The Audi RS3 2011 Model

A little over a year ago there was speculation that Audi would be releasing a top of the range RS3 model to the market. It was created to be the hatchback that would be better than any others on the market. Now time has passed the Audi RS3 has been officially confirmed and is destined to be released this Spring; albeit not onto North American Shores. So the most powerful model in the North American market is still the Audi A3 with its 200 horsepower 2.0T liter TFSI engine. The new Audi RS3 model utilizes a lone turbocharged 2.5 liter 5 cylinder engine; this also happens to be the same engine found in the Audi TT RS. Audi had made sure that just everything that could be changed, was changed. Audi had doubled the power output thanks to the inter-cooler, direct injection and the addition of 17 psi of boost; the new engine is able to produce 340 horsepower with 332 pound-foot of torque. When the engineers were designing this engine they were inspired by the oringal Quattro from the 1980s, and the roar that is created on startup is just how it was back then. Audi has claimed that the new RS3 model is able to attain speeds of 0-62 mph in an impressive 4.6 seconds, while the top speed of this new model can reach up to a maximum of 174 mph, this vehicle also boast as standard Quattro all wheel drive. Transmission, Exterior and Interior The RS3 model only benefits from having only 1 transmission available; this is the dual clutch 7 speed transmission. Although the there is only 1 transmission available it couldn’t do a better job, it works flawlessly. It’s a wonder why Audi doesn’t make a manual transmission available as an option. The honeycomb grille that are integrated on the RS3 is vastly different front that of its siblings the S3 and A3 models. Other exterior features that differentiate from other models are the inclusion of wider carbon fiber front fenders, a spoiler at the rear and matte silver painted mirror caps. 19 inch wheels come as standard and the actual vehicle is 1 inch lower than that of the standard A3 model. Xenon headlights come as standard and there are 2 available color packages to choose from; either with matte black or aluminum highlights. The interior is decorated with a multitude of RS3 logos throughout the vehicle, a flat bottom steering wheel and the inclusion of an exclusive shift knob. The overall appearance of the interior is just a sleek as you expect it to be. Price Shock The base price for the new RS3 is more expensive than you would imagine. In Germany this new model will set you back an astonishing €42,000 and this is excluding taxes, translated into US dollars this would make it one expensive piece of machinery. This may be a good reason why Audi has decided against releasing this model into the North American market.