The Mercedes-AMG GLA45 is currently the king of the sports subcompact crossovers, but that may very well change soon enough.
That’s because Audi is busy developing the RS Q3, which aims to upstage the Merc and sit at the top of its class.
Spied testing at the Nurburgring recently, the RS Q3 carries lots of production parts, including the new grille, reworked bumpers, and other elements that will distinguish it from lesser versions of the second-gen Q3.
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Things get really interesting beneath the skin, as the brand’s engineers have updated the chassis to make it cope with the extra grunt.
Speaking of which, the RS Q3 will use the same engine as the RS3 Sportback and RS3 Sedan. The turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder is expected to retain the 400 PS (394 hp / 294 kW) and 480 Nm (354 lb-ft) of torque that propel the hot hatch to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.1 seconds, and up to a top speed electronically capped at 250 km/h (155 mph), or 280 km/h (174 mph) without the speed limiter.
Audi will launch the new RS Q3 after mid-2019, in all likelihood, probably alongside the lesser SQ3, which will arrive with the S3 Sportback’s and S3 Sedan’s 310 PS (306 hp / 228 kW) turbocharged 2.0-liter engine.