ABT Has Upgraded Audi's RS Q3 Sportback

Keeping the five alive

Audi has a great heritage of performance cars with five-cylinder engines. The original Quattro coupe was powered by a turbocharged five-cylinder engine. It also featured an all-wheel drive, making it capable of delivering impressive driving performance, on any terrain. Audi's RS Q3 keeps that all-terrain performance vehicle reputation alive, with the added significance, if being powered by a five-cylinder engine. 

Five always sounds better than four

Although it would be more cost-effective to power the RS Q3 with a four-cylinder engine, Audi values its five-pot heritage. As such, the unique firing sequence and exhaust note of the brand's 2.5-liter five-cylinder remains alive, thanks to vehicles such as  RS Q3 and the enthusiasts who buy them. 

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An ABT Audi is always faster

Adding some extra verve to the RS Q3 offering is an established specialist in all things Audi. Located in Kempten, Germany, is ABT, which has been upgrading factory Audi performance cars since 1991. Hans-Jürgen Abt has delivered Audi many of its most celebrated motorsport victories, and also created much joy for fans of the brand, with his road car upgrades. The latest of these is a tidily modified RS Q3. Exterior upgrades are subtle, with ABT wishing to leave much of the RS Q3's factory aesthetic untouched. 

>>Join the conversation about the ABT RS Q3 right here in Audiworld.com.

Splitting the difference on mass

The only notable styling change that ABT has applied to is RS Q3 creation, which is the wheels. Realizing that unsprung weight saving has a meaningful influence on performance, ABT has source 20-inch alloy wheels, with a five-blade, split-spoke design. The structure of these wheels allows material to be removed from the spokes, due to their supporting location next to each other. That weight saving means less rotational mass. Abt also offers customers the choice of 21-inch lightweight alloy wheels, for their RS Q3 upgrade. 

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More ponies to push it along

The ABT RS Q3 upgrade might be slightly on the outside, but in this crossover's deeper mechanics, there are some convincing numbers. ABT has coded its own ECU, for the Audi 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine. This control unit has specifically calculated parameters, which manage to extract more power from the turbocharged Audi five-cylinder engine. The gains are notable, with peak power rising from 400- to 440hp, supported by a surge in torque, from 354 lb-ft to 384 lb-ft. Best of all, that spirited five-cylinder soundtrack remains wonderfully clear and is in no way diminished, by the new ECU. 

>>Join the conversation about the ABT RS Q3 right here in Audiworld.com.

Big top speed gain

The additional engine power that ABT's ECU has managed to harvest from the RS Q3's five-cylinder engine, does translate to swifter performance. Audi's compact crossover is two-tenths of a second quicker in the benchmark 0-60mph sprint and surges to a higher top speed of 177mph, well beyond the factory claim of 155mph. Throttle response is improved too, making the most of the RS Q3's inherently strong torque characteristics, a notable feature of most five-cylinder engines. 

>>Join the conversation about the ABT RS Q3 right here in Audiworld.com.

Keeping that quattro spirit strong

For many, Audi's RS Q3 is a perfect modern interpretation of the quattro performance car values. With its all-wheel-drive system and raised ride height, it can travel to destinations that would be the undoing of a dedicated sportscar. The packaging appeal, with a generous luggage area below the tailgate. But most of all, this is a vehicle defined by its engine, the latest evolution of Audi's storied five-cylinder. And with an ABT ECU upgrade, it has becomes even better. 

>>Join the conversation about the ABT RS Q3 right here in Audiworld.com.

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