Audi RS3 review - Auto Express
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- Full review: www.autoexpress...
An intoxicating five-cylinder warble reverberates around the mountains as we accelerate out of yet another switchback hairpin, all four tyres scrabbling for grip. Of course, the craggy walls have heard a similar sound before.
That's because we're driving the new Audi RS3 Sportback up the famous Col de Turini in the south of France -- the very place where its ancestor, the original Sport Quattro, won the 1984 Monte Carlo Rally in the hands of ex-world champion Walter Röhrl.
This guy is getting really good at reviewing cars!
The fact is: He is!
this comment aged well
12 years later Matt is one of the best and most watched car journalists.
I just LOVE this sound! A damn nice car!
future classic i presume? small production number & great engine.
I had a gift voucher to drive one of these on a track and rs3 was always my dream car and now it is even more. When you press S button the sound you hear is the best sound you have ever heard. Its a shame i can only afford a3 1.9tdi
This gen was so good looking. The 8v rs3 not as good in looks. This twin exhaust 😍 sutle and good looking
@yepitsHugo29 Totally agree with you. Its a shame Audi doesnt bring most of their RS models to the U.S.
@thekiezer I know what you are saying, driver involvement, feel and all that old bollocks, but just because you are using the paddles doesn't mean you lose that interaction. I have had all kinds of manual cars including stuff like the 911RS, and my current S3 is as much fun to drive as well as being very practical to drive every day. I can't wait for the RS3 to arrive, just gutted mine wont be here until next year!
@chrisubass its an S-tronic 7 speed, so auto for cruising through town, paddle shift for having fun, and with the double clutch I defy anyone to shift manually quicker than this car can.
Nice review and better than the 90 sec´s ones.
And its a really nice package this RS3.
@TheEryk03 Wrong. It's Haldex.
@SoooOOOoooOOOoooT The S gear change keeps the revs high all the time, and makes quicker gear changes. The S button, gives a louder exhaust note, stiffer suspension and steering, and if I'm not wrong, puts a bit more power.
@Autoexpress What i don't get is that "S" button as there is also an "S" in the gear change..So are u saying that you need to press the "S" button and put the gear into "S" aswell for the Full Sport Mode...?! The vw golf gti does not have a Sport button, but just a Sport/"S" gear change..instead, less of a confusion...what's the difference between the "S" button and the "S" gear in the rs3...?!?!
@SwiftHDX yes was talking about used cars you can buy a nice nearly new gtr for 50 grand and all the rs3 are now sold and are being re sold for 44 to 52 grand my mate at work has just got his rs3 for 51 grand with 3000 miles on it
@TheCruizer I think the 5 cylinder sounds even better then the V10
Audi is the only company that can make perfect cars
Audi is the name of Perfection !!!
@VermicousK
Completely missing the point of driving stick, my friend.
@EVILSPAWN1000 True, the S1 was a beast! I've seen it with Röhrl at the wheel doing a few demo laps on a speedway track. Just loved it!
GO MAT!! another great review!!
M-Mat used to work for Auto Express?
Audi RS3 Pure Sophistication, over all other that simple.
did he say it doesnt come in a manual transmission?
@22j77 The group B Audi quattro S1 E2 inline 5.Best sounding engine EVER!In a car SO mental that it even LOOKS scary! Walther Rohrl is a driving GOD,and group B was the best form for racing ever.R.I.P group B
Sono impazzito per questa macchina. I'm completely mad for this car!!!
Excellent review, excellent car. £40K for a car that accelerates faster, more practical, and is easier to drive than a porsche 911 Carrera S? Seems like a no brainer to me. Don't like the fact that A3 range is no within months of replacement, but since there'll be no other A3 with a 5-cylinder engine for at least 3 years, I guess it stacks up.
@BRUMTOWNTRU It's a great car, and I personally would buy a new RS3 rather than a 2nd hand GTR. The RS3's 5 cylinder engine sounds like a V10, and it performs almost as well as one too. It has great fuel economy (31mpg) and it's very practical. But yeah, the extras can take the price to around £70,000. The GTR is a great car too though, no doubt about that. It attracts too many people though. The RS3 looks simple but stunning at the same time. They're 2 completely different cars anyway.
hes been at it for so long
Mat Watson will you upload a video in CARBUYER for this car pleaze replay
Good review
Jeremy Clarckson:
"I used to think of BMW's being cars that were for the people that were babies and underpowered etc... but I change my mind... AUDI fits that line perfectly" .. I quote for you directly.
Great video 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Chris Harris says it understeers badly which ruins it. Watch his review where he compares it to the M135i.
who gives a rats ass what chris harris says,that is totally unusefull info.drive the car if you want to know how it is
But can you drive like Chris Harris?
Audi needs to start selling this in the U.S!
Since you mentioned a Megane III RS...its still faster around track despite having 60hp less.
@TheVtieg6 No, my point being they look too similar IMO and that the RS just doesn't look quite special enough.
@DrSlideit I'm liking that! Or a 2door shorter version of this.
@madant1977 Ah yes, right you are! Octavia not Fabia, silly Chumpey!
The Leon is awesome. I actually convinced a friend of mine to buy one instead of an A3 and he did. He had it for 5 years and was very happy with it. I think the Leon is the best use of the chasis/base car. As you say: you get all of the looks, tech etc... without getting ripped off!
@NiallatUTube Well the cabin is made out of suede and leather, it has sat-nav, so you cant say its poor quality. i actually prefer the STI's interior.
it is just as versatile as well, 5 doors and a huge boot.
it is faster and cheaper. the whole point of the RS3 is to be fast. if not then you would just get the A3/S3.
the subaru is actually better in every way i can think of. i am not just saying that to hate on audi, i like audi's and the RS3 is very nice, and it is still a very quick car.
