- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.5T, 5 cyl.
- Engine Power
228kW, 420Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (98) 8.8L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2012)
Audi RS Q3 first drive review
Audi has handed its muscled-up version of the Q3 SUV the ultimate performance nomenclature – RS, or Renn Sport.
With a turbocharged 2.5-litre TFSI five-cylinder plucked directly from the sizzling Audi TT RS and generating a more-than-generous 228kW of power and 420Nm of torque, the under-bonnet arsenal is very real. Yet maybe the RS tag flatters it a little too much.
Visually, there would seem to be an RS shortfall. The cabin is the usual elegant style-and-function offering with piano black splashes, excellent (though plain) leather sports seats, and RS-specific instruments and sill plate. But, the interior is missing the more overt splashes we expect from Audis bearing the RS moniker.
Outside, there’s a RS roof spoiler, big 19-inch wheels and tyres, and a sports suspension that drops the rig some 28mm. Just one exhaust pipe too.
The Quattro four-wheel-drive system distributes most of the drive to the front in regulation motoring, but smartly gets the rears doing more work when progress matters.
In the hands of a willing driver, the comfortable and well-appointed RS Q3 gets the scenery moving rearward very quickly – standstill to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds is quite flash for a compact SUV.
Paddle shifting the seven-speed S Tronic dual-clutch gearbox, it rips into bends with commendable enthusiasm and plenty of grip. And always to a subdued crackle from the exhaust.
Official fuel economy is 8.8 litres per 100km, and that’s achievable when cruising sensibly – or easy to exceed if you regularly use all that power.
Audi would be very conscious of a formidable, critically acclaimed small and sporty SUV competitor for the RS Q3 heading to these shores soon, Mercedes-Benz’s 265kW GLA45 AMG.
Prospective shoppers will be keen to compare the GLA45 AMG against the RS Q3 and its $81,900 MLP.