Audi RS3 Sportback Launch Edition

We've called the RS3 the best hot hatch for daily usability. Now we're putting that to the test

- Will Nightingale

THE LATEST AUDI RS3 has only been on sale for a short time, but it's already made quite an impression here at What Car?, picking up a couple of gongs in our annual Car of the Year Awards. The first was for being the best hot hatch for daily usability and the second for being the best-value performance car.

And those awards pose an interesting question that we've yet to really answer: is the RS3 a hot hatch in more than just appearance? Or is it actually a de facto performance car masquerading under the body of an Audi A3 family car?

You might think that's a moot question, and in some ways it is. But given that we review cars in objective ways relative to their rivals, it's something we need to consider.

Hot hatches have traditionally been highly strung cars with four-cylinder engines that sacrifice some civility in return for thrills on every journey. The RS3's main rival, the Mercedes-AMG A45, does exactly that.