Forget about the e-tron and all that green nonsense, a true Audi has to be quattro and powered by a 5-cylinder turbo engine. At the moment, there's only one monster that fits this description, the all-new RS3 Sportback.
After around two years of absence due to a generation change, the RS3 is back with even more of the stuff we love about it. Engineers have chosen to keep the 2.5 TFSI engine, which is now the only one of its kind in the performance segment, since Ford and Volvo have all but abandoned it. Dialed to 11, this legendary mill now produces 367 PS, 7 more than its closest rival, the A45 AMG.
Crucially though, it sounds mental, like a rally stage refugee, like a hooligan's car. The performance is just as impressive as the aural experience, as the 0 to 100 km/h sprints require only 4.3 seconds. That puts this hatchback in the same league as true sportscars like the Alfa Romeo 4C the Porsche 911, BMW i8 and Audi R8.
Besides the bigger engine, the RS3 comes with a sturdier gearbox than the S3, a 7-speed twin-clutch unit. It also gets wider tracks, stiffer suspension and a new body kit that will take some getting used to. A long silver blade now goes across the whole front bumper and rises upwards towards the headlights like canard wings on an airplane. Around the back, two huge oval exhaust tips have been integrated into a black diffuser, giving a butch appearance to the car.
Of course, all this extra kit doesn't come for free. It's not officially announced yet, but our sources tell us the RS3 Sportback will hit dealerships three months from now and will be priced from a whopping €56,600 (in Germany).
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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