Audi's compact sports sedan is a blend of power, tech, and luxury and is ahead of all its rivals with huge margins.
Audi has an extensive history of fast and loud cars that are fitted with some of the best-crafted engines and adorned in designs that are equally beautiful and functional. Be it the looks, performance, or features, Audi’s high-performance RS lineup has proved to be the finest in their segment both in features and in performance.
The 2022 version of the Audi RS3, the entry-level model in the RS lineup, has proved the above-said once again and has continued with the legacy of Audi. The compact sports sedan is a blend of power, tech, and luxury that is ahead of all its rivals with huge margins.
While the latest version of the RS3 comes with a long list of features and specifications, down below are the 10 amazing features we love on the 2022 Audi RS3.
The 2022 Audi RS3 Sedan is a showstopper, with an extremely striking body design and bold looks. Audi’s design team has blessed the sports sedan with lots of cuts and creases throughout the design which truly complement the sporty nature of the car. The enormous black-finished front grille with blacked-out Audi badging looks gorgeous when viewed from the front, whereas the sharp daytime running lights combined with the all-LED Matrix headlight setup pitches aggressiveness all throughout.
At the back, the RS3 carries a wide black-finished grille that runs throughout the width of the car along with a more pronounced diffuser that makes the rear end of the car as breathtaking as the front. Aggressive-looking tail-lights and fat exhaust pipes accentuate the sportiness of the car to the next level.
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The 2022 Audi RS3 sits on gorgeous-looking 19-inch cast alloy wheels with a 5-Y spoke design which elevates the side profiles of the car instantly. An optional package offers a high-performance carbon-ceramic braking system measuring 380 by 38mm that weighs 10 kilograms lesser than the standard steel braking system.
The ceramic brake includes an option of gray, red, and blue brake calipers for the buyers to choose from. Standard breaks offer gorgeous-looking red brake calipers but buyers can also opt for black-finished calipers.
What sits beneath the hood of the 2022 Audi RS3 is definitely something to look out for. Audi has put the one-of-a-kind high-performance 5-cylinder turbocharged engine which makes the third generation of the RS3 the raciest compact sedan in Audi’s lineup. The award-winning 2.4-liter TFSI engine produces more power than ever before, delivering an enormous 401 horsepower and 500 Nm of maximum torque output and producing a rapid acceleration that sounds highly intoxicating.
The very potent engine’s maximum power is produced before 5,600 rpm and goes all the way to 7,000 rpm. As s result, the RS3 can go from 0-60 mph in just 3.8 seconds and can attain the top speed of 180 mph.
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The crazy engine of the new RS3 is paired with an even crazier 7-speed dual-clutch transmission which controls the engine’s power in the best manner possible with even shorter shifting times and an impressive gear-ratio spread. the utmost responsive gearbox does its job automatically and effortlessly, picking up the right shifts at the right time.
However, enthusiasts can surely take charge into their own hands by manually shifting the gears using paddle shifters mounted behind the wheel which in fact is highly recommended to get to the true driving nature of the monstrous RS3.
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The 2022 Audi RS3 is the first car from Audi’s lineup to feature a torque splitter as standard equipment onboard that provides the car with maximum agility possible. The RS torque splitter gets rid of the rear axle differential and previous disk clutch packages. Instead, the torque splitter uses electronically-controlled disk clutch packages in each of the drive shafts of the rear wheels, which ensures the optimized distribution of the right amount of torque throughout the rear axle.
For instance, when driving fast, the driving torque is sent to the outer rear wheel with the higher wheel load which reduces the tendency of understeering. Similarly, when taking a right turn, the torque splitter sends the driving torque into the shafts of the rear left wheel and while taking a left turn, the same is done to the rear right wheel. Equal distribution of driving torque is distributed in each of the rear wheels while driving straight.
The new torque-splitting technology in the new 2022 Audi RS3 has given birth to exciting driving modes. The RS Torque Rear mode is the all-new drifting mode offered by the Audi in which all the driving torque and power is sent to only one of either rear wheels with up to 1750 Nm of torque on offer. This makes off-track drifting in the new RS3 even more exciting and fun to do. Another driving mode called the RS performance mode has been integrated especially for track performances.
The first-ever of its kind, RS performance uses a specific engine and transmission system configuration that allows the torque splitter to deliver a sporty ride as minimal understeer and oversteer as possible. These unique drive modes, along with comfort, auto, dynamism, RS individual, and economic modes elevate the driving experience of the new RS3 to the fullest.
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The sporty silhouette of the 2022 Audi RS3 continues its way to the interior too. Loaded with the most exquisite and premium materials, the cabin of the new fast-paced sedan is a visual exhibit of ultimate luxury and sportiness. The carbon-finished dashboard and central console along with red, black, and for the first time, green contrast stitching enhances the overall visual appearance of the cabin.
Even the AC vents are finished in color matching to the accent color. A special design package offers a 12 o’clock matching colored strip on the flat-bottom steering wheel for better indication of the steering wheel during fast driving.
Matching the overall sporty theme, the 2022 Audi RS3 equips premium-looking best-in-class sports front seats that hug the passengers completely to provide the ultimate driving experience. Finished with industry-leading Nappa leather with bespoke RS honeycomb stitching finished in glossy black, red, or green according to the opted accent color of the interior.
The special design package even offers the corner of the seats matched with the accent color of the interior. Overall, the sport seats provide an extreme sense of comfort and offer the dual nature of luxury and sportiness.
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Matching the luxury and aggression of the new RS3 comes the high-tech virtual cockpit that enhances the driver’s experience by providing an ultimate command over the fast-paced compact sedan. Starting with the infotainment system, a standard 12.3-inch touch display is on offer which shows all the required stats of RS3 such as the rpm in the form of graphs and power and torque in the form of percentages. In addition to these, the virtual cockpit also shows information like acceleration from 0-62 mph, 0-120 mph, quarter-mile, G-forces experienced, and lap times.
Moreover, there is another 10.2-inch touch display called the RS monitor which shows information like engine temperature, oil levels, and tire pressure. Nevertheless, for the first time ever, the RS3 gets a heads-up display in the windshield of the car for the driver to see relevant information, including gear-shift indicators.
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The 2022 Audi RS3 directly competes with rivals like the BMW M2 and the Mercedes-AMG CLA45 and as far as performance is concerned, the new RS3 has proved to be dominant among the rivals. The M2, which is the entry-level model for BMW’s sports lineup, accelerates from 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds has a top speed of 155 mph. That makes the M2 1.7 seconds slower than the 2022 RS3 which can go to a top speed of 180 mph.
Similarly, the Mercedes AMG CLA45 can do 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds and has a top speed of only 155 mph. The crux of the discussion is: the 2022 Audi RS3 has proved to be a fantastic sports sedan and rivals have to work out significantly in order to claim superiority in the segment.
Sayan Bose is published writer and an Automotive enthusiast. He likes to write about cars and has previously worked as an Automotive news writer. He also takes interest in world news and politics and works as a part-time news writer as well. He is passionate about music and loves to sing and play guitar.