2018 Audi Sport RS 3 first drive: a 4-door, 174 mph speed-demon

For nearly twenty years, Audi Sport was known as quattro GmBH, but with cars like the 2018 RS 3 the performance division is embracing its more public persona. There’s brand equity in “Audi”, and Stephan Winkelmann, Audi Sport’s CEO is under no illusion about how much potential that has for his line-up of unusual, rip-roaring cars. Winkelmann’s next job, he tells me, is to bring the brand to a whole new level.

Auto Sport may be a new name, but it has some serious heritage. For many enthusiasts, it’s best-known for its less mainstream engines: the TT RS and RS 3, for instance, are rare breeds primarily because they’re powered by a 2.5-liter, 5-cylinder engine. The atypical number of cylinders pushes out 400 HP and 354 lb.-ft. of torque, with maximum torque kicking in at 1,700 rpm and keeping up all the way through 5,850 rpm. In 2018 form, Audi Sport has squeezed 33 horsepower more and shaved off 57.3 pounds, thanks in no small part to the switch to lightweight aluminum for the crankcase and magnesium for the oil pan.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/2018-audi-sport-rs-3-first-drive-a-4-door-174-mph-speed-demon-22479480/