Sounds Like a Riot: 675-HP Audi RS3 Sportback
This Audi RS3 Sportback is almost a sleeper. But that impression vanishes as soon as it’s fired up.
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of technical info on the built of this brutal Audi RS3 Sportback. But if the proof, as they say, is in the pudding, then Auto TopNL’s video is as loaded with pudding as an indulgent grandmother’s fridge. Because what we do know about this red rocket is super impressive. First off, the turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder has been stoked to a whopping 675 horsepower and 590 lb-feet of torque, which is a significant bump from the 401 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque it left Ingolstadt with.
As you’d expect, that makes for some seriously impressive numbers. According to the clip, the trip from zero to 60 mph happens in a lightning quick 3.2 seconds, which is almost a full second faster than stock examples can manage. And while there’s a fat graphic on the doors, I think this baby is still something of a sleeper. Well, I guess it’s a sleeper until you fire it up. Because the machine gun-style symphony from the fat exhaust pipes makes it pretty clear that machine has been under the knife.
The top speed governor appears to have been given the old heave ho as well, because in the clip, we see indicated speeds of over 180 mph, which is slightly north of the 174 mph a stock RS3 is capable of. Given all the extra poke on board, I would have expected higher speeds? But the wind can be a cruel mistress, and it’s entirely possible that the driver just ran out of road here. Because even on the Autobahn, which is where most of the company’s videos are shot, it can be a challenge to find places to fully open up the taps.
As enthusiasts now, we don’t actually get the hatchback body style of the RS3 here in the United States. The good news is that domestic buyers can opt for the sedan version. Audi dropped all the details on the latest version back in July, and as we described at the time, it’s a triple threat of power, style, and practicality. The schedule says we should expect to see the 2022 Audi RS3 in showrooms come spring, but given the chip shortage and ongoing pandemic, it’s unclear whether Audi will still hit that target.
Photos: YouTube