Whether it’s a wallet friendly econobox or a hyper fast EV, I always look forward to and thoroughly enjoy all the cars that I review. It’s an incredible privilege to do this job but even so, there are cars that I eagerly await more so than others, I am but a human after all! The Audi RS3 Sportback was one such car. It could have been my enthusiasm for hot hatchbacks or my penchant for bold colours, either way, I was certain that this would be an unforgettable weekend.
The recipe for making a good hot hatchback is generally pretty simple, arguably the RS3 is more hyper than hot though! You take a best selling car, add some width to it, reduce the ground clearance and drop a great big engine in the front. Based on that brief, Audi have done well with this facelifted RS3. For one, it measures in at just under 4.4m long, 1.85m wide and 1.44 tall, the dimensions are spot on for the category. However, the designers took inspiration from the RS3 LMS so the car is visibly more aggressive to look at and simply needs a comically large rear wing before it can take to the track as a full fledged racecar. It’s worth noting too that it is about 50mm wider at the front than it is at the rear, a noticeable difference especially when you are following one.
Then there’s the colour, Kyalami Green. Meaning ‘home’ in Zulu, it is also the name of South Africa’s former F1 circuit. Believe it or not, this is actually one of two free colour choices on this facelifted RS3! The other being Arkona White which is not too shabby looking either. A total of eight shades exist for New Zealand buyers but this has to be my pick of the bunch. Yes, either the black or gray will likely be top sellers but I can’t help but feel that they make this car a little less special. Particularly when I received so many smiles, waves and thumbs up during my time with the car. Funnily enough, I can’t remember the last time a press car elicited such a positive response from the general public. The magic of a good colour choice and tasteful specification knows no bounds!
Maybe it wasn’t just the specification that made people show a fondness to the car but also the history of the marque. Remember of course that Audi’s Quattro system and Audi Sport debuted in the early 80s when the German brand made its mark on rallying with their infamous racecar. Fast forward to today and the RS3 is the only remaining car in Audi’s local offering that sports the combination of a five cylinder turbocharged powertrain and a Quattro all wheel drive system. Therefore, it is the spiritual successor of that immensely successful rally car.
All that means it is the only blue blooded Audi Sport car in the range making its badges functional rather than purely decorative. RS badges can be found at the rear, on the brake calipers and even marked on the wheels, although it’s a shame they chose to delete the RS3 badge from the front grille. That aside, the theme continues on the inside where opening the door will see you greeted with RS puddle lighting and an RS3 treadplate, a little taster of what is to come.
Inside, RS badges can be located on the seatbacks as well as on the steering wheel and even some in various parts of the infotainment. There’s also a standout ‘Quattro’ badge sitting on the dashboard should your passenger ever doubt the car’s capabilities on or off road to some extent. Just like the Audi Sport theme, green is also the name of the game when it comes to this interior. Combine some bright green ambient lighting with the ability to have the contrast stitching also specified in the colour and you have a cabin that feels just right for the car. Yes, this shade of green is one that divides opinion but one look at the dial of my watch and you’ll know that I fall into the ‘love it’ rather than ‘hate it’ camp.
While the beauty of the green colour and the comfort of those Nappa leather sports seats had me in a bit of a trance, I was still conscious enough to notice the fact that the plastics are rather cheap as is the liberal use of piano black plastic. Both disappointing to see in a car that starts at $128,990. Yes, there is an extensive list of options to choose from but I reckon ‘KISS’ is a good philosophy to employ here. ‘KISS’ standing for ‘keep it simple stupid’ rather than the band that always has their tongues out. If you are a fan of the band though or just of music in general, you will enjoy the impressive SONOS 3D audio system which comes as standard! Flashes of Dinamica around the cabin are complementary too. Also impressive were the air conditioning controls which were physical buttons for once, a breath of fresh air at a time when manufacturers are still putting these in the infotainment screen. I’ve rambled on about the options list and cheap plastics but those things shouldn’t matter as much when considering a car like the RS3, it was made to be driven.
And indeed, drive is what I did over the course of the weekend. All up, I covered just shy of 700 kilometres, involving traffic, motorways, a 300km round trip to Cambridge and some enthusiastic cornering as well, averaging around 8.9L/100km, slightly less than the claimed average of 9.4L/100km! Even with a full car and in ‘comfort’ mode, the RS3 never left me wanting for more. After all, this car maintains power at 294kW (400hp) and 500Nm of torque, allowing the 0-100 sprint to be achieved in under four seconds! 3.8 if we’re being exact but either way, it is seriously rapid, so much so that it is the current record holder for a compact production performance car to lap the Nurburgring. Despite not upping the power, the addition of a trick RS torque splitter ensured that Audi could capture the title from another German marque.
Despite being relatively unchanged for the better part of a decade, that 2.5L five cylinder turbocharged powertrain still has so much to offer. Mated to a 7 speed dual clutch gearbox, it never leaves you wanting for more. Power is always on tap, shifting up or down in an instant, the car can unleash all of its horses on an onramp or simply trundle about town in traffic. It’s pretty capable all around, even more so when the road opens up. With the city limits in the rear view mirror, this is where the RS3 comes alive, on a twisty back road. The car rewards spirited driving with its theatrical soundtrack and enormous levels of grip. Being an Audi, it is partial to some understeer but that’s only something you discover when you are really pushing the car. The RS splitter though works magic with the powertrain, you can see why this car is a record holder at one of the world’s most punishing racetracks. Still, in pursuit of this record, Audi engineers would have no doubt stiffened up the chassis and springs, a methodology that works perfectly well on the track but not so on the road where most of these will spend the majority of their days. Admittedly, the ride is firm without being harsh, although there is a considerable amount of tyre roar on the motorway, particularly on the rougher surfaces. All the more reason to keep your revs up then!
The Verdict
In my professional capacity as a car reviewer, I found the RS3 to be good all around but not perfect. There’s quite a bit of tyre roar on the open road, the interior plastics are poor for the price and it certainly does command a pretty penny for the novelty of that engine. My review model was the better part of $130,000 which is pricey for a dressed up A3 but as the only remaining five cylinder car on the market, Audi can unashamedly command such a price tag. The RS3 belongs to a dying breed of cars, one that has been consistently attacked my emission regulations and changing consumer preferences. Despite everything that the world throws at it, the RS3 continues to conquer, like its ancestor would have historically done of a rally stage.
However, as far as my perspective goes, I’ve already begun putting money away towards one of these. Yes, I was looking forward to reviewing the RS3 but I didn’t expect to love it as much as I have done. Kyalami means home in Zulu and that’s exactly what the car felt like to me each time I got behind the wheel. Maybe that’s because I already drive a brightly coloured turbocharged five cylinder hot hatch (picture below) but even so, a person can spend all their life chasing the feeling of home in a car and here I have found it. Now I just need $130k.
2025 Audi RS3 Sportback: 4/5
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Car courtesy of Audi New Zealand via EMD. Words and photos by Matthew D’Souza.
