Every automaker is in a battle to deliver the most impressive gasoline-powered car as we slowly inch toward the final chapter of gasoline performance. The new compact A3 was launched for 2020 as a brand new model on the MQB Evo platform, so it’s time to look forward to the new RS and S models. I truly loved the S3 when I drove it, it was just the perfect balance of power and weight and size for a daily driver. I’ve never really warmed to the RS as it was too fast. Well, the new one is sure to be even faster.
In Audi’s annual sustainability report, it included a “family portrait” of all the cars it currently offers, with two wild models sitting front and center in factory camo. Hey, those look like RS3s!
Deliveries of S and RS models hit a record high for Audi in recent months, so it makes sense that the company would want to launch the new “affordable” one as quickly as possible. It needs something to compete against Mercedes’ new A45 S AMG with 415 horsepower and 368 lb-ft, obviously, so prepare for a big-power five-cylinder. The new superhatch and supersedan will be bringing a new level of nuclear to the mutually assured destruction party.
While we didn’t get the hatchback here in the U.S. market, we did get the sedan when it was facelifted in 2017. You can still technically buy a new 2020 model of that car here, but why would you want that old underpowered 362 horsepower piece of shit when the new fresh one is coming next year with over 400 horses! You’ve gotta get the new one, obviously. Consume. Consume!
It’s obvious that the new RS3 will still be powered by a turbocharged 5-cylinder, as the 1-2-4-5-3 firing order is emblazoned right there on the side of the car. It makes sense that the RS3 would share the same DNWA-designation gasoline 2.5-liter inline five turbo found in the RS Q3 crossover. In the crossover it produces exactly 400 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. It’s likely that Audi would turn up the boost a little bit for its range-topping compact bahn burner. Come on Audi, do the Elon Musk thing and give us 420 for the hell of it.