Heads up, people - the ultra-hot hatch war just got a bit tastier, thanks to the most powerful five-door yet (you have to conveniently forget the Subaru Cosworth Impreza STI CS400, but moving on...): this is the new Audi RS 3 Sportback, toting 367hp and 465Nm from its five-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine.
Exterior
Well, it's a Sportback, so five doors instead of three, and it weighs 1,520kg, which is 55kg lighter than its less-powerful predecessor. This is a good start and equips the new RS 3 with a power-to-weight ratio of 241hp-per-tonne, up from 216-hp-per-tonne on the old motor.
As with the rest of the A3 range, its body sits on the MQB platform (albeit it is 25mm lower than a standard A3) and uses typical RS signifiers, such as the high-gloss black 'singleframe' grille with a matt aluminium surround, socking great air intakes at the front corners, wide wheel arches, side skirts, matt aluminium-look mirror housings, high-gloss black rear diffuser and quad exhaust pi... no, wait! The RS 3 only uses two fat oval tailpipes. We like. Subtle RS 3 badging can be found on the grille and the rear hatch.
Options will include a carbon engine cover and matt aluminium or gloss black styling packages, which put the 'quattro' logo in titanium grey on the front air inlet. Eight colours will be available on the RS 3, two of them new - Nardo Grey and Catalunya Red, with the latter exclusive to the fastest Sportback. The RS 3 runs on 19-inch cast aluminium wheels.
Interior
A flat-bottomed, leather and Alcantara RS multifunction sports steering wheel, Nappa leather bucket seats and dials including a boost pressure indicator, oil temperature gauge and a lap timer are thrown in to differentiate it from normal A3 Sportbacks. Black, red and white cluster readouts and stainless steel pedals further mark out the RS 3, which will also be well-specified as standard - MMI navigation plus, fully power-adjustable and heated front seats, and light/rain sensors are among the list of expected standard equipment (Irish market specification has yet to be confirmed). However, the RS bucket seats with carbon shells, saving 7kg each, look like a tempting upgrade.
Mechanicals
Ah, the good bit. It's a 2.5-litre five-cylinder TFSI engine, indeed the one we've come to know, love and hand out awards to thanks to its appearance in the TT RS, old RS 3 and the RS Q3 SUV. It's in its highest output yet for the new RS 3 Sportback, making 367hp allied to torque of 465Nm from 1,625- to 5,550rpm; that's a stellar specific output of 148hp-per-litre. The 2.5 is mated to a seven-speed S tronic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive, with Audi quoting combined economy of 8.1 litres/100km (34.9mpg) and CO2 emissions of 189g/km.
All of the above blesses what is, in essence, a hot hatch with truly startling performance stats. It'll do 0-100km/h in just 4.3 seconds, you can optionally have the electronic speed limiter raised to 280km/h and some of its in-gear times are eye-opening - 60-to 100km/h in fourth takes 4.1 seconds and 80- to 120km/h just 5.8 seconds in fifth.
We've always known RS Audis are quick in a straight line, but they're not always the most involving. However, Audi claims that, on low friction surfaces, the RS 3 can be easily coaxed into power slides, thanks to torque vectoring that can send between 50 and 100 per cent of the power to the rear axle. Massive brakes (with optional carbon ceramics), heavily revised suspension geometry and quick steering all mean we hope this will be an RS Audi we put in the 'excellent' column when we finally get to drive it.
Anything else?
We're sure there used to be an edict at quattro GmbH that said only one RS model could be on sale at any time, but when the RS 3 Sportback goes on sale in summer 2015, it will join six other vehicles in the hot Audi line-up - the RS Q3, RS 4 Avant, RS 5 Coupé and Cabriolet models, RS 6 Avant and RS 7 Sportback.