The Audi RS3 and Mercedes-AMG A45 have been trading blows at the top end of the European hot hatch market for the past few years, both now making almost four times as much power as the granddaddy of the hot hatch movement, the 1976 Golf GTi.
AMG refreshed its contender last year, giving the A45 S some subtle styling tweaks, but adding no more muscle to its 415 hp (421 PS) 2.0-liter four-cylinder motor’s arsenal. Now it’s Audi’s turn to parry with a revised version of the RS3 that we can expect to debut in the next couple of months.
These pictures show the European Sportback hatch but the same styling tweaks and mechanical upgrades will also appear on the RS3 sedan. The most obvious of those is a new double-diamond pattern grille that replaces the hexagonal design of mesh – that always looked like a tray of black sunglasses frames to us – fitted to the current car.
The lower portion of the central grille on this test car appears to have two vertical intakes, one mounted at either side, that’s not seen on the 2023 RS3, and it looks like the side intakes have been opened up and now feature a more triangular design. We can’t detect any changes to the surrounding metalwork or the basic shape of the light clusters, but you can bet those lights will feature Audi’s new segmented DRLs.
Related: Audi Sport Boss Hints At More Powerful RS3 Without Electrification
Changes at the rear are harder to spot due to the amount of disguise, though again, it’s a given that the lights will be updated, and the fake mesh in the rear bumper will likely get a new design to match the grille at the pointy end. Not going anywhere are the two large oval tailpipe finishers that direct the 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine’s emissions into the atmosphere.
The inline five is a real USP for Audi, helps draw a connection to the marque’s iconic 1980s Quattro, and still sounds great despite recent regulatory efforts to turn its volume down. But rated at 394 hp (294 kW / 400 PS) in Europe and up to 401 hp (299 kW / 407 PS) in the U.S., it plays second fiddle to its A45 S rival in the power comparison, although its 3.8-second zero to 62 mph (100 kmh) time is a tenth better than the AMG can manage.
We wouldn’t be surprised if Audi’s engine gurus massaged a few more horses out of the mill to coincide with the facelift to keep the all-wheel drive system on its toes and make the “RS Torque Rear” drift mode even more of a hoot. Earlier this year the boss of Audi Sport hinted that the 2.5 was capable of generating more power before the company had to think about adding electrification.
