As cars get bigger and bigger the Audi RS3 continues to remain fairly compact and incredibly punchy on paper. Under the hood is Audi’s glorious sounding turbocharged 2.5L five-cylinder engine that’s good for 401 hp (299 kW/406 PS) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque allowing it to hit 62mph (100 km/h) in about 3.8 seconds.
As you’re reading these lines, we’re at Vegas getting some quality time behind the wheel of the North American specification 2022 RS3 both on the road and the track and we were wondering what you want to know about it.
Audi has already released quite a bit of information about its latest high-po small sedan that it hopes will be a giant killer of some ilk. When it arrives in showrooms this summer, it’ll start at $59,095 before other factors like dealer markups are considered and it’ll only come in a single trim. Of course, a number of options are available but most of them are either black or green.
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For instance, a Black Optic package costs $750 and adds black Y-spoke wheels, a black roof, and black badging. Customers can choose from three stitching colors including black, green, and red. If you want more color in the cabin you had better hope you love the green itself though.
A special “RS design package green” costs $1,500 and adds a bunch of Micrommata Green into the cabin on the seats, the seat belts, the air vents, and more. The most expensive option is a $5,500 Dynamic plus package which adds ceramic front brakes, a 180-mph speed limiter (up from 155), and a carbon engine cover.
Frankly, we’re not sure that options are all that important on a car that already seems to come with an excellent base package. Aside from excellent power on tap, this thing has a bunch of track and performance-focused equipment including real torque vectoring through its differential and a drift mode.
This Audi’s main competitors are the BMW M2 (even if it has two less doors), which is likely getting more power than the RS3 for the 2023 model year and the Mercedes-AMG CLA45 which makes 382-hp. It’ll be interesting to see how the three compare in terms of driving dynamics that can’t be measured on paper.
So what are you wondering about the new 2022 Audi RS3? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll do our best to give you all the answers along with our full review after the embargo ends on June 1.
Photos Stephen Rivers / Carscoops.com