First driving: the new Audi RS3 - Walla! vehicle

2021-10-27T05:43:57.114Z

First encounter with the hot compact of the new Audi RS3 reveals a car that this time knows not only to drive fast

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First driving: the new Audi RS3

It has always been strong, fast and high quality, but in the current generation Audi has added another component to the RS3 that makes it a truly hot machine

Comparative test: BMW M135i versus Audi S3

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Udi?

Drift?

We had to drive to believe (Photo: Manufacturer's website)

The car, the new Audi RS3 is covered in a color scheme similar to the camouflage stickers that manufacturers name on their new cars in the experimental stages.

The numbers 1-2-4-5-3 are smeared on its side, for those who know and know do not have to explain to those who do not - this is the ignition order of the cylinders in Audi's 5-cylinder engine.

It may not be as publicized as its quattro system, but it plays an equally central role in the history of its sports cars.

Stefan Bamberger sits next to me and smiles proudly, he is the head of technical development at Audi Sport and these engines have been his "baby" for 15 years.

Its current evolution with 400 hp and 51 kg are the line that Audi is currently drawing for what they will get out of it, and possibly more, much more and the extensive improvement scene around it proves it.

Comes in a semi-stationary Sportback configuration (Photo: Manufacturer's website)

We're talking about this car and what it means for Audi, and for it.

My first question concerns the feedback they received from their customers in the outgoing generation.

This is an audience that is characterized by very high loyalty to this recipe offered by the RS3.

"Our customers were looking for a car that could also be the one they use for long journeys, but could also get a wilder side out of it."

The taste of the RS3 here is concise and is not a road test in the usual way we do, but from a fairly wide range of roads and roads - it certainly has a good answer to both of these points.

Or in a more "family" sedan configuration (Photo: Manufacturer's website)

"And with an open check" I ask him, "without budget constraints, what else would you do on RS3 beyond what it has now?"

Stefan smiles a mischievous smile of a child and with a gleam in his eyes says "I would like to add more sound to it, it is for me an integral part of the experience, but we are limited due to all kinds of noise regulations in world markets".

I'm not really in favor of the phenomenon of particularly noisy sports cars, but in the case of the RS3 they really went on the thin line, with a special body in the exhaust that the choice between driving modes goes from a closed mode that "locks" this sound to an open mode in RS Performance In the driving mode selector that brings out the unique thunder of these exhausts.

If you've seen the video you can see for yourself what I'm talking about.

A light show that projects the model's name on the headlights (Photo: manufacturer's website)

For him and for many others, these sounds go hand in hand with performance in sports cars.

The noise that increases along with the acceleration, the frequency in the ears becomes more dense as the body is pressed into the seat or its sides at curves.

And this generation has a lot to give in these places and more.

The Audi RS3 has always been a car that is very easy to like and that was exactly the reason why I was reluctant towards it.

It was fast, very technological and very easy to shorten times between two points, too easy - and that's what bothered me about it.

It made any driver dizzyingly fast, almost regardless of his true driving abilities.

She did everything so easily thanks to her dual power, grip and propulsion that the driver's seat in it kept shrinking.

The Torque Splitter is small and ingenious (Photo: Manufacturer's website)

Well, in this generation Udi added a patent trick to it that would change the story.

His name is Torque Splitter and what he does is responsible for that show described at the beginning of the article.

It is a mechanical unit the size of two shoe boxes that sits between the rear wheels and through a series of electronically operated discs is able to lock and transfer full power to one of the rear wheels - the outer one for turning.

That is, the car not only splits power back and forth as in Haldex systems, but also from side to side.

This means that when you choose the extreme mode from the 7 driving modes in it (control the braking, engine, gearbox, brakes and steering), you get a machine that knows how to launch a lot of its horses, and without the evil eye it has 400 such in the outer wheel stable.

A very successful driver environment, even for long journeys (Photo: manufacturer's website)

What's going on?

So as I have seen in the grip circle, and more on asphalt grips very much - you get luxurious power skates that this car knows how to produce.

A gas blow in second gear, a quick counter-turn of the steering wheel at the right angle and just a very gentle operation that dances it with the nose in and the ass out.

The fact that it continues to send power forward allows it to be done very accurately as well.

Because while the outer wheel pushes the buttocks out the front wheels pull it forward.

It also means it takes a moment or two to get used to it, because it's not that clean feeling in the steering wheel of a rear-wheel drive car that goes into drift.

In that respect at least, Udi really continues to do this part of turning driving into something very easy, but this time it's different.

And they kept (almost) all the important physical switches (Photo: Manufacturer's website)

And it must be said, in the age of electric cars performance has become something very "cheap" to implement.

And a manufacturer that wants to maintain an advantage over them needs to find it elsewhere.

"For me performance does not stand on its own," says Bamberger when we talk about this issue, "but they are part of a package that makes up a car, it also matters how it drives in turns and how much it involves. More.

Yes, most of them will be black, white or gray - but look at what bright colors they have (Photo: Manufacturer's website)

But life is not racetracks and drifts all day, it is clear to you is not it?

So we also had opportunities to drive the RS3 on the public roads around Athens.

And this is a short and initial impression, but definitely one that gives an idea of its more interesting points.

So let’s start with the external appearance that despite its immediate identification as an Audi, whether in the Sportback configuration or the sedan configuration mostly leaves very little room for imagination regarding its intentions or mistakes about them.

From the huge black grille, the air vents for cooling its huge brakes (375mm with a 6-piston caliper, and still 10kg lighter than the outgoing generation), the extended wheelhouses that add more muscle to its appearance to the rear with the delicate spoiler in the sedan version and two The diffuser configurations and large exhaust ports.

And if you still need a reminder, in the corners of its LED matrix lighting it produces an instance of the RS-3 sequence as the model name.

Audi's 5-cylinder engine, they just keep squeezing it (Photo: Keinan Cohen)

In the cabin first of all the body gets deep and embracing sports seats, in one of the cars we drove their direction was manual and the steering wheel was leather, a combination that is definitely less worthy or suitable for it in terms of its expected price level.

The inverted leather steering wheel in the other cars was a different story and a pleasure to grip.

The rest of the driver's environment demonstrates Audi's expertise in creating excellent cabin.

In appearance, quality of materials and human engineering it is very easy to get acquainted with it.

A big sigh of relief came out of me as they learned to maintain physical buttons for climate control.

The various views, from the multimedia screen to the dashboard with the option of a completely bright indication of the data display in a way that resembles the "mirror track" are excellent and clear.

1,2,4,5,3 - Those who know know (Photo: Keinan Cohen)

On the winding roads of Greece especially stands out its familiar feature, lots of grip and lots of confidence to drive it very quickly and easily. The steering wheel is precise, fast and no matter what driving mode you are in there is enough power and a fast enough response for changes of direction and throttle load. Again, on these roads we did not drive it to limits, but from what we were impressed the brakes are excellent with very good power and emotion. Later on the track they also demonstrated durability even after dozens of laps of the participants.

In "Comfort" mode and on Greece's toll roads, the ride comfort and noise isolation are definitely compatible with a car whose customers are also looking for a car for regular daily use. This is a car that can cover distances comfortably and a level of refinement that requires almost no compromise due to its designation and performance on the side roads.

As mentioned, the full reference to the full driving given in the full test, on the local roads with the arrival of the model towards the end of the year.

Take what was important and add what was needed (Photo: Manufacturer's website)

In conclusion, after the first meeting, the new Audi RS3 is a super impressive car, a kind of Hyper Hot Hatch, just like its direct competitor from the Mercedes A45AMG which even before comparison head to head I can say offers a little more than the madness on the edge at the price of everyday usability.

But on the other hand it will be very expensive with a price tag of NIS 520,000, the RS3, judging from past experience will be cheaper than it, is it again about NIS 100,000?

Good question we will know the answer to that soon.

First driving: Audi e-tron GT

To the full article

Even on its own she manages to mark V on the sections that made her who she is today and anyone who liked what she has to offer will continue to find it in her here.

But the greater appreciation for it stems not from this, but from Udi's willingness to take the extra step and not only settle for improving what it was, but add another dimension of driving pleasure, spice up its high capabilities in an element that adds a fun and rewarding element to the driver. The challenge beyond the simple speed.

The new hyper hot hatch in the neighborhood (Photo: Manufacturer's website)

On the technical side: Audi RS3

Engine, propulsion:

gasoline, turbo, dual

volume (cc):

2,480

power / rpm (hp):

5,600 / 400

torque / rpm (kg):

2,250 / 51

gearbox:

dual clutch , 7 gears

Dimensions:

Length (cm):

439

Width (cm):

185

Height (cm):

144

Wheelbase (cm):

263

Trunk (liters):

282

Performance:

Acceleration 0- 100:

3.8 seconds

Maximum speed:

250 km / h (290 in the removal of the restriction)

Competitors:

Mercedes A45AMG

Price:

Not

yet determined

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Source: walla

All tech articles on 2021-10-27

First driving: the new Audi RS3 - Walla! vehicle

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