With the same cracking engine as the one propelling the feisty Audi TT RS, of course we are keen to have a drive of the just launched Audi RS3 Sedan.
Supporting Audi's boast that the RS3 Sedan is a car genuinely appropriate for road and track, our first local drive took us across some of Tasmania's standout targa-type roads followed by some keen laps at Hobart's newly- resurfaced Baskerville Raceway, with its spectacular rise and fall, and off-camber blind turns over crests. It's an old-style circuit that once was - back in the olden days - a venue for the Australian Sports Sedan Championship and other national-level races.
The RS3 Sedan looks terrific, better than in the photos. And settling into that delightful cabin with snug, well-dressed seats that contain the backside and torso like a good sporty car should is merely a welcoming precursor to an emotional surge when, after choosing the dynamic model in the Drive Select menu, you push the red start button and a glorious gurgle emits from the rear. That's not a contended baby; that's the boisterous five-cylinder soundtrack with its unique 1-2-4-5-3 firing order amplified through the standard RS sports exhaust.
It can be muted if you choose. But our choice is to get the full untrammelled exhaust track accompanying optimised settings that ginger-up performance - livelier throttle, weightier steering, quick-fire gearbox shifting, and a quattro system better responding to the driver.
That engine is as willing and flexible as we anticipated - no doubt the RS3 confirms or betters the Audi boast of 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds - and the brisk progress is accompanied by contended aural activity via those generously dimensioned pipes. As the revs rise, so does the pleasant growl, with the magical ka-boom on every urgent paddle-triggered upshift.
Audi has resisted any temptation to smother the engine – indeed the whole car – with a refinement overload. It has character and a fun-filled streak.
It plain that the deliriously feverish five-pot engine is happiest above 2500rpm, and it races with no overt turbo lag and irrepressible zest to 7000rpm.
For less frenetic motoring, peak torque starts early at a trundling 1700rpm and eases at 5850rpm just when the power hits its zenith.
The engine's natural exhibitionism contrasts with the satisfyingly levels of cornering grip and composure over fussy, snaky tarmac. The steel-spring underpinnings work nicely to deal with the handling and ride demands through fast directional changes. There's little obvious body roll and the whole balance of the car is more neutral than ever, with little sign of front-end push except in hairpins. With the lighter engine sitting over the front axle line and improvement in suspension and torque vectoring, the RS's nose is way more willing to steer into bends.
Other than the TT RS, it's hard to think of a more agreeable car at the limit.
In comfort mode and merely cruising, there is tyre grumble from the Pirellis on coarser macadam. But this is a road-and-track machine, not a limo. Suck it up.
There was a time when Audi's steering was as communicative as a shop window dummy. Not now. The electrically assisted steering is sweet and well-weighted.
Tasmania's back roads are as challenging as you find anywhere, carved into the terrain a century ago with no expectations of dealing with 400 horsepower rockets. The ripply bumpy tarmac may have been created to take the strut right out of Mr Macpherson. They're a fine test of the new RS3 Sedan's dynamic qualities.
Riding on old-school steel springs, the RS3's progress is firm but compliant enough. We're immediately pleasantly surprised by the RS's management of the lumpy bits and excellent recovery when bounding off bigger blemishes in the surface. Only once during the journey over several Targa Tasmania stages did the front suspension bottom out (in a pot hole).
Based on this experience, it might be hard to justify splurging on optional magnetic ride dampers.
And then we're at Baskerville where the only speed limit is the size nine boot at the end of your right leg.
We do a few laps, the RS3 barking and snarling and crackling, but all the time without behavioural misdemeanours. It feels fast, but easy-fast as a well-sorted, cohesive sporty car package should be.
The S-tronic dual clutch's full-throttle upshifts are so-quick and accompanied by a great mini explosion from the tailpipes. But to protect the 'box from abuse, it ignores demands to shift down if the revs are modestly high. But, yes, it does 'blip' when shifting down.
Braking is firm and consistent, and we're loving that steering. The rig turns in with just some understeer on the tight turns but then after a slightest throttle adjustment to encourage front-tyre bite, hard on the gas to capitalise on its remarkable all-wheel-drive traction-down abilities.
For track work, when some serious paddle shifting is tasked, the versatile digital virtual cockpit display can prioritise a big centre tacho. Other gauges of importance are a boost pressure indicator, tyre pressure readout, oil temperature gauge, g-force meter and lap timer.
Track or road, the RS3 Sedan meets the job criteria like few others.
2017 Audi RS3 Sedan Pricing and specifications
Price: $84,900 plus on-road costs
Engine: 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo petrol
Power: 294kW at 5850-7000rpm
Torque: 480Nm at 1700rpm-5850rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, all-wheel drive
Fuel use: 8.4 L/100km combined or 8.5with wider front tyre/wheels
13 Comments
RickJ | 2017-06-15 22:13:20
Just about to go for the daily commute in Sydney. Should be able to get the full experience as your tester. Perhaps I live on the wrong planet.
Foresooth | 2017-06-15 22:28:43
Wow A bargain. An awful lot of car for the money. I love the suck it up t the tyre noise. This car is not aimed at the masses but at the serous driver who wants something more than an HSV or WRX. Fast class. Sadly these days my budget for speed suits a sports motorcycle, not this weapon ??
Selector 2 | 2017-06-15 22:30:22
That auto gear shifter looks like a manual.
Mr Majestyk | 2017-06-16 04:30:48
Having a lend of us with the pricing, and for this ridiculous sum, it should come with coil-over suspension or magnetic ride shocks. Why di you quote the official fuel figure, you drove it, you know it's a load of bull, double that number.
AGB | 2017-06-16 05:02:50
Ridiculous sum? Really? I think its reasonable. As for the magnetic ride personally I think you are better off without it, its the only thing I don't like about my S3.
Nathan | 2017-06-16 05:22:16
Mr Majestyk, way to hard to please some people, I see lots more positives than your few negatives. Read up on coil over suspension too, doubt this thing has leaf springs.
Mr Majestyk | 2017-06-16 12:09:12
Keep up Nathan, what on earth has coil over got to do with leaf springs. Do you even know what coil over suspension is? The only negative is the price. Love the serial apologists for the rip-off Euro cars
Nathan | 2017-06-16 15:50:31
Mr Majestyk, I threw leaf springs out there because you seemed to think it didn't have coil over suspension, which it definitely does. Sorry for the silly joke and for the price of euros.
WillyFuiFui | 2017-06-16 22:27:18
Oh crump, more Lewis Hamilton wannabe on the road with this rocket!
ibast | 2017-06-16 22:41:10
Seems very expensive to me. This is basically a hot hatch with a boot. Remember this isn't the s4 series we are talking about here. It basically sits just above the Golf GTi. Should be about $55k
Selector 2 | 2017-06-16 23:12:48
ibast, so below the Golf R?
AJ_Sydney | 2017-06-17 04:04:54
@ibast. This thing is an absolute bargain. 85K for near super-car performance and probably with more comfort and tech than many of them. Show me a current 85K Porsche that comes close to this. Just above a GTi? No motoring journalist (or slightly-knowledgeable enthusiast) would suggest that. I've owned a few GTis and have been lucky enough to drive the RS3 hatch for a few hours...enough to know the Audi is on a different planet and will blow away many cars 2 or 3 times its price - not just in performance but the bells and whistles too. A cracker of a car.
ibast | 2017-06-18 05:02:54
Near supercar performance. Bawhahahah! I think someone got a bit carried away with the fandom. It might be putting out close to 300kw but it weighs more than a statesman. It's hard to believe Audis engineers could make a car that is based on a small hatchback, weigh that much. Given the golf itself is about $15k too dear, I stand by my belief this thing is way too dear. But that seems to be a trend for all Audis in Australia.