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Michael Taylor12 Dec 2014
NEWS

Audi reveals new 270kW RS 3 Sportback

More power, more torque, more speed, more everything for Audi’s baby blaster

One of the fastest hatchbacks in the world is about to get faster. Audi has given its RS 3 the complete MQB upgrade, with more power, more torque and the potential to hit 280km/h.

As the fastest MQB-based car in the Volkswagen Group (so far), the new RS 3 will have 270kW of power and 470Nm of torque when it begins production in the middle of next year.

The RS 3’s five-cylinder, turbocharged powerplant has been under extreme internal pressure from improvements at the top-end of the EA888 four-cylinder engine. Versions of the turbocharged four-cylinder have reached 309kW of power in concept cars in 2014, which has been seen as a kick in the pants for the five-cylinder engine’s developers.

While the new RS 3 is still a stepping-stone before a more powerful version of the engine hits the TT RS late next year, 270kW is still enough to drive the hatchback to 100km/h in 4.3 seconds.

The 2480cc engine is as strong down low as it is up high, with its torque peak arriving at just 1650rpm and remaining at that level until 5500rpm thanks to a direct fuel-injection, variable valve timing and lift and turbocharging.

Less than half a metre long, the engine weighs 180kg dressed, complete with its oddly complex vermicular graphite cast-iron crankcase. Its turbocharger delivers 1.3 bar of air pressure, theoretically delivering 1100kg of air through the engine an hour.

It’s limited officially to 250km/h, though Audi can lift that limit to 280km/h on request and with the lubricating assistance of a slightly larger cheque.

It’s 55kg lighter than the previous RS 3, which helps it to a 10 per cent reduction in the NEDC combined fuel economy figure of its predecessor, down to 8.1L/100km, or 189g/km of CO2.

“There is a long tradition of five-cylinder engines at Audi,” board member in charge of development, Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, explained.

“In the ‘80s, they turned Audi into a sporty brand, both in motorsports and in production.

The new RS 3 Sportback features the latest generation of our 2.5-litre, five-cylinder engine – the most powerful production engine in the modular transverse matrix.”

The RS 3 Sportback will have more power than any existing MQB model, with its in-line engine sitting across the engine bay and driving all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and a Haldex V clutch system.

The latest development of the multi-plate clutch all-wheel drive can deliver between 50 and 100 per cent of the drive to the rear axle, with a maximum of half the torque being delivered to the front diff.

The transmission is set up to deliver even faster gearshifts than in its predecessor, while its Sport + mode will allow drivers to perform controlled drifts on low-grip surfaces. It combines torque vectoring with an upgraded powertrain control unit for what Audi describes as sharper turn-in and more immediate response.

Its gears can be manually changed using either gearshift paddles on the steering wheel or the manual gate on the gear selector lever and there’s also a launch control built into the system.

It is set up with six short gears and one long one (seventh) for a combination of acceleration and fuel economy.

A full 25mm lower than the A3 Sportback on which it is based, the RS 3 Sportback has unique pivot bearings, steering system and sportier spring and damper systems.

It also sits on wider front (now 1559mm) and rear (1514mm) tracks, which demand a blistered set of wheel-arches to house the tyres, along with an RS 3-specific front bumper to house its air intakes for the engine, the intercooler and the brakes.

The rear-end uses unique oval exhaust tips on either side, and they carry flaps that allow the driver to manage the intensity of the five-cylinder engine note, managed via the Audi Drive Select system’s buttons on the dashboard. There’s also a more intense sports exhaust as an option.

It has the option of magnetic dampers and an upgrade from 235/35 R19 rubber to 255/35 R19 front tyres (the rears retain the standard tyre). Uniquely in the segment, it can upgrade the wave-form, 370mm front brake discs and eight-piston calliper to carbon-ceramic 370mm front discs with a six-piston, monobloc calliper. The 310mm rear discs remain untouched in the upgrade.

The RS 3 carries unique badging and design in the instrument cluster, but the highlight is its pair of carbon-fibre-shelled front seats, which save 7kg each over the standard S3 sports seat.

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Written byMichael Taylor
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