Audi RS3 is revealed, packs 340 hp

WITH VIDEO -- Audi has finally come clean on its RS3 Sportback, revealing photos and information about the four-door hatchback planned for European sale next March.

The RS3 uses a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine borrowed from the TT RS.

The RS3 Sportback will not come to the U.S. market.

With 340 hp and 332 lb-ft, Ingolstadt's latest performance model packs 75 hp and 74 lb-ft more than the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder used by its S3 four-wheel-drive sibling.

But you can forget the S3. The car everyone will compare the RS3 with is the upcoming BMW 1-series M coupe. While full details of the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder BMW M model, driven by AutoWeek last month, are yet to be revealed, it is clear the two will be fairly evenly matched on performance and--with Audi confirming a e 49,900 sticker ($68,110 at current exchange rates) for the RS3 in Europe--on price, too.

Distinguishing the RS3 from its less-powerful S3 sibling are a series of characteristic Audi Sport styling changes. The front end receives a deep new bumper with larger ducts and a honeycomb mesh grille insert. The wheel arches are also more heavily flared to accommodate widened tracks and standard 19-inch alloy wheels shod with 225/35 profile tires up front and 235/35 at the rear. The uniquely styled wheels come with a machine-polished titanium look but are optionally available in black with a red rim flange.

There also are aluminum-look mirror housings, widened sills beneath the doors, a new spoiler atop the tailgate and a new rear bumper with a diffuser-style valance intersected by twinned chromed tailpipes.

Right now, Audi is only confirming a single body style, a four-door hatchback, or Sportback in Audi parlance. A three-door hatchback, such as that offered with the S3, may be added but is considered unlikely given that the current A3--upon which the new Audi is based--only has 18 months left to run before the introduction of an all-new third-generation model.

Channeling the power to the road is a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and multiplate clutch four-wheel-drive system. It nominally sends 40 percent of available drive to the front wheels and 60 percent to the rear, but it is also capable of apportioning up to 100 percent of drive to either the front or rear wheels.

The added traction from the four-wheel drive and a launch-control program integrated into the gearbox electrics makes the RS3 one of the fastest-accelerating hatchbacks ever put into volume production. Despite the inclusion of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic front fenders, the RS3 is no lightweight at 3,472 pounds, 132 pounds heavier than the S3. But with peak torque arriving at just 1,600 rpm to help fire it off the line, Audi claims its latest performance model can hit 62 mph from standstill in just 4.6 seconds--1.1 seconds faster than the S3. Top speed is limited to 155 mph.

To help the RS3 cope with the added performance, Audi made a series of changes to its chassis. Included are tracks widened by 1.7 inches over the S3 to 61.6 inches at the front and by 0.9 inch to 60.2 inches at the rear. The MacPherson-strut front and multilink rear suspension has also been lowered by one inch and fitted with stiffer springs and dampers.

The RS3 stops with 14.6-inch vented and cross-drilled discs up front and 12.2-inch discs at the rear. Audi engineers also remapped the stability-control program and added a new sport mode, which can disable the electronics completely.

Watch Audi video of the RS3:

By Greg Kable