The Audi RS3 is one of Audi's magnum opus vehicles for a myriad of reasons. It uses one of Audi's legendary 5-cylinder turbocharged engines, offers supreme road holding with the quattro system and some radical styling cues to boot. If you're interested, my colleague Chad Lückhoff had the vehicle on test and his review can be watched here.
Related: Everything that you need to know about the Audi RS3
Naturally, the Audi RS3 takes everything about the A3 and dials it up to 11 to deliver an exhilarating experience but at the same time, be tolerable and compliant enough for daily duties too. Now in this instance, would the RS3 be good enough for a long drive? We'll assess that here.
RS3 Performance
Propelling the Audi RS3 is a 2.5-litre 5-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine unleashing 294 kW and 500 Nm of torque. That is plenty of power on tap with this vehicle. That is all sent to all 4 wheels via Audi's quattro system with a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. How's the performance? you can check here. For a long journey on the open road, to handle hills and overtaking situations, this is more than enough to get up and go but enter into Mach 1 as well to overtake a truck perhaps.
Space and Comfort
Being a sedan, the 3-box design (Engine bay, cabin space, boot area) allows for more space in the vehicle interior. Although a compact sedan, rear occupants wouldn't feel too squashed as there's a decent amount of legroom. According to my colleague Chad's review, if you're over 180cm you're going to struggle a bit. If you have children, you shouldn't be too pressed in the rear of the RS3. You do get ISOFIX child seat anchors in the rear so you should be golden in that respect.
In front, you have bucket seats with an optional massaging function. This is a sports car first and foremost but if you spec the car with the RS Performance Pack, with a push of a button, you can adjust the ride and drive from sport to comfort, perfect for those longer journeys. If you need to chuck some luggage in the boot, you're looking at 321 litres of capacity which is on the smaller side unfortunately, but not miniscule.
Fuel Consumption
While it's fun giving the RS3 a squeeze, if you really behave yourself you can get a claimed 8.2l /100km with a range of 611km on a single tank of 95 Octane. Not too bad for the open road and considering that this is a performance car.
Verdict
The Audi RS3 is a performance sedan for the 2020s with practicality to boot. Judging by what we've checked out here, the vehicle should be compliant enough for a long journey but things falter a bit when taller people in the back need legroom. If you're keen on an RS3 after reading this, search AutoTrader for the latest used and new offerings. If you want to sell your current car quick and easy for a new RS3, consider trying out our Instant Offer tool.
