Officially Official: 2011 Audi RS 3 Sportback unveiled

Although I have never really been a fan of the A3 I quite like this RS3. I am still not a fan of the front bumper that RS cars have these days and I don?t like the interior of the A3/RS3. But overall I like it. It?s a sleeper and that?s probably my favourite thing about RS Audis.
A few years ago I read an interview with an Audi engineer that said that future RS models would differ more from regular Audis. I thought he meant performance-wise not appearance-wise. After the RS5 (a car I have been really looking forward to) I was slightly disappointed and worried about RS Audis in general. Don?t get me wrong the RS5 is a nice car but in my opinion it is more show than go and that?s something an RS Audi shouldn?t be.
The RS3 sure isn?t the perfect RS Audi but I prefer it to the RS5 (which is somewhat sad). I wouldn?t buy it though; I?d rather have a S4.
 
Exactly not that i don't think that haldex's computer controlled wizardry isn't cool and hey good enough for the veyron good enough for me but there is something about the purely mechanical system that is quattro that i just like a whole lot.
Haldex really depends on the tuning. Its great in an R32 but terribly un-sporting in a Passat.

oh, and $68k? :rofl:
 
...and I'd argue that they'd be better off with the S4, which makes about the same power from a supercharged V6, offers more interior space, and has a badass torque-vectoring AWD setup based upon a longitudinal engine mounting.

So between the TT-RS and the S4, I don't see much of a market for the RS3.

This should be faster than a s4.

Haldex really depends on the tuning. Its great in an R32 but terribly un-sporting in a Passat.

oh, and $68k? :rofl:

I wouldn't say it's great in the R32. It will only send power to the rear once the front loses traction. In the newer generations it can send power to the rear before any slip is detected.
 
Haldex really depends on the tuning. Its great in an R32 but terribly un-sporting in a Passat.

I never said haldex was bad it's actually quite awesome if for no other reason than ease of modification it just isn't as robust as a purely mechanical system like the torsen based Quattro. Haldex is also more complex with significantly more failure points.
 
Who out there would rather have an RS3 than an S4? I can't imagine that the RS3 is cheaper than the S4, and the S4 just seems better in every way.

The S4 Avant starts at about 53.5k in Germany, versus 50k for this. The power levels are pretty close, 245kW vs 250kW. The S4 does however weigh 1.8tonnes, and interpolating from the weight ratios of A3 vs TT, and TT vs TT-RS, I expect the RS3 to weigh 1.6 tonnes.

So you're dropping a full 200kg, gaining 5kW and saving a medium chunk of cash. I would say there are reasons to go for the RS3, if you don't need a long trunk.

EDIT: I can think of another reason to buy the RS3 Sportback over the S4 Avant - if you live in a country where there is no S4 Avant (which as far as I can tell is the case in the US).
oh, and $68k? :rofl:

As always needs to be said in these threads, where price conversions are equated with currency conversions... it won't cost $68k - it will cost a few grand less than the S4 Avant, which by my reckoning puts the RS3 somewhere around $45k-48k.
 
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Cool, awesome noise blah blah, but the car this one is based on is old and the interior really shows it. With that in mind, I'd just get the newer S4 instead and pay a little extra or get one mildly used.
 
As always needs to be said in these threads, where price conversions are equated with currency conversions... it won't cost $68k - it will cost a few grand less than the S4 Avant, which by my reckoning puts the RS3 somewhere around $45k-48k.

Crossing out ? and writing $ usually works well.





https://pic.armedcats.net/n/na/narf/2010/11/23/las-vegas_tfsi-motor.jpg

Hello.




PS: Didn't some Audi guy once say RS models get a higher electronic speed limiter? This will also be reigned in at 250 :cry:
 
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EDIT: I can think of another reason to buy the RS3 Sportback over the S4 Avant - if you live in a country where there is no S4 Avant (which as far as I can tell is the case in the US).

You can get an S4 Avant here - you just have to buy an S4 sedan and an A4 Avant and make one car out of the pieces. Don't laugh too hard, it's already been done.

There are 1,342 2006-2008 B7 S4 Avants in the US (per Audi US) - in 2008 they sold 324. Audi cites bad sales as the reason for not bringing the B8 in. My offers of "bring the B8 in and I'll buy one" were ignored.

Hatches are a tough sell for the premium brands here so it will be interesting to see how the RS3 sells here. I'm guessing not well.
 
Don't want this one. Want BMW 1 Series M Coup? instead.
 
...and I'd argue that they'd be better off with the S4, which makes about the same power from a supercharged V6, offers more interior space, and has a badass torque-vectoring AWD setup based upon a longitudinal engine mounting.

So between the TT-RS and the S4, I don't see much of a market for the RS3.

I've actually been waiting for this for a while. Not everyone wants a 4-door sedan, some like the larger interior volume that the wagon/hatch-back style gives you (especially when you can fold down the rear seats and have a large cargo area.....which is very handy when you have pups). But I'm a wagon person myself. I think they look different and they stand out a bit from all the 4-door sedans that are out there already. But, then I like cars that have character, and this one has it.
 
But then the S4 is also available as a 5-door wagon.
 
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