TEST DRIVE: Audi RS 3

The Audi RS 3 LMS has proven to be a serious contender in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR class this season, with wins at Daytona for Road Shagger Racing and at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Indianapolis for JDC/Miller Motorsports along with four other top five finishes between them.

Audi leads the TCR class manufacturer championship after Indy, and JDC-Miller drivers Mikey Taylor and Chris Miller are second in driver points. The competitiveness of the RS 3 LMS is no surprise after driving the RS 3 road car on which it is based.

The RS 3 is a compact sport sedan that packs in all the performance technology that Audi is famous for. It has Quattro all-wheel-drive of course, and under the hood is a unique 2.5-liter turbocharged 5-cylinder motor that puts out 401 horsepower and 369 foot-pounds. of torque.

It’s built on a front-wheel drive platform, but the RS Torque Splitter can send 50 percent of the power to the rear. It can also divert power individually to the rear wheels, or you can set it to send all of the power going to the rear to the outside rear wheel, which is useful for drifting. The only transmission option is a 7-speed dual-clutch.

The stout brakes can bring the car down to a stop in a hurry too, with 6-piston calipers up front with 14.8-inch rotors and 12.2-inch rotors in the back.

All that performance is put to good use, as the RS 3 can knock off 0-60 in 3.6 seconds, which is a bit quicker than the BMW M2. Back in 2021, Audi took the RS 3 to the Nürburgring Nordschleife, where it set a record for compact cars with a lap of 7 minutes 40.748 seconds, which is very impressive considering the car weighs 3,649 pounds. That record was eclipsed by the BMW M2 this year, but just barely.

The RS 3 has the looks to back up its performance, with Audi’s characteristic large front grill flanked by sizable air intakes, flared fenders and fat exhaust pipes at the rear. The car is taut and muscular in appearance, and the black trim looked great with our test cars Python Yellow Metallic paint.

Inside, the dash has a lot of lines and angles, but everything is laid out well and the digital displays are customizable with different views and information. Some of the plastics feel a little low-grade as they are carried over from the base-model A3, but the main surfaces have a higher quality feel.

The seats are comfortable and yet supportive for aggressive driving, and the texture and diameter of the steering wheel feels good in the hands.

One minor complaint I had was with the shift paddles, which are small and hard to reach and kind of slippery since they’re all metal. The round touch control for the stereo volume is also too sensitive and difficult to use, but thankfully there is also a volume control on the steering wheel.

From the driver’s seat, the RS 3 is very entertaining yet also very accessible. The best all-around sports sedans are those that are practical enough to be used every day and fun to drive without risking your license but are also capable of thrilling the driver on a twisty road or a race track when those opportunities come around.

The RS 3 fulfills all those qualities. It can go get groceries, be driven around town for errands and taken on long interstate slogs but also delivers all the goods in the fun to drive department.

Audi has traditionally played second fiddle to BMW when it comes to driving dynamics, but the RS 3 changes all of that. It has a beautifully tuned suspension with damping that handles road imperfections without upsetting its balance, and there’s a lot of grip that gives the driver confidence to push hard through corners.

That confidence is enhanced by the inherent traction from the Quattro all-wheel drive and the ability to adjust the torque front and rear. Shifts from the dual-clutch transmission are smooth and quick, and there’s decent feel through the brake pedal.

The RS 3 is also just the right size for a fun sport sedan. The relatively compact dimensions give it a real tossable and playful feel on the road, and it’s easy to place it exactly where you want it when going from the entry to the exit of a corner. It doesn’t have all that roomy of a back seat, but it’s good enough for when you need it as long as you don’t need it a lot.

With a starting price of $61,700 USD, the RS 3 is also a relative bargain for what you get. Get it while you can, because it may not be around much longer with the direction that Audi is headed, as their CEO announced back in the spring that they won’t introduce any new cars powered by internal combustion engines after 2026.

If the RS 3 is out of your price range, the 305 hp S3 model is also a good choice and starts at $47,000.