Sharing an engine with the Audi TT RS, the RS 3 Sportback extracts 340 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque from its 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbo. Despite the brawny boost buggy status, it still manages around 26 mpg US combined. Weighing in at a healthy 3,472 pounds, the hot hatch rockets to 62 mph in 4.6 seconds and on to a limited 155 mph top speed.
Wider, lower, and more aggressively sprung, the appearance it's pretty much standard Audi A3 with some aggressive RS treatments: wider, taller lower front air intakes, special 19-inch alloy wheels, wider fenders made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, and of course, Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system plus a seven-speed S tronic gearbox.
Sales kick off in its homeland in early 2011 for a price of 49,900 euros.
Deliveries of the RS 3 Sportback will begin in early 2011. The base price in Germany will be 49,900 euros.
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