8 seconds.

If that were correct, it would make the new iteration three tenths quicker than its predecessor, although that was a car that could regularly churn out much quicker sprints.

You may not be surprised to hear then, that the new 395bhp, 2.5-litre five-cylinder-engined mega-hatch will easily beat its claimed acceleration stats.

TG can verify this having done just one launch in less than perfect conditions - a dusty, cold (but crucially closed) road and winter tyres - in one of the circa 100 UK-spec Launch Editions. Proper consumer testing for you. Our time from a standstill to 62mph? Just 3.6 seconds, and there’s no way that’s thanks to the driver.

The new RS3 is much quicker than Audi claims

Audi reckons on a 3.8s 0-62mph time for its mega hatch. TG disagrees (but in a good way)

www.topgear.com

 

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Stef ABtv review of the 2022 RS3 Sportback

 

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Petrol Ped review of the 2022 RS3 Sportback

 

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The winning combo.

 

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Shmee has a first drive in the 2022 RS3 Sedan

 

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Joe Achilles first drive of the 2022 RS3 Sportback

 

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CAR REVIEW

Audi RS3

WHAT'S THE VERDICT?

“The third generation of Audi’s five-cylinder megahatch - and the best one yet. Although you’ll need to spend some time getting the best out of it”

There’s an interesting thing going on here, in that initially, the RS3 felt a little bit all over the place. There’s a deeply impressive car here, buried under a landslide of data, adjustability, and the choice that it brings with it. Layers upon layers of individualisation, for every different surface, road and need. And while it searches for perfection, what the RS3 does is put the onus on the driver to pick the right combination. But when you do, it’s brilliant. A really good car on the right kind of wrong road.

So is this the best megahatch on the market? Well, the main competition comes from the Mercedes-AMG A45 S, a similarly-speedy, similarly-priced 400-ish bhp AWD hatchback. But they’re actually quite different. Where the Merc is angry and pointy and hard, the Audi is more cultured, better damped and much less aggressive. It’s certainly not slower though - and especially not on a bouncy b-road - this is probably as fast an A to B point car down an unknown road as you’re likely to get short of something with rally stickers and a ‘cage.

It’s not as visceral as something like the Merc - despite being the same power and also AWD - but the fact that it feels like it’s more on your side makes it just as quick. You’ll feel like you’re going faster in the A45, but I doubt you will be. More than that though, the RS3 now feels like it’s starting to get really comfortable in its own skin; it’s a confident, worthwhile, capable car, with a side order of madness not far off. Just don’t spec it in Kyalami green.

Audi RS3 Review 2023 | Top Gear

The third generation of Audi’s five-cylinder megahatch - and the best one yet. Although you’ll need to spend time getting the best out of it

www.topgear.com

 

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Audi RS3 Sportback vs Mercedes-AMG A45 S vs BMW M2 Competition vs Porsche 718 Cayman GTS vs VW Golf R: Drag Race - Carwow

 

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Driving the New Audi RS3 Home for the First Time | The Shmuseum

 

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New Audi RS3 Sportback v AMG A45 S - Drag Race | Joe Achilles

 

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HYPER-HATCH SHOWDOWN: AUDI RS3 SPORTBACK VS MERCEDES-AMG A45S

Two £60k 400bhp 4x4 mega-hatches. Both will drift. But which makes any sense?

Sometimes the Germans benchmark each other’s cars so ferociously you wonder why they bother even fitting different badges. But these two are deliciously different.
The comfy Audi makes 400 horsepower in a hatchback feel unremarkable and routine. The mad Merc reminds you 400 horsepower in a hatchback is – even in 2021 – outrageous and unjustifiable. It’ll probably be the one we’re reminiscing about with disbelief in four decades’ time.

But to live with, to drive every day and enjoy how massively it’s been improved, the stellar new RS3 is the hyperhatch to buy now.

Audi RS3 Sportback Launch Edition
8/10
2.5-litre 5cyl turbo, 394bhp, 369lb ft
7spd DCT, AWD
0-62mph in 3.8sec, 155mph
31.4mpg, 205g/km CO2
1570kg
£57,770 (£60,460 as tested)

Mercedes-AMG A45S
7/10
2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, 416bhp, 369lb ft
8spd DCT, AWD
0-62mph in 3.9sec, 169mph
31.4mpg, 207g/km CO2
1660kg
£57,195 (£59,485 as tested)

Hyper-hatch showdown: Audi RS3 Sportback vs Mercedes-AMG A45S

www.topgear.com

 

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Audi RS3 Sedan And RS3 Sportback Indicative Pricing For South Africa

The new Audi RS 3 Sedan and RS 3 Sportback will be arriving in South Africa around the second quarter of next year and with the reviews and videos hitting the net, it is not surprising that potential customers and even fans are keen to know what the pocket rocket from Ingolstadt will set you back.

We managed to obtain indicative pricing for the new RS 3’s which could vary slightly by the time they launch in South Africa in Q2 2022;

• RS3 Sportback – R1,165,000
• RS3 Sedan – R1,195,000

Yes, that would be the base price but that already makes it R65k cheaper than the Mercedes-AMG A45 S base price and R150k less than the CLA 45 S.

Audi RS 3 Sedan and RS 3 Sportback Indicative Pricing for South Africa

We managed to obtain indicative pricing for the new RS 3's which could vary slightly by the time they launch in South Africa in Q2 2022

www.zero2turbo.com

 

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1500 miles in Audi's New RS3 | Joe Achilles

 

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Audi RS3 Sportback v Tesla Model 3 Performance: Drag Race - Carwow