The Goods

The RS3’s mechanicals and MQB platform are largely shared with the $65,875 Audi TT RS, including the thrilling, 400-hp turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder. The kicker for shelling out roughly $11K more than for a 292-hp four-cylinder S3, the five is revised and now features an aluminum block (versus the previous version’s cast-iron piece) and both port and direct fuel injection. The upshot is that the engine is more powerful and 57 pounds lighter than before, removing critical weight from the car’s nose for a front-to-rear weight bias of 57.7/42.3 percent. Put your foot down and there’s a brief pause before the transversely oriented engine’s honking turbocharger spools up a maximum of 19.8 psi of boost, helping to deliver 354 lb-ft of torque at just 1700 rpm. The five-pot then yowls excitedly to its 7000-rpm fuel cutoff to churn out its full complement of 400 horsepower.