The New Audi RS3 Makes its Debut With a New Look and More Power

2015 Audi RS3 (Credit: © Audi)

The hot-hatchback market continues to get hotter with each passing year, and the luxury hot-hatch market is particularly steamy as of late. With the availability of the 320-horsepower M135i 5-Door and the 360-pony A45 AMG in the European market, the new Audi RS3 certainly has its work cut out for it in both luxury and performance.

The new RS3, which has been in the making for three years, features a bold, new face with all-new headlights and a more angular Singleframe grille. This grille features a sporty mesh insert, an RS badge to remind folks that this little hatch isn’t to be taken lightly, and “quattro” lettering in the lower section. The lower apron carries a pair of large air intakes to keep the powerful engine cool, and an aggressive splitter to keep the downforce high.

Around back, things are pretty standard, save for the dual exhaust tips and the silver lower-bumper insert.

2015 Audi RS3 (Credit: © Audi)

When compared to its predecessor, the new Audi RS3 tips the scales at 55 kg (121.3 pounds) less for a grand total of 1,520 kg (3,351 pounds). Match up this low curb weight with a 2.5-liter, five-cylinder, turbocharged engine that produces an insane 367 PS (362 horsepower) and 343 pound-feet of torque, and you get a 0-to-62-mph sprint of just 4.3 seconds — 0.3 seconds faster than the last-generation RS3 — and a governed top speed of 155 mph. Audi states that it will raise the hatchback’s top speed to 174 mph for buyers with “regular autobahn access.”

The powerful five-cylinder engine mates to a seven-speed S tronic transmission that has been revised to provide faster shifts. This transmission delivers power to all four wheels by way of Audi’s famed quattro all-wheel-drive system.

Though it is plenty capable of out-sprinting many sports cars in a straight line, the RS3 is not all about going fast and straight. Audi spent countless hours tweaking the stock A3’s suspension system by lowering its ride height by 25 mm (0.98 inches), widening its front track to 1,559 mm (61.4 inches) and widening its rear track to 1,514 mm (59.6 inches) when crafting the RS3. Also swapped out is the standard steering system, and it is replaced by a twitchier RS-spec system. Also part of the RS3 package is a set of magnetic ride dampers.

2015 Audi RS3 (Credit: © Audi)

Doing the stopping are internally vented disc brakes measuring 370 mm up front and 310 mm out back. The front rotors are cast in a weight-saving wave design and utilize aluminum hats for extra weight savings and faster heat dissipation. The front rotors are gripped by a set of red-painted, eight-piston calipers. As an option, buyers can swap the front rotors for carbon-ceramic discs for better stopping power, longer brake life and reduced brake fade.

The new RS3 will hit dealers in the UK in March 2015, but there are no pricing details available yet. There are no plans to bring the RS3 to the U.S. yet, according to a report from Autoblog.