2017 Audi RS 3 Sedan Unveiled At Paris Motor Show

Just like BMW has the ‘M’ division and Mercedes-Benz has AMG, Audi has an equally crazy in-house tuning division which is simply christened as RennSport (RS). This time around, Audi has now given the RS treatment to its smallest sedan, the A3, and renamed it as the RS 3. Powered by the same five-cylinder engine that does duty on the TT RS coupe, the RS 3 sedan is one utterly mouth-watering recipe from the Germans.

Topping the A3 sedan range, the RS 3 sedan is all about performance. It is powered by a 2.5-litre TFSI petrol engine which is tuned to produce 400PS of power and 480Nm of torque. These figures are good enough to reach 100kmph from a standstill in 4.1 seconds. Unfortunately, that isn’t as fast as the TT RS, which completes the same stunt in 3.7 seconds. It all comes down to the heavier weight of the RS 3. Speaking of which, the newly tuned engine is 26kg lighter when compared to the one installed on the outgoing RS 3 Sportback and also produces 33PS more power. The engine in the RS 3 sedan is mated to a seven-speed, dual-clutch, automatic transmission and the Quattro all-wheel-drive system. The top speed is limited to 250kmph, but, on request Audi will remove the limiter and the car can then achieve 280kmph.

The RS 3 sedan’s four-door body is nearly identical to the Audi S3 saloon. It rides 25mm lower than the standard A3 sedan and flaunts a front fascia which is 20mm wider. The chassis gets a four-link rear axle, larger brakes and a stiffer suspension. At the back, the RS 3 sedan gets large twin-exhaust tailpipes and a diffuser to help with the aerodynamics at fast speeds.

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Inside the cabin, it is as you’d expect from a fast Audi. The trim is dressed with high-quality leather and the Lamborghini-inspired steering wheel with a flat bottom catches the eye. Wide range of connectivity features such as Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto help cover the infotainment part. Safety features like Traffic Jam Assist, which can take control of the steering in slow-moving traffic of speeds up to 64kmph, also make the cut.

The RS 3 will be launched in Europe in 2017 and Audi might consider launching the Mercedes-Benz-CLA-AMG buster in India later on.