The New Audi RS3 Is 362bhp Of Warbly Hot Hatch Madness

The old RS3 was - for a multitude of reasons - a bit naff. However, a new one is here, and we have much higher hopes this time. For starters, power from the 2.5-litre five-pot is up from 335bhp to a mad 362bhp (torque has risen from 332 to 343lb ft), and perhaps more importantly, it sits on VW’s clever MQB modular chassis. These underpinnings have done wonders for the current S3, so with a big dollop of extra power and some glorious five-cylinder noise for this RS version, all is looking rather promising.

It’ll do 0-62mph in just 4.3 seconds, and should you tick the right option box when you buy one of these, you’ll go all the way to 174mph if you find a long enough stretch of tarmac, as opposed to the usual 155.

Power is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch ‘S Tronic’ transmission, and there’s an extra clutch at the rear axle which can send anything up to 100 per cent of available torque in that direction if necessary. It sits 25mm lower than a standard A3 Sportback, and the track is now wider.

There’s no word on pricing just yet, but to give you an idea of how much the car could cost when it goes on sale next summer, the 355bhp Mercedes A45 AMG - its inevitable rival - costs £38,195, while the old RS3 Sportback was just under £40,000. A saloon version is also rumoured.

Which would you have, the Merc or the Audi?