On the verge of swooning: Audi RS3 – Ride in a super compact

Thursday 24 June 2021

on the verge of fainting
Audi RS3 – Ride in a more compact

With the Audi RS3, the people responsible at Ingolstadt have launched a new champion in the compact class. No other production model is faster and more agile than Audi’s latest power device. One ride showed that physical boundaries could clearly be shifted.

The fact that the RS3 is a very special Audi model is shown by its “welcome”. If you approach the car and press the key, 15 LED areas in the matrix light up, sequentially symbolizing an R, an S, a 3 and finally the checkered racing flag. Welcome to the world of Audi Sport GmbH.

Ambitious drivers who like to chase the RS3 down the slopes over the weekend may see the flag as a winner more often in the future. Because what Audi has technically put on wheels in the third generation of the RS3 Sportback (the second generation in the sedan) is a far cry from general motorist awareness. At least when there are real professionals behind the wheel and pushing compact models to the limits of driving physics – and on the verge of making the front passenger swoon.

One of these professionals is RS3 project manager Robert Kampf. Kämpf lets its latest creation fly around the closed ADAC course that it just smokes. Correct load changes, directional ideal line, a new level of driving dynamics and efficient power drifts are also part of the RS3 Freestyle. Note: We are talking about an all-wheel drive model in the compact class.

technology helps

Safe as the Audi Man Kämpf and regularly mastered in the RS3, the technology also helps with this type of driving maneuver. Audi engineers have developed a component for the new generation of the RS3 that has a key part in agility, the so-called torque splitter. High tech on the rear axle. Before that, the RS3 had a Haldex clutch and an electronic limited-slip differential that slowed the inner wheel slightly in sharp corners, but kept the outer wheel turning. Now both have blown up, replaced by a torque splitter. It has an electronically controlled clutch for both sides that can be opened and closed by actuators in a few hundredths of a second depending on the driving condition. The actuators are each controlled by a mini electric motor.

As a result, this means: Torque splitter technology allows for quick and precise distribution of power to the wheels, reducing torque not only for the inner wheel in curves, but for the outer wheel as well. Equipped with a completely different rear wheel carrier than the original models, the RS3 can be driven in a wide range around the corner and at high speeds, from neutral to oversteering. Racing fans should already be rubbing their hands and the torque splitter on the regular tables will provide new material for discussion. Especially since the component not only provides a high safety factor, but also has a positive effect on efficiency. “When it’s slippery, the torque splitter helps stabilize the car,” says engineer Kämpf, “and in sailing mode we can separate the rear axle. This saves fuel.”

in the area of ​​exaggeration

But even with the rest of the drive units, the RS3 is in its category in the realm of superlatives. Its 400 PS strong and an equally sturdier 2.5-liter five-cylinder now sends 500 Newton meters of torque to the transmission and, in the best case scenario, lets the RS3 shoot from 0 to 100 in just 3.8 seconds. Porsche level, best in class and three tenths faster than the previous RS3.

Kämpf doesn’t mind that there’s a few more horsepower under the hood than the Mercedes AMG A45 (two-liter four-cylinder, 421 hp) and BMW M2 Competition (410 hp). “It was more important for us to give the engine a wider speed range and provide it with higher torque quickly,” says the project manager, adding that the five-cylinder now turns up to 7000 rpm and the 500 Newton meters are already at 2250 rpm. “

The class leader is the RS3 at top speed. 290 km/h can be activated (prerequisite: customer orders dynamic package and ceramic brakes) and many drivers of a high-end sports car should look at their speedometer in surprise when the four rings of a compact model appear. Its rear-view mirror.

Audi Sport GmbH can pay with 60,000 euros to enter the world of the RS. The RS3 sedan costs 2000 euros more. So far about 30 percent of customers in Germany have chosen them. The RS3 should be at dealerships in the autumn, and it will be configurable from August.