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Oct 26, 2021 at 3:00am ET
By: Brandon Turkus
Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system has a mythical origin story highlighted by rally stardom and one infamous drive to the top of an Olympic ski jump. Today, though, Quattro is simply a byword for stability among crossover owners who suffer heart palpitations over the idea of driving on a slightly slick road.
The 2022 Audi RS3 is a reminder of what Quattro was and what it can be when keeping the car pointed straight stops being the point. Packing a trick rear axle that brings a hearty dose of rear-drive character to the hottest member of Audi’s sub-compact lineup, the new RS3 is arguably the most compelling entry in the segment, specifically because it doesn't feel like anything else.
While we endeavor to rate every new vehicle we test, we can't provide a rating on the 2022 Audi RS3 until official pricing and EPA fuel economy estimates are available. We'll update this space once we have a final score.
As before, the RS3 sends up to 50 percent of its torque to the rear axle, but the Torque Splitter transfers that power laterally depending on the selected drive mode and input from a host of sensors. The rear tires share the love on straight roads, but once you attack a corner, the computers will shuffle up to 100 percent of that torque to the outside rear wheel. Audi says the Torque Splitter curbs understeer, leads to more precise responses to steering inputs, and improves acceleration on corner exit. We say that's absolutely true... if you have the right set of tires.
On that first day, our tester wore factory low-rolling-resistance Pirelli PZero tires that completely underperformed Audi's excellent chassis and tech. No amount of fiddling with drive modes or the behavior of the Torque Splitter improved the situation, and while we spent several hours on twisting tarmac, the RS3 felt vague, like entering a corner with too much speed would cause terminal understeer. At no point on that first day did we gain confidence in the car, instead worrying about how the front end would respond, even at moderate speeds. It was like driving on egg shells.
The next day dawned, our Kyalami Green RS3 wore a set of new Bridgestone Potenza Sport tires (also available from the factory), and all was right with the world. On a twisting, two-hour loop along the Greek coast, this car finally delivered the handling the PR folks and marketing materials promised. Our confidence swelled on the first corner, as the high-performance rubber provided far more front-end grip and allowed us to finally start analyzing the Torque Splitter's behavior.
Put simply, the RS3 feels distinct from any previous RS product. It changes direction eagerly and feels far more neutral, especially in RS Performance, where the Torque Splitter is at the most aggressive. But it's less about corner entry and more about mid-corner behavior, where the RS3 has a rear-drive feel that’s unique in the segment, especially when applying throttle.
You can sense the Torque Splitter working in a mechanical way, allowing the RS3 to slingshot out of corners with a taste of oversteer and none of the risk. This is an addictively balanced car, to the point that we began applying heavy throttle far earlier in the corner, trusting the trick rear would quash any understeer.
It's easy to credit the Torque Splitter for this goodness, but Audi has done its homework in other ways. The progressive steering is precise and beautifully weighted for sporty driving, while the RS-specific suspension includes a wider track, revised shocks, a stiffened rear end, a lowered ride height (four-tenths of an inch lower than an S3), and more negative camber to improve the contact patch in hard cornering. There are also available adaptive dampers that balance firmness and compliance far better than last generation's magnetic dampers.
You'll forget about all that good engineering when you fire up the RS3's standard drift mode, though. Our primitive brains know what good fun pirouetting a car about is, and Audi has made it easier than ever. Simply activate RS Torque Rear (the official name for drift mode) and even folks that have never slid a car on purpose can start ultra-controllable slides. To prove it, Audi set up a large pad for us to put our hamfistedness to the test.
In a six-minute session, we went from spinning out or failing to start a drift altogether to linking drifts on a figure-eight loop or drifting sideways in a big, beautiful circle, steering with the throttle to maintain the maneuver. The RS3 is brilliant on a twisting road, but nowhere does it make you feel more heroic than on a skidpad. It's so good you won't even care that drift modes are kind of gimmicky nonsense.
This is not merely some drift machine, though. Audi is adamant that the RS3 is track-capable and it's offering the hardware (and a Nurburgring lap record) to back up that claim. Carbon-ceramic brakes are available and aside from their fade-free stopping power, they also trim 22 pounds of unsprung weight. Factory-mounted Pirelli PZero Trofeo R tires are an additional option and based on a brief track stint at a circuit outside Athens, provide unshakeable grip. We'll talk plenty more about on-track dynamics once we get the RS3 on a more familiar circuit in 2022.
By: Brandon Turkus
Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system has a mythical origin story highlighted by rally stardom and one infamous drive to the top of an Olympic ski jump. Today, though, Quattro is simply a byword for stability among crossover owners who suffer heart palpitations over the idea of driving on a slightly slick road.
The 2022 Audi RS3 is a reminder of what Quattro was and what it can be when keeping the car pointed straight stops being the point. Packing a trick rear axle that brings a hearty dose of rear-drive character to the hottest member of Audi’s sub-compact lineup, the new RS3 is arguably the most compelling entry in the segment, specifically because it doesn't feel like anything else.
While we endeavor to rate every new vehicle we test, we can't provide a rating on the 2022 Audi RS3 until official pricing and EPA fuel economy estimates are available. We'll update this space once we have a final score.
| Quick Stats | 2022 Audi RS3 |
| Engine: | Turbocharged 2.5-liter I5 |
| Output: | 401 Horsepower / 369 Pound-Feet |
| 0-60 MPH: | 3.8 Seconds |
| Top Speed: | 180 MPH |
| Base Price: | $60,000 (est) |
Slip Slidin' Away
Admittedly, our first meeting with the RS3 was not a positive one as we departed our hotel outside Athens, Greece. In the hills northwest of the city, the Audi underwhelmed in corners despite its headlining feature, the RS Torque Splitter. Using two multi-disc clutches (one on each side), this collection of gizmos and gears provides the front-drive-based RS3 with rear-axle torque vectoring and a handling character that's quite unlike what we've come to expect from nose-heavy, understeer-prone Audis.As before, the RS3 sends up to 50 percent of its torque to the rear axle, but the Torque Splitter transfers that power laterally depending on the selected drive mode and input from a host of sensors. The rear tires share the love on straight roads, but once you attack a corner, the computers will shuffle up to 100 percent of that torque to the outside rear wheel. Audi says the Torque Splitter curbs understeer, leads to more precise responses to steering inputs, and improves acceleration on corner exit. We say that's absolutely true... if you have the right set of tires.
On that first day, our tester wore factory low-rolling-resistance Pirelli PZero tires that completely underperformed Audi's excellent chassis and tech. No amount of fiddling with drive modes or the behavior of the Torque Splitter improved the situation, and while we spent several hours on twisting tarmac, the RS3 felt vague, like entering a corner with too much speed would cause terminal understeer. At no point on that first day did we gain confidence in the car, instead worrying about how the front end would respond, even at moderate speeds. It was like driving on egg shells.
The next day dawned, our Kyalami Green RS3 wore a set of new Bridgestone Potenza Sport tires (also available from the factory), and all was right with the world. On a twisting, two-hour loop along the Greek coast, this car finally delivered the handling the PR folks and marketing materials promised. Our confidence swelled on the first corner, as the high-performance rubber provided far more front-end grip and allowed us to finally start analyzing the Torque Splitter's behavior.
Put simply, the RS3 feels distinct from any previous RS product. It changes direction eagerly and feels far more neutral, especially in RS Performance, where the Torque Splitter is at the most aggressive. But it's less about corner entry and more about mid-corner behavior, where the RS3 has a rear-drive feel that’s unique in the segment, especially when applying throttle.
You can sense the Torque Splitter working in a mechanical way, allowing the RS3 to slingshot out of corners with a taste of oversteer and none of the risk. This is an addictively balanced car, to the point that we began applying heavy throttle far earlier in the corner, trusting the trick rear would quash any understeer.
It's easy to credit the Torque Splitter for this goodness, but Audi has done its homework in other ways. The progressive steering is precise and beautifully weighted for sporty driving, while the RS-specific suspension includes a wider track, revised shocks, a stiffened rear end, a lowered ride height (four-tenths of an inch lower than an S3), and more negative camber to improve the contact patch in hard cornering. There are also available adaptive dampers that balance firmness and compliance far better than last generation's magnetic dampers.
You'll forget about all that good engineering when you fire up the RS3's standard drift mode, though. Our primitive brains know what good fun pirouetting a car about is, and Audi has made it easier than ever. Simply activate RS Torque Rear (the official name for drift mode) and even folks that have never slid a car on purpose can start ultra-controllable slides. To prove it, Audi set up a large pad for us to put our hamfistedness to the test.
In a six-minute session, we went from spinning out or failing to start a drift altogether to linking drifts on a figure-eight loop or drifting sideways in a big, beautiful circle, steering with the throttle to maintain the maneuver. The RS3 is brilliant on a twisting road, but nowhere does it make you feel more heroic than on a skidpad. It's so good you won't even care that drift modes are kind of gimmicky nonsense.
This is not merely some drift machine, though. Audi is adamant that the RS3 is track-capable and it's offering the hardware (and a Nurburgring lap record) to back up that claim. Carbon-ceramic brakes are available and aside from their fade-free stopping power, they also trim 22 pounds of unsprung weight. Factory-mounted Pirelli PZero Trofeo R tires are an additional option and based on a brief track stint at a circuit outside Athens, provide unshakeable grip. We'll talk plenty more about on-track dynamics once we get the RS3 on a more familiar circuit in 2022.
Have A Good Time
The 2022 Audi RS3 is a remarkably well-balanced performance car, and not just because of how it blends sportiness and livability. The Torque Splitter's ability to instill rear-drive dynamics into an all-wheel-drive car that's based on a front-drive platform gives it not just multiple personalities, but abundant personality. While we'll be waiting until summer of 2022 to see the RS3 on American shores, after dashing along the Greek coast, we're confident it's worth the wait.
2022 Audi RS3 First Drive Review: Still Crazy After All These Years
The 2022 Audi RS3 drives like a radically different car than its predecessor, but it's every bit as compelling and exciting.
www.motor1.com
2022 Audi RS3 First Drive Review: Still Crazy After All These Years
The 2022 Audi RS3 drives like a radically different car than its predecessor, but it's every bit as compelling and exciting.
www.motor1.com
