Inside Audi’s Last Turbocharged Hatchback Masterpiece

Car Review: Audi RS 3 Sportback Carbon Vorsprung S

The British Grand Prix is just a month away on 5 July. Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton and hotshot Kimi Antonelli will be squaring up to race on the same circuit that hosted the first-ever Formula 1 event in 1950.

Hurtling around Silverstone is every F1 fan’s dream, but how can you do it? This week, Audi became the official partner at the home of British motorsport, a three-year deal that will see the car brand at every major event.

A new Audi Experience invites petrolheads to get behind the wheel of the astonishing RS 3 Sportback, a hugely desirable machine with one of the most spectacular engines ever fitted to a small car.

The turbocharged, five-cylinder will be the last in an Audi hatchback. replaced with a series of hybrid and electric powerplants. But what makes this final RS 3 special is a tiny red button, discreetly displayed on the steering wheel.

The chequered flag button switch turns this Audi from a sporty, five-door family hatchback into a fiery track machine. It instantly sharpens the accelerator response, tweaks the gearchange and launches the RS 3 forward at a staggering rate of knots.

A 0-62mph dash from the start line is dispatched in 3.2 seconds and top speed is a track-only 174mph. The lighter, Carbon Vorsprung test car packed carbon-ceramic brakes too, perfect for hurtling into Silverstone’s legendary Copse corner.

At the same time, the Audi’s Virtual Cockpit displays performance-focussed data just like F1 drivers have at their disposal. Whether you have the time to read and assess its value at a fast pace is another matter.

There are hints of the RS 3’s supercar performance on the outside. An aggressive stance is accentuated by flared wheel arches and a low front air curtain, deflecting wind around the sides of the car. The back is dominated by massive, oval-shaped exhaust pipes.

Audi’s five-cylinder engine gives the RS a unique warbling growl that sounds far punchier than your everyday, four-cylinder hatchback. Quattro all-wheel drive provides superb grip in wet or dry conditions.

The RS 3 Sportback remains the undisputed king of straight-line, hot hatch performance, solely because it guards the automotive world’s most gloriously evolutionary throwback. a 2.5-litre, turbocharged five-cylinder engine.

Such thrilling performance doesn’t come cheap, of course. Our top-of-the-range model costs a massive £76,495. However, it is the original wolf in sheep’s clothing and, for those who can hang on to it for a decade or two, this is a guaranteed future classic.

Jessica: Belting out a huge 295bhp, Audi’s pocket rocket simply demolishes the opposition. Yet in everyday ‘Comfort’ mode, this car cushions out potholes on the school run, cossets passengers and would even make your grandmother feel comfortable driving.

The optional Alcantara-wrapped, flat-top/flat-bottom steering wheel is incredible to hold, while figure-hugging, honeycomb-stitched sports seats provide top-tier support without sacrificing long-distance comfort.

Annoyingly, Audi opted for frustrating, touch-capacitive buttons on the steering wheel that are far too easy to bump accidentally, sometimes turning an intuitive cabin into an ergonomic headache.

Even so, the RS 3 Sportback is a spectacular achievement. It masters everyday refinement, wet-weather safety, and mind-bending performance in a way that very few cars can replicate.

It is undeniably expensive to buy and thirsty to run, but as a final, glorious celebration of the internal combustion five-cylinder engine, it is worth every single penny.

Discover more about the Audi RS 3 at Audi.co.uk

Jessica Talbot-Ponsonby is Director of Programmes at London College of Fashion, studying for a PhD in sustainable e-textile design.