Audi RS 3 Sportback quattro
Australia's Best Driver's Car

3rd

Five-cylinder engines have a reputation for performance and wonderful soundtracks. The term ‘hot hatch’ correspondingly usually equates to sharp, accessible, real-world potential. So what happens when you combine the two? Is the new RS 3 the best of both worlds and a jack of all trades, or an over-engineered master of none? Of course, Audi reckons it’s the former, so we took one to Tasmania in exalted sports car company to find out exactly how it stacks up as a driver's car in the real world.

As we prepare to exit the Spirit of Tasmania II in Devonport, I feel like a kid again and a cheeky grin explodes over my face. A wash of confused stares from the grey nomads in their caravans turns towards me as I mischievously rev the engine.

There’s nothing quite like the sound of a V8... Except maybe the deep snarl of a BDA Escort echoing through a forest; or perhaps the high-pitched scream of a 3.5-litre V10 Formula 1 engine from the mid-noughties?

For me, however, nothing quite compares to the unmistakable bark of the five-cylinder Audi S1 Group B Rally Car from the early 1980s. It was that vehicle which swept all before it and helped transform Audi's once drab, conservative image to the high-performance prestige powerhouse we see today.

And now it's back! Well, the sound is anyway — in Audi's cheapest RS model, the new RS 3.

The specs speak for themselves. The RS 3 is a crazy all-wheel drive hatchback with a 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol five producing 270kW and 465Nm. The next telling stat is where all that mumbo is delivered — across an almost 4000rpm window from just 1625rpm.

How does a claimed 0-100km/h time of 4.3sec sound? You’d be forgiven for thinking anything south of a Nissan GT-R would be cringing at the prospect of lining up against this pocket rocket.

Specs are one thing and I'm sure we've all driven cars that are amazing on paper but disappointing when it comes to the actual driving experience. This is not one of those cases.

At first glance the RS 3 is understated. Some tweaking of the front air-dam, subtle sculpting of the side sills and the addition of a small rear spoiler set it apart from basic A3/S3s.

Look a little deeper and lurking behind its 19-inch wheels are huge 370mm wave-shaped front rotors accompanied by beefy six-pot brake callipers… Another clue of the performance...

Inside the cockpit there's only a modest dose of 'sportiness'. Audi has got the basics right with a flawless driving position and just enough information displayed at a glance. Indeed, in contrast to other hot hatches (MINI, for example) there seems a concerted effort to shy away from gimmickry.

The feel behind wheel is also one of quality. The controls are placed and weighted correctly with no sign of any rattles or squeaks. On the practical side there’s plenty of room for passengers in the back.

The effectiveness of Audi's Drive Select system is particularly impressive. With a scroll of a button the RS 3 goes from mild to wild. Dynamic mode unleashes the exhaust, adds ‘meat’ to the steering and sharpens transmission response. In a word, it's optimised for speed.

We picked a great stretch of road to sample the chassis characteristics of the RS 3 and to back-to-back it with a few other participants in this year's ABDC contest. The run from Strahan to Queenstown (the 'Strahan' stage in Targa Tasmania) is a classic blend of blind undulating corners, big compressions and fast straights. With little to no traffic and clear blue skies, it was time to hook in!

Pitch the RS 3 into corners at anything up to seven or eight tenths and it feels amazing. It's the type of car that really seems to shrink around you and it delivers outstanding cornering speed and grip.

However, push a little harder and the softer front suspension starts to reach its limits. Perhaps more shock absorber travel or firmer springs would arrest the bottoming-out we noticed over bigger bumps -- and tame the RS 3's tendency to understeer when you really load the outside front tyre.

To be fair, these characteristics really only emerge when pushing hard on a dry, bumpy surface. I was lucky enough to get back behind the wheel when conditions were cold and wet and I came away with almost the opposite impression.

Then, without the loads generated by a dry road, the front-end responded well, particularly during quick changes of direction. Perhaps the Audi engineers had the 'Scandinavian Flick' in mind (S1 Group B-style) when they calibrated the suspension on this beast!

Point-to-point acceleration is fantastic and gear selection effortless. The seven speeds of the S-tronic twin-clutch box provide a seamless transition and the 4000rpm maximum torque window ensures that there’s rarely a ‘wrong’ gear.

At full noise on the Baskerville circuit, the RS 3 battled with mid-corner understeer and found itself a little exposed to the relative strengths of its most direct rival here, the BMW M2.

The Audi produced a respectable 1:02.842 lap time against the M2's impressive 1:00.588. That’s a significant margin around a minute lap.

Purchasing a driver’s car is an emotive choice, however. The five-cylinder snarl from this one sparks enough emotion in me to want one for that reason alone. The RS 3's refinement and undeniable point-to-point speed is a bonus.

Audi RS 3 Sportback quattro pricing and specifications:
Price: $78,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 270kW/465Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 8.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 189g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP (based on A3 1.4 TFSI)
motoring.com.au’s 2016 Australia’s Best Driver’s Car

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