Audi Unveils the 2022 RS 3

The future of Audi may be electric, but the present is loud, turbocharged, and fuelled by petrol. The entry model into Audi’s most powerful line-up, the RS 3 gets a new look for 2022 as well as sporty enhancements that put it on par with its larger, more expensive stablemates.

Keeping with Audi’s formula for all of its RS models, the RS3 design is based on that of the A3 but with more aggressive design cues including a black masque around the singleframe grille, a unique rhombus pattern on the honeycomb grille insert, more aggressive rocker panels, and a side air vent behind the front wheels, inspired by Audi’s motorsport division. Compared with its tamer counterpart, the RS3 also gets big, bulging front air intakes in high-gloss or matte black.

As Audi head of exterior design Philipp Roemers recently explained to CDN, the proportions of all Audis start with a slim cabin with a broad shoulder and big wheels. In this case, those 19-inch wheels are unique to the RS with a 5-Y-spoke design, available in a matte black finish for a more sinister look. Muscular “blisters” on the rear fenders are sculpted into the sheet metal, an homage to the Quattro rally cars of years past. Europe will get both the saloon and the more utilitarian sportback model, although sadly for American enthusiasts, the latter will not be sold in the U.S. Audi is known for its slick lighting signatures, and the RS3 is no exception.

The new LED headlight headlight features an integrated DRL with chequered flag pattern that not-so-subtly spells out “R-S-3” in the welcome sequence. In the rear, LED tail lamps sit below a rear spoiler and above the RS-specific rear diffuser with integrated tail pipes.

In the cabin, the RS3’s driver-oriented cockpit looks like the inside of a superhero’s getaway car when equipped with the RS design package, awash in red or green contrast honeycomb stitching over black leather with matching ambient lighting. The flat-bottomed sport steering wheel is covered in Alcantara and a single piece of carbon decorative trim spans the width of the IP, contributing to the racecar feel. The tastefully integrated centre display is smaller than those found on Audi’s larger cars and SUVs, but we don’t think drivers of this RS model will much care. The centre console has been redone with a low-profile shifter that opens up considerable space compared with the large, bulky shift lever in the previous-generation car.

Some of what makes the new RS3 notable is underneath the sheet metal. For the first time, the car gets a torque splitter (co-developed with the Volkswagen Golf R, but tuned differently), which electronically varies torque between the rear wheels, enabling smoother and more aggressive cornering. For those who plan to do more than parade laps around the city, there’s a racktrack mode, launch control, and drift mode. New brakes will be offered in both steel and optional carbon ceramic.

Power is courtesy of a turbocharged 2.5-litre 5-cylinder engine that dashes from 0-100 km in 3.8 seconds and is good for 401 hp/299 kW in models destined for the U.S. European versions will make slightly less – some consolation for being snubbed on the sportback. But the RS 3 isn’t all gas guzzling; it can coast in efficiency mode to save fuel. The 2022 Audi RS 3 is scheduled to go on sale in Europe next spring.