@FebruaryFreezesBlue really??!? i would buy this and an rs5 instead of r8 but not just an rs3.
For awhile I wanted one of these, and was devastated to find out their not allowed in U.S. Even more devastated to find out you cant get it in manual, really Audi?! Glad I watched this. The RS3 is nice, yea. But would rather buy a 2dr A3 2.0T and tune it with all the goodies and save my money for the track.
is there a 2 door?
Was this video made in the 90s?
To all those people who think a manual is a true drivers car, name one form of any decent motorsport that still uses a manual. Manuals went out many years ago. Good autos have far surpassed any manual, they shift gears in a fraction of the time a manual can. Move with the times I think
The best hot hatch ever in history!!!
Got this for my birthday!! Thank you mom and........Wait no thank you ME!!!!!!!
I wasn't even driving age 9 years ago..good job being a douche man
wow ,if this car could ever come to the usa... i begg to buy one its just the right pakage for and active lifestyle.......0-60 in 4.6 sec and a userble back seat beautiful interior...
It does exist oh and here is a fact that some Audi model's use VW engines.. this is only one type of engine which is the 2.9 VR6:
The VR6 is also used in other Volkswagen Group products, namely:
Audi A3 Mk2
Audi TT both generations
Audi Q7
Is it a v6?
They moan about the cost but a TTRS has the exact same engine in the the exact same platform and it is obviously smaller and less practical and it costs £55,000! Now I think that's a lot for a small car.
what a machine, i love tihs car one day i will own it.
whats the song at the begining?
the no manual option is a fucking killer
oh can you explain why. is it due to some extra taxes?
Weird audio in this one, but still a very nice car! Can't say I like those wheels, though.
@howardflight09
still not stick :/
may be a tv host, but still a car reviewer
@Tailpipe26 Your obviously not in the market for a 40k car.
Good thing is: the 5 cyl. sounds like a small V10.
Cheapest way to get that engine? Isn't the TT-RS less money? 40,000 pounds in dollars is ~$68,000. But the TT-RS over here starts at $57,000. Love that inline 5, though :)
In Malaysia, it's 300% tax. Yet a lot of people here owned a fancy supercar. Plus here, road tax is based on the engine cc. A gallardo v10 5000cc, road tax is 11000. You wanna owned a Bentley or Aston Martin here, be ready to pay 16000 a year just for road tax. Maserati which cost 80000 uk pound( 400000 Malaysia before tax). Include tax here the Maserati will cost you 1.2 million.
@jgfunk88 Audi just isn't interested in going rallying at the moment. They can go rallying anytime they want. But they are kinda busy with Le Mans.
@dominoc5 i agree if it was even 5k less it would be so much better
Getting this audio or the s3 when I'm 18
linz lindsey well, did you?
@danelio what?
I want one now
buying one soon.......
I want this car so bad!!!!
RS3 will be in the States hopefully by 2014.
5 cyl 340 HP AWD & Spacious
the Most Expensive cause is The BEST
i like to see RS3 3 door version
but more i waiting for the new A3 sedan or A3 coupe and later maybe RS3 coupe :) mmm.....
Drive this car. My german friend owns it... Great car...
You're right and so is Harris, brilliant engine but Audi tuned it to have a boatload of understeer, which when you are driving around a track is infuriating and nooo fun at all.
Seems like somebody get back the R32 VR6 sound in live
in norway to :(
@TheHaos1 as a bmw owner i wouldn'T dare to dislike an audi vid, but as a mercedesowner i would surely ;).
I've never understood what people got enthusiastic when seeing this car. Tough the performance is incredible for a hatchback, the looks are pretty standard Audi like. It must have a pretty high cw-value as well compared to its rivals.
oh i don't know..the engine maybe ? the sound ? the performance ? the 4wd system ? built quality ?
@@VladRadu-tq1pg 10 year old comment mate. You'll be happy to know I changed my mind. Although I would take a Cayman over this any day of the week.
I have driven this car, didn't think it was that fast, gear changes were too slow, steering too light and then bear in mind this car is £40k WITHOUT any extras, it's nearing £50k for a good spec and its still a hatchback, give me a 1M any day.
Audi should go rallying with this.
@Shainingusutaru lol if we all think like that, in 2-3 years we won't be able to buy those 1-3yr old cars, because no one bought them in first place :))
@symustafa1996 the car is made for smooth surfaces and precision driving and could never be a rally car
Thats my dream!!!
It has no rivals
so... you want a A3 with a broken door? cuz i think they only make 3doors and 5 doors :P
@yepitsHugo29 they'll limit it
@kilove1 it won't come to america for 2 reasons:1) it is very powerful for america's standar so audi must reduce the hp which will cost extra money to the audi which is the last thing audi wants now and 2) only manual version..americans can't drive manual cars only automatic!
I love this cat
I prefer dogs to be honest mate
@spoiler567 you dont think 4.6 seconds to 100 is fast...
@TheHaos1 ahahaha. good one! :)
330bhp in a shoe?
i was stoked till I heard it was an automatic.
@jgfunk88 Audi engineers are smarter than most people. Surely they can manage that?
i like this guy
5 Zylinder best Sound ever
nice car
they need 2 door version for god sake
BOMB car !
40 grand will hardly get you an entry A3 in Denmark, sigh...
Shame there is no 3-door version. Maybe they'll make one once all the 'cool' people have bought up all the TT's...
Cars are taxed by 180% in Denmark. Almost makes me want to emigrate to Sweden or Germany
@9090336 do you know anything about Audi history? Take a look, and you'll see why. Hint: Rally
There is nothing ordinary about demolishing 1M into pieces, as Audi always does vs BMW.