Just a few days after our original story, our spy photographers met again with the black-and-white camo’d 2021 Audi RS3 Sportback prototype as it underwent high-speed testing on the Nurburgring track. We still think it will take at least 6 months after the anticipated debut of the regular A3 Sportback in March 2020 to see the heated up RS3. [Update 10/31/2019]
About a month ago we saw the most revealing spy shots of the all-new Audi A3 Sportback and now we get our first look at the high-performance RS3 variant.
Unlike its lesser sibling, the Audi Sport prototype is fully wrapped in camouflage but it’s pretty clear that we’re dealing with the final production body. The camouflage tape cannot hide design elements typically found on Audi Sport models.
Those include the aggressive bumpers with big air intakes at the front and massive oval tailpipes flanking a diffuser at the rear, the sharp side skirts and the wider wheel arches.
Also read: Audi Sport Exec Says Five-Cylinder Turbo Petrol Has A Future
Other elements indicating this is not an ordinary Audi A3 include the big alloy wheels, uprated brakes with ventilated discs and sizable calipers at the front, and the honeycomb pattern on the grille with some of the biggest cells we’ve ever seen.
Overall, the all-new RS3 promises to look sharper than ever and we hope the performance will evolve as well from the current model. The posh hot hatch is expected to pack a 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine with a slight power increase compared to the current model.
Expect 420 PS (414 HP) and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque in the standard model and 450 PS (444 HP) in the Performance version that should launch later on. Germany’s Auto Bild claims the engine will be updated with water injection and gasoline particle filter to meet the upcoming Euro 7 emissions standard.
A dual-clutch automatic transmission and an updated quattro all-wheel drive system with a RWD drift function are expected to be part of the package as well. The all-new RS3 Sportback should launch after the upcoming Audi S3 in early 2021.
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