TECH SPEC
Make/model: Audi RS 3 Sportback.
Technical: Five-cylinder, 2480cc turbo-charged petrol
engine with seven-speed
S tronic direct shift
transmission and quattro permanent all wheel drive.
Performance: 0-62mph, 4.6 secs; top speed, 155mph
(governed).
Fuel: 31mpg (combined).
Emissions: 212 g/kmPrice: £39,930 OTR.
The launch of Audi’s latest model provided the opportunity to follow in the tyre-tracks of motoring history.
The company introduced the power-packed RS 3 Sportback in Austria, and a major part of our driving route was the mountainous Turracher Hohe, a challenging alpine pass where Audi presented the first quattro prototype to their board of management in January 1978.
So we were sampling the latest all-wheel-drive model at the place of the famous system’s debut, and it soon became evident why this spot had been chosen to display those tremendous road-holding capabilities.
The new car, a high performance version of the A3 hatchback, in five-door form, has the look of poise, power and pace about it – all of which it gloriously delivers. The styling speaks of the car’s performance potential ... looking muscular yet svelte.
The front has a deeper apron that incorporates enlarged air intakes, an anthracite coloured single-frame grille with diamond patterned styling and xenon plus headlamps with LED daytime running lights. The side view is dominated by the flared, lightweight front wings (made of carbon-fibre reinforced polymer) covering 19in alloy wheels, prominent sill extensions, mirror casings in a matt aluminium look and a large roof spoiler. Two elliptical exhaust tailpipes give an air of power to the rear.
The inside story is one of high quality, with sports seats upholstered in fine leather with silver contrasting stitching and inlays are finished in piano black or a new Aluminium Race look. There’s a flat-bottomed RS steering wheel and an exclusive design for the instruments.
The premium quality cabin boasts an array of standard equipment that includes front seat heating, rear parking sensors, electronic climate control, posh sat nav with multi-media function and a sport button which varies throttle response and gives an even richer flavour to the exhaust sound. The car’s five-door configuration also combines practicality with its sporting nature.
Turn the key and the five-cylinder turbo-charged petrol engine delivers its superb exhaust note, a delicious soundtrack that voices the car’s power but never proves intrusive. And speaking of power, the RS 3 has 340 bhp. Performance? The figures speak for themselves ...
0-62 mph in 4.2 seconds and a governed top speed of 155mph.
And all that oomph is superbly packaged, for the car is well mannered around town, an absolutely effortless motorway mile-eater and, of course, has bags of performance on tap, while the quattro system excelled in the dramatic reaches of the Turracher Hohe, with its spiralling roads and hairpin bends.
The RS 3’s handling is taut, responsive and agile, with a firm – but never harsh – ride. The car lays down its power through a seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch transmission that can be used in fully automatic mode, shifted with the gear selector or with steering wheel paddles.
Whichever way you choose, the changes are sweet and seamless and the quattro system’s permanent all-wheel-drive means traction in action, giving the car a truly confidence-inspiring feel. Mighty disc brakes ensure plenty of stopping power.
Technology abounds in the RS 3, from a regenerative system that recovers energy as the car decelerates, to strong, weight-saving vermicular graphite for the engine block – and much more.
This handsome hunk of a car was a treat to drive – one which will be enjoyed from next month’s delivery date by owners who have already snapped up the 500 RS 3s so far allocated to the UK.
Gautham Menon's Hindi remake ofVTV, titled Prem Katha, is progressing briskly. Recently, thePrem Kathateam, including Prateik Babbar and Amy Jackson, were in Chennai to shoot some important sequences. The film is jointly produced by IN Entertainment (part of the Hinduja Group) and Gautham Menon's Photon Kathaas. Oscar winning musician A.R. Rahman will compose music for the Hindi version too. Editing is by Anthony; camera is handled by Manoj Paramahamsa; Rajeevan is the art director.
