The RS3 Sportback
Having driven the updated RS3 previously in sedan guise, I was prepared for the savagery that ensues when you mash your right foot to the floor. Pulling out of the Cape Town International airport car park en-route to a rather special venue, I decided to put the RS3 into Dynamic mode and listen to that five-cylinder mill sing.
In its latest, (heavily) revised guise, the multiple award-winning five-pot produces a staggering 294kW/480Nm, is some 26kg lighter than before and is mated to a slick seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox. With the launch control activated, the car will get to 100km/h in less than 4.0 seconds, despite Audi claiming 4.1-seconds, it has been tested locally and it’s a giant slayer.
In terms of ride and handling, the RS3 has a firm ride, albeit not so hard that it becomes unbearable. The understeer associated with previous RS3 models has virtually disappeared in hard road driving scenarios, although, later, when I had a chance to drive the car in a track situation, some understeer was still present, an inherent attribute of a four-wheel drive, front-engine car I suppose.
TT RS on track to success
The aforementioned special venue was a track that was created from an old airfield. It’s called Fisantekraal Airfield and on the day there was a drag strip and a fast Gymkhana section for us to test all three models. In this environment, the TT RS certainly stood out as the star performer, enough to make the great Walter Röhrl proud I’d imagine.
The TT RS shares the same 294kW/480Nm 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder motor with the RS3, but has the distinct advantage of being smaller and over 70kg lighter according to Audi.
It also has a lower centre of gravity, which was noticeable during the tight turns and quick direction changes needed to complete the Gymkhana course. Much like the RS3, the TT RS is fast, even quicker in fact. The level of performance from what is essentially a small sports coupe for under R1- million is astonishing. Audi claims a 100km/h sprint time of 3.7 seconds, although it could be even faster.
The TT RS provides the sort of performance that makes supercars of five years ago, and even some of the current crop, appear excessive and wasteful by comparison.
The RS5 on road and track
The all-new RS5 was likely the most anticipated car of the launch, after the rather disappointing albeit aurally pleasing previous generation model. From the get-go, the RS5 made it clear that it is not an insane, tyre-shredding monster coupe like its other Germanic rivals.
In place of the previous naturally aspirated 4.2-litre V8 is a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 with 331kW/600Nm being transmitted through an eight-speed Tiptronic gearbox, and of course, quattro all-wheel drive. It sounds even more sanitised than before on paper, but this new model is some 60kg lighter, has way more torque and the quattro system is rear-biased.
The result? Well, there’s still understeer and the new engine lacks the character of the old unit. There’s a nice V6 howl though and the handling and ride quality, in road driving situations, is wonderfully predictable and comfortable.
The eight-speed Tiptronic ‘box does a far better job than the previous seven-speed S tronic of providing a smooth driving experience too; it even provides the now obligatory burps on upshifts. The RS5 isn’t slow either, with an instant burst of torque off of the line allowing for a claimed 0-100km/h time of 3.9 seconds.
One corner into my gymkhana experience with the RS5, and I knew that this wasn’t designed to be a nimble sports car. In tight corners it wants to push its nose wide, while on exits, there was even some cheeky oversteer. The car feels more at home covering large sections of road, straight or twisty, at an impressive rate.
Of the three fast German sports coupes, the RS5 will be the easiest to live with and the fastest across a variety of conditions, but ultimately, will be the least engaging. It all depends on what you’re after as a driver, I suppose.
Pricing
RS3 Sportback - R895 500
TT RS - R963 000
RS5 - R1 285 500
