Audi RS 3 Review

The 2.5 litre five-cylinder is the reason to buy this car. The one-two-four-five-three firing order gives it a warble that no four or six can reproduce, it makes 401 horsepower, and Audi has kept it alive against the emissions tide long after everyone assumed it would die. The 8Y generation added the part that was always missing, a rear differential with a clutch pack on each output shaft that can send all the rear torque to the outside wheel, which turns a nose-heavy all-wheel drive hatchback into something that will genuinely oversteer on demand.

It is quick, all-weather usable and small enough for a city. The costs are moderate rather than alarming. Fuel economy is acceptable, the interior is well built if a little sober, and Audi reliability is average with the usual electronic irritations. Depreciation is the ordinary German story, steep early and then stable. The seven-speed dual-clutch is unremarkable in traffic. It is a special engine in a very sensible car.