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Even so the compact car, weighing
in at only 1,575 kilograms (3,472.28 pounds), uses on average
just 9.1 liters of fuel per 100 km (25.85 US mpg) and emits 212
g CO2 per km (341.18 g/mile). This efficiency is due in large
part to a delivery-on-demand oil pump and a regenerative system
that recovers energy as the car decelerates.
The 2.5-liter engine in the RS 3
Sportback will thrill passengers thanks to its tremendous
pulling power and its voracious revving up to 6,800 rpm. The
guttural roaring and growling, backed by the signature rhythm of
the five-cylinder firing order make up the classic Audi
soundtrack. A sound flap in the exhaust branch intensifies the
sound even further. The flap is controlled via the standard
Sