The second generation Audi RS3 is probably the last of its kind

Audi unveiled on Monday the second generation Audi RS3 2022, a car with a 5-cylinder engine that develops 401 horsepower and features a especially to drift, as well as all kinds of bells and whistles for use on the track. This track ready, burning gas, the Audi hot hatch certainly feels like it could be one of the last of its kind.

Audi Press release It might as well be days gone by when automakers fiercely competed on performance gasoline cars. There is the power figure, there is the time from zero to 62 mph (3.8 seconds), there is a top speed on the track (up to 180 mph depending on the attitude), we are talking about ” a flap system on the exhaust to modulate the sound of the RS3, and there is a Rear diff type PTU, which changes the amount of power sent to each rear wheel to maximize grip and enables a drift mode. There are semi-slick tires that are a factory option and an engine and transmission setup designed specifically for them. The transmission, by the way, is a seven-speed dual clutch.

Lap times, zero to 62 mph times, quarter mile times and g-force appear in the virtual cockpit. When driving in manual mode, a green-to-yellow-to-red indicator shows you the optimal time to change gears. There are comfort and efficiency modes in addition to automatic, RS Torque Rear (for the drift), dynamic and RS Individual, but let’s be serious, comfort and efficiency are not a must here. .

Has Audi also thought too much about the suspension and the steering? It’s certain !

The standard RS sport suspension features newly developed shock absorbers and a valve system both specific to the RS 3. The valves ensure that the shock absorbers exhibit a particularly sensitive response in the context of rebound and compression characteristics. This allows the suspension to react even faster and more efficiently to the respective driving situation. The RS sport suspension plus with adaptive damper control is available as an option. It continuously and individually adapts each shock absorber to the road conditions, the driving situation and the mode selected in Audi drive select. The three comfortable, balanced and sporty characteristic curves help to provide a clearly noticeable distribution of the characteristics of the shock absorber.

Greater wheel camber, meaning the wheels tilt more towards the road, results in more precise steering response and increased cornering force. Compared to the Audi A3, the front axle wheels of the new RS 3 have slightly less than an additional negative degree of camber. To achieve this, the pivot bearings were changed and the lower wishbones were fitted with stiffer bearings, subframe and stabilizers.

A rear axle features a four-link design with a separate spring / damper arrangement, a subframe, and a tubular stabilizer bar. The wheel carriers, which are more rigid than those of the Audi A3 and S3, help to absorb the increased lateral forces generated by the torque distributor. The RS-specific progressive steering varies the gear ratio according to the steering angle: as the steering angle increases, the gear ratio becomes smaller and the steering more direct. It also assists speed-dependent and can be changed via Audi drive select. The configuration of the springs and dampers is noticeably stiff, and the body is ten millimeters lower than on the S3 and 25 millimeters lower than on the A3.

For the steering wheel itself, Europeans have three choices: one with a 12 o’clock band, one that doesn’t have a 12 o’clock band, and one that works with what must be a driver assistance system in. option to detect the presence of a hand. You can expect this car to start at around $ 60,000, although Audi has yet to announce pricing for the US. Deliveries are expected to begin early next year, and while Europe will get both a sedan and a hatchback version, only the sedan will be sold in the United States. Audi also said that except for the horsepower, the specs of the American RS3 might be a little different, but I wouldn’t expect any drastic changes.

We might as well savor these cars while they last, as the fourth-gen A3 – the sister car to the RS3, introduced in 2020, but won’t arrive until next year – is also non-hybrid, gasoline-powered. . The next generation of the two cars is unlikely to continue like this.