Audi RS3 Sportback 2016 review: Top 5 reasons to buy video
We’re living in a golden age of hot hatches, with fast, mostly practical cars from Ford, Holden, Peugeot, Renault, Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes.
Audi’s A3 range has been around for three years and the range is finally complete with the addition of the tarmac-tearing RS3. Starting at $78,900 before you start adding options, it sits right at the top of the A3 tree in terms of spec and performance. Here’s the top 5 five reasons to buy one.
#1 The Engine
The RS3’s engine is a firecracker, a turbo-charged five cylinder kicking out a phenomenal 270kW and 465Nm of torque. Audi claims it uses 8.1L/100km on the combined cycle but if you have a heartbeat, you’ll use a lot more because it takes the RS3 to 100km/h in just over four seconds. We found the real-world fuel consumption to be more like 12L/100km.
Best of all, it sounds fantastic at both ends, with a noisy turbo, flat five dubstep beat and a crackly exhaust.
#2 Great interior
It’s hard to find a dud Audi cabin, and the RS3’s is excellent. The front seats look fantastic and are tremendously comfortable even though they look a bit handsy. Our test car had the RS design package which accounts for all the red bits and pieces like the seatbelts, air vents and stitching.
#3 Chassis
This bad boy might have a great engine, but if it drives like a dog, there’s not much point. Luckily, Audi Sport has done a great job stitching together the Quattro all-wheel drive synonymous with the brand, well-weighted steering and a tightly-controlled body to deliver a fast, fluid car that gets better the harder you push it. The front/rear power split is rear-biased which means extra fun as you approach its cornering limits.
#4 Features
There’s plenty of gear in the RS3 - auto-parking, seven-speed DSG gearbox, DAB digital radio, seven-inch retractable screen with satnav and reversing camera, a 10-speaker stereo, cruise control and dual-zone climate control.
#5 Subtlety
Lairy silver bits aside, the RS3 is a bit of a sleeper. It takes some knowledge to spot that it’s a quick one, which a lot of Audi owners like. This means less attention from both the police and the doof-doof crowd, especially if you turn down the exhaust’s crackle and pop.
Drawbacks
The RS3 could probably do with a few more standard features - it’s a bit cheeky to have to pay extra for metallic paint when you’re paying over 80 grand to put a five door hatch on the road.
Some surfaces produce a massive amount of tyre roar and the A3 still doesn’t have a standard USB port which is tremendously irritating. And the purists won’t like all-wheel drive.
You'll find anything RS3-related at our RS3 hub.
Related: check out John Carey's review of the RS3 at its international launch
Plus: read Joshua Dowling's review of the RS3
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