Text: Understand the original Chedi Zhang Xiaodan
At the 2024 Paris Motor Show, the Audi RS 3 was unveiled for the first time, with the new car fine-tuned for the exterior and interior details, and the power continues to be equipped with a 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbocharged engine and optimized chassis settings. The new Audi RS 3 is still available in two body forms, Sportback and Sedan, of which the Sportback model starts at 66,000 euros in the Germany market, about 512,000 yuan, and the Sedan model starts at 68,000 euros, about 528,000 yuan.
The new Audi RS 3 Sportback was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show
The new Audi RS 3 Sportback is available in two body forms
新款奥迪RS 3 Sedan官图
旧款奥迪RS 3 Sedan官图
As you can see from the actual car picture, the new Audi RS 3 has a new style of hexagonal grille, with a changed black honeycomb grid and black vertical blades in the air intakes on both sides. At the same time, the LED daytime running lights inside the headlight cluster have also been changed from the current line segment to a checkered flag structure, containing a total of 24 light sources. In combination with the LED headlight cluster, the driver can choose between three light display modes via the central control screen.
新款奥迪RS 3 Sportback官图
新款奥迪RS 3 Sedan官图
The new Audi RS 3 Sportback in action
新款奥迪RS 3 Sedan官图
旧款奥迪RS 3 Sedan官图
From the side, the new Audi RS 3 still retains its compact body structure. The most obvious change in the rear also comes from the internal details of the tail lights, the arrow light source in the current lamp cluster has been increased from three to six, and through the "accompany me home" function, the light source of the tail lights can be gradually lit from the inside out, providing users with a sense of ceremony.
The new Audi RS 3 Sportback in action
The rear bumper of the new Audi RS 3 has also been tweaked, with a larger rear diffuser, transverse reflectors on both sides changed to longitudinal orientation, and track-style pilot lights in the middle. In addition, the vehicle still adopts a two-sided exhaust layout.
It is reported that the new Audi RS 3 will be available in Kyalami Green, Kemora Gray, Ascari Blue and Progressive Red, with the addition of Daytona Gray matte paint options. The bezel and rear diffuser are available in high-gloss black or matt black, while details such as air intakes and side skirts are also available in carbon fibre or high-gloss black.
The new Audi RS 3 comes standard with 19-inch forged alloy rims in Y-shaped five-spoke matte black, while Audi also offers 10-spoke matte grey and two-tone metallic black rims. The tyres come from the Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R.
新款奥迪RS 3 Sportback实车内饰
新款奥迪RS 3 Sportback内饰官图
旧款奥迪RS 3 Sedan内饰
The new Audi RS 3 gets a dark grey interior colour scheme and a new three-spoke steering wheel with a flat design at the top and bottom, with perforated leather as standard and Dinamica leather with the 12-point centering mark as an option. Inside, the RS Sport Seat is available in both RS Sport Seats and RS Bucket Seats, with Dinamica leather in the middle of the seats with RS honeycomb mesh stitching, Pearl Nappa leather upholstery on both sides, RS badging under the headrests and matte carbon fibre trim on the backrests for a resounding RS exclusivity.
The door trim of the new Audi RS 3 features hundreds of diamond-shaped light sources of various sizes that light up dynamically during locking and unlocking. Details such as the door handles, air conditioning vents, paddle shifters and other details are finished in dark grey paint that shimmer with the light in the car. In addition to the standard dark grey interior with carbon fibre trim, the new Audi RS 3 is also available as an RS-specific interior option in black Dinamica leather with matt carbon fibre trim.
The new Audi RS 3 is equipped with a 12.3-inch center display, and the upgraded in-vehicle system can provide a display of sports, performance, track and other modes. In track mode, for example, the top rev is displayed in the foreground, while the idle speed is displayed in the background, and parameters such as power output, torque, acceleration, lap times, etc., are displayed simultaneously. In addition, torque distribution, braking performance, engine oil temperature, and transmission oil temperature are displayed through the 10.1-inch instrument cluster.
The new Audi RS 3 is powered by a 2.5-litre TFSI five-cylinder turbocharged engine with a maximum power of 294 kW (400 hp) and a maximum torque of 500 Nm·m, mated to a seven-speed S tronic gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive system. According to official data, the car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 290 km/h.
新款奥迪RS 3 Sportback官图
Audi also offers a Performance mode for racetrack-conscious users, which can be operated via the red checkered flag button on the left side of the steering wheel and the RS Individual mode for quick access to the red RS button on the right side of the steering wheel. It is reported that the official has improved the performance of the new Audi RS 3 in corners by optimizing the chassis settings, and the main upgrade points are to adjust the braking torque vectoring control and braking intervention on the inner wheels, avoiding understeer when entering corners, so that the vehicle can turn at higher speeds.
梅赛德斯-AMG A 45 S
BMW M2
The Audi RS 3 has been out of sale in the Chinese market for many years, and if this generation is introduced in the future, it will still face rivals such as the BMW M2 (guide price 599,000 yuan) and Mercedes-AMG A 45 (guide price 563,700-594,600 yuan). Which car would you prefer to choose? Feel free to discuss in the comment section.