Get Hotcars Premium. Start your free trial today
The 2022 Audi RS 3 Sedan is the car to get if you are constantly juggling between being a "family guy" and a "child at heart"!
After what seemed to be an eternity, Audi is bringing back the RS 3 sedan to the US as a 2022 model. We last saw this fierce compact sedan in 2020 after which Audi discontinued it for a year. The RS 3 nameplate came into being in 2015 as a Sportback and was sold only in Europe (the pain was overwhelming!). But then in 2017, the German automaker decided to bring about a more practical iteration of the RS 3 with a sedan, and that is what we got here in the US.
The first-gen RS 3 was a very fierce machine with an iconic engine, a raspy exhaust note, and the driving dynamics that would make you think of it as an impractical track toy. And now, with the 2022 RS 3, Audi is coming back stronger and greener to tickle your senses. The 2022 model year is built upon the third-gen Audi A3 and so gets the newest design language that adds more aggression and sophistication to the package.
There are major mechanical upgrades as well which along with the "RS" magic has helped the RS 3 sedan become the fastest compact sedan around the Nürburgring with a time of 7 minutes 40.748 seconds. Upon landing on US soil, the 2022 Audi RS 3 sedan will fist it out against the likes of the BMW M2 coupe, Mercedes-AMG CLA45, and even the BMW M3 from a tier-up.
The 2022 Audi RS 3 Sedan is the car to get if you are constantly juggling between being a "family guy" and a "child at heart"!
One of the major highlights of the Audi RS 3 line-up has been its angry-sounding engine. It uses a 2.5-Liter turbocharged inline-5 motor that has a deep historical background, going all the way to Audi's legendary Group B rallying days. The past derivatives of this motor have earned the "Internationa Engine of the year award" nine times in a row since 2010.
The 2022 RS 3 sedan packs the most powerful iteration of the engine with 401 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque (7 hp and 15 lb-ft more than its predecessor). It uses a slick 7-Speed twin-clutch automatic gearbox that sends power to all four wheels. The result of all this brawn is a 0-60 mph time of just 3.6 seconds and a top speed of up to 180 mph with a few clever "RS" add-on bits.
Related: YouTuber Gets First-Look At Audi's Ultimate Sleeper SUV With 790 HP
The engine and exhaust are just half of the magical formula that makes this the coolest compact sedan out there. Audi has put down immense effort to elevate the 2022 RS 3 sedan's driving experience. A major contributor is the RS Torque Splitter which is a rear-axle differential unit that gets an electronically controlled multiplayer clutch on each driveshaft.
In other words, the rear wheels can be powered independently which results in insane stability and agility on fast cornering and wet surface driving. Then there are the various drive modes that include Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, RS Torque Rear, and RS Performance. These modes not only changed the engine mapping but also tweaks other bits like the steering and acceleration feedback, suspension settings, and of course, the famous torque split.
Talking of suspension, the 2022 RS 3 Sedan gets RS Sport suspension plus as standard with dynamic chassis control, and sits 0.98 inches lower than the standard Audi A3. The steel brakes used here are also bigger and better with 20% more cooling than the first-gen RS 3. It gets a 6-piston caliper on 14.8-inch front discs and a single-piston caliper on 12.2-inch rear discs. Audi also offers an optional ceramic brake kit with 15-inch front discs that can reduce the overall weight by 22 pounds.
The 2022 Audi RS 3 is based on the latest-gen Audi A3 design which adds more aggression to the character. This machine is so aggressive that Audi had to give it wider tires in the front to combat oversteer. But guess what?! This bad boy still loves to slide.
As for the looks, it's downright sinister. The front gets an aggressive new RS bumper with a redesigned single frame honeycomb grille. The front flared wheel arches also get a functional side-air outlet just like Audi's rally machines.
The rear gets a neat blacked-out lip-spoiler and an RS-specific bumper with a built-in diffuser. The lighting duties are shared with the A3's Matrix-design LED headlamps and LED taillights. Audi offered eight vibrant colors for the 2022 RS 3 but our favorite is the Kyalami Green shown in these images. Also, the standard 19-inch cast-aluminum wheels with a 10-Y spoke design looks rad on this mean machine. Audi also offers Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R motorsport tires as an option.
Related: Audi RSQ8 Signature Edition By ABT Is A Perfect Daily Driver For Batman
The interior is mostly shared with the A3 but with added motorsport desirability. The 2022 RS 3 gets a new instrument cluster theme on the 12.3-inch Audi virtual cockpit -called the "RS Runway", and it looks like an airplane display. It also includes additional infographics like g-forces, lap timings, and acceleration and quarter-mile data.
The cabin has loads of "RS" badges embedded, along with an RS-specific honeycomb stitching for those cool-looking sports seats. But the icing on this cake is the RS design package that adds cool green elements across the cabin.
The 2022 Audi RS 3 starts with an MSRP of $58,900 and will be on sale before the end of summer 2022. We don't think that there is a better package to pump up adrenaline without annoying your significant other!
Tijo is an engineer, mechanic, gamer, and an avid content creator. He is a grease-monkey who loves tinkering with automobiles every now and then, when not busy penning down his passion for them. He has always had a soft spot for JDM and is keen on diving deep in for anything that involves wheels and engines.