Audi RS3 Sportback

FIRST UK DRIVE We hit road in new hyper hatch. Is it worth the money?

- Jonathan Burn

LOOK back 10 years, and the only place you’d find 400bhp was in exotic Italian sports cars and high-performance executive saloons. Today, that figure is delivered by the updated Audi RS3 – a family hatchback with space for five adults and their luggage.

This may be the entry Audi RS model, but there’s nothing basic about its performance. The changes in this updated version revolve mostly around the engine; the 2.5-litre fivecylinder turbo motor remains, but with a range of tweaks to produce more power without any real cost in efficiency.

The hand-built engine is 26kg lighter than that in the outgoing RS3, thanks to a lightweight alloy crankcase and hollowed crankshaft. Power and torque stand at 395bhp and 480Nm (increases of 33bhp and 15Nm) and are forced through Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system.

Behind the wheel, it’s that five-cylinder motor that dominates the experience. Even at idle the exhaust has a metallic gargle, which is only emphasised if you go for the £1,000 optional RS sports exhaust system.