The History and Evolution of the Audi RS3

German automaker Audi is home to the crews that are the masters and they’ve been supplying us all in high-performance automobiles for decades. From royal parentage, namely Audi’s S3 and A3, comes an RS3 model, first announced as a newborn in November 2010 kicked off the first generation in the new line. Although bearing some DNA of its S3 ancestor, the new kid in town came in as a Sportback edition and was only produced as a 5-door variation. Bearing yet more differences distinctions in sill panels, front and rear fascias and a wider body with flared wheel arches give it a look that was all its own.

2011 featured a 2.5 TFSI Quattro 7AT motor that cranked 340 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. It achieved a top speed of 155 mph with a rapid acceleration that took it from 0 to 62 miles per hour in just 4.6 seconds with gasoline power that averaged a fuel economy of 18 mpg. A manual edition for the gearbox was not offered in this model.

2013 First Generation

The 2015 RS3 - The Second Generation RS3

By 2015, it was time to usher a new generation in Audi’s RS3 line. It was the 2015 Sportback and the new kid presented with a new attitude, but with an obvious genetic resemblance to its ancestry.

A compact hatchback showed evidence of a brand-new attitude. A gasoline powered motor bore the same name in the 25 TFSI Quattro 7 AT but it got a kick in horsepower which was a small bump up to 367 ponies. The turbocharged six-cylinder that was matched with a 7-speed twin clutch automatic as its gearbox, signified an evolutionary process in the family line. Audi design teams and engineers gave the 2015 a wider track along with a new throaty exhaust along with a stiffer suspension. A top speed remained at 155 mph but an increased acceleration speed from 0 to 62 beat its old time by three seconds, making an impression in just 4.2 seconds. Audi’s All Wheel drive fared better with a combined mpg for the US of 29 mpg, which is an astronomical improvement on its fuel economy. Adding Nappa leather sports seats was a nice touch that nobody disagreed with. A new front bumper and another in the back, along with revised exhaust tips and rims, new taillamps, headlights, and a redesigned grill gave it a look of its own.

Third Generation RS3

The newest generation of the RS3s entered the scene, still in its original Hatchback compact form with new rims and bumpers and a variety of new color choices. It tears up roads with its customary 2.5-liter straight-five motor that received a tweak that added an extra thirty-three horses to its stable, surpassing its older brother. The makers lighten it the overall weight with updated lighter materials for the crankcase and give it a new sound system and phone box with a host of driver assistance systems.

2017 brought us into the current and third generation of the Audi RS3. It’s a refreshed model that sports new rims and bumpers with a

variety of color options. There’s no denying it’s by far the most attractive member of the family so far with a new modernized look and interior features that make it comfortable for both rider and driver. Updates in the sound system and phone box are just for starters. It comes packed with a ton of driver assistance programs and when it comes to power, the 400 hp with 354 lb-ft of torque move it down the road at the established top speed of 155, but the new gas rating takes the gas-powered vehicle to an all-time high of just under 36 mpg for highway fuel economy. It accelerates from zero to sixty-two in a record for the line of just 4.1 seconds as it just keeps getting better and better. Audi has been making steady improvements to their RS3 over the past eight years and the tradition continues on with a constant state of improvement that keeps loyals to the brand coming back for more. It is with anxious anticipation that we await the announcement of the latest edition.