It’s the fifty-year anniversary of Audi’s legendary 2.5 litre five-cylinder engine, itself spawned from the wonderful 2.2 litre version found in the iconic Audi UR-Quattro, sensational winner of so many rallies in its day. Now, Audi Sport is unveiling an exclusive special-edition model: the RS 3 Competition Limited. With just 750 examples to be built, it stands for a five-decade-long success story from the prestige German car maker.
This superbly powerful and reliable inline five makes this compact RS performance car unique in its segment, combining extraordinary ability with an unmistakable sound including the neighbour-waking bark on cold start-up. When driven, this special edition from the RS fleet lives up to its sporting pedigree thanks to coil-over suspension and a stiffer rear stabiliser. Visually, extra carbon elements leave no doubt about its RS credentials.
A Sporting Exterior
Power and sportiness informs all the visual features of the Audi RS 3, starting with the assertive ‘Singleframe’ grille that appears to form a unit with the air intakes at either side, and the striking front lip. This area has been sharpened even further on the RS 3 Competition Limited. Together with badges boasting heritage colours at front and rear, it stands for total individuality.
The special edition combines expressive design with matte carbon elements. These include two new canards (a small, wing-like structure) on either front corner, which are arranged on top of each other and are made of carbon to match the vertical blades of the air curtains. Combined with the now split front lip, which is fitted below the intakes, this makes the special edition appear even wider.
Imposing nineteen inch wheels with ten cross spokes finished in ‘Neodymium’ gold matte fill the arches. Mirror caps, side skirts and a rear spoiler, all in matte carbon, as well as the matte carbon trim above the large functional diffuser complete the model’s cool technical appearance. Partial matting on the rear side window to show the model’s name underlines it even further.
The darkened matrix LED headlights are also unique to the special edition. When locking or unlocking the car, their segments illuminate in a 1-2-4-5-3 pattern in a nod to the five-cylinder engine’s firing order.
A Premium Interior
This is an Audi, so you know what to expect from the inside of this prestige performance model. The special model’s exclusivity also becomes apparent when opening the doors, thanks to a colour combination of black, ‘Neodymium’ gold, and ‘Ginger’ white, if you can imagine such a colour. The door lighting projects the lettering “RS 3 Competition Limited” with the same adorning the black floor mats, the cover below the headrests, and the boot (trunk) carpet.
In the centre console, a matte serial number in front of the shifter reflects the model’s limited run and illustrates how special this vehicle truly is.
No matter how dynamic the cornering, driver and front passenger are perfectly held in place by highly contoured RS bucket seats. Their bolsters are covered in black leather, their centres fashioned in ‘Dinamica’ microfibre, again in ‘Neodymium’ gold. The arm rests in the doors and centre are also golden. Contrast stitching in ‘Ginger’ white accentuates the cabin and underlines the diamond pattern on the seats.
Rear passengers also get a sense of the vehicle’s exclusivity. The centres of their seats as well as their arm rests are covered in soft ‘Dinamica’ in gold with white contrast stitching. The front seats’ matte carbon backs are large visual reminders of the model’s sportiness.
While this will be a stirring ride for passengers, it is the driver’s seat that is the best place to be and have everything under control. The 10.1 inch touch display in the instrument panel provides information about ‘RS-specific’ performance parameters: the temperature ranges of the coolant, torque splitter, brakes, as well as engine and transmission oil are illustrated in colour; tyre pressure and temperature are also shown.
To make finding the centre position easier and help visualise the most minute steering inputs, the wheel – flattened at both the top and bottom – has a ‘Ginger’ white mark at top-dead-centre. Contrast stitching in the same colour goes around its rim made of black ‘Dinamica’. The now familiar Audi ‘virtual cockpit plus’ also features an exclusive design.
Now, when the Audi RS2 Avant debuted with the first RS five-cylinder engine back in 1994, it had white instrument dials. Harking back to those, the digital instruments of the Audi RS 3 Competition Limited also have a white background. They are joined by displays of the engine’s current power and torque outputs, G forces, acceleration, and a lap timer. When launch control is used to fully exploit the turbocharged inline five’s potential for acceleration, starting lights indicate the ideal moment to launch.
That Engine
Back in 1983, the Audi Sport quattro developed 302BHP (225 kW / 306 PS) and 350Nm of torque from 2.1 litres of displacement. Today, the inline five-cylinder engine of theAudi RS comes with 2.5 litres of displacement and boasts 395BHP (294 kW / 400 PS) and 500Nm. Coming courtesy of an engine that is the only one of its kind in this segment, these figures lend the RS 3 Competition Limited extraordinary performance.
The model accelerates from 0-62MPH (100KPH) in 3.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 180mph. Along the way, the unmistakable sound of the five-cylinder turbo engine provides extra emotion. It stems from the firing order 1-2-4-5-3. This means that the engine’s cylinders ignite in an alternating pattern — some that are next to each other and some that are further apart.
With its fully variable flap control, the RS sports exhaust system broadens the spectrum of the exhaust note while reduced insulation around the firewall means the engine sound reaches the occupants even more directly. The valves open earlier in the Audi ‘drive select’ modes ‘Dynamic’, ‘RS Performance’, and ‘RS Torque Rear’, meaning that the car’s throaty sound is even more pronounced than in other modes. As it should be, of course.
The Drive
On a personal note, this writer has owned and run Audi RS models and they never fail to excite. It’s the glorious five-pot engine, I’m sure of it. The standard models in the range drive in a similar fashion to each other delivering a very satisfying driving experience.
This new model has some upgrades: the Audi RS 3 Competition Limited features a coil-over suspension including a new rear stabiliser, as mentioned above. In combination with the torque splitter and the standard ceramic brakes, the limited edition offers deliberately sporty handling. The coil-over suspension was specially developed and tuned for the RS 3 competition limited, apparently.
The materials used in the twin-tube shock absorbers’ construction, stainless steel at the front and aluminium at the rear, were chosen for stiffness, and their increased volumes help cool the hydraulic fluid. The front shock absorbers have external reservoirs. Better cooling means the dampers perform consistently, even under high loads. At the rear, larger diameter damper tubes with thicker piston rods compared to the standard model provide more stable mounting and rigidity; in short, this car handles. Complementing the additional aerodynamic elements at the front, the specific roof spoiler of the RS 3 ‘Sportback’ Competition Limited also positively influences driving dynamics.
Audi With MHH International
Our featured car is a Limited Edition and with only 750 units globally, it will sell out fast, but don’t despair. MHH International offer a huge range of new and used Audi cars, right across the spectrum from premium family Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) through to stunning sports saloons like the blisteringly quick RS6 Avant GT.
Your choice can be exported from the UK to twenty-seven destinations worldwide, including Kenya and New Zealand. MHH International’s trusted comprehensive service is second to none with very experienced colleagues ready to smooth the passage to your next car. See our listings for other prestige brands too.
