Introducing the Audi RS 3 Saloon

A brand new Audi RS 3 Saloon will soon be joining the RS family. High-powered and offering an explosive performance, this is a model that breaks all the boundaries.

Revealed at the Paris Motor Show, the RS 3 Saloon will offer 395bhp thanks to the addition of a 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine, the same one that powers the new TT RS, and the most powerful five-cylinder engine in production today. A five-door RS 3 Sportback will also be introduced in the future.

Offering a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox and signature four-wheel drive, the RS 3 Saloon will be capable of a hair-raising 0-62mph ascent in only 4.1 seconds, and if unrestricted, will offer a top-speed capability of 174mph. Plenty of dynamic handling adjustment has been made too, including new software for the ESC that brakes the inside wheel during fast cornering, and ‘controlled drifting’ in Sport mode.

Sitting 25mm lower than the Audi A3, the RS 3 Saloon will have a sportier stance than ever, finished with 370mm discs and eight-piston callipers at the front and 310mm discs at the back. The track is also wider than standard, offering subtly flared wheel arches to compensate and add a sportier silhouette. A single-frame Audi grille and iconic quattro badge tie the whole look together with understated class.

Inside, you’ll find everything you’d expect of an RS, including a 12.3-inch high resolution monitor as well as the option to include Audi’s virtual cockpit to heighten the sports experience further. A wealth of technology just waits to be discovered – if you ever get bored of the growling engine’s performance, that is.

Launching in the USA and China this summer, it will come to the UK a bit later, where it will be available from Jardine Motors Audi. The RS 3 Saloon will be the first model released under the ‘Audi Sport’ tag, replacing the quattro GmbH division, in name if not performance. This label will cover Audi’s RS and R8 models, along with its official motorsport activities and customer racing support. As the car to kick it all off, the Audi RS 3 Saloon is sure to live up to the hype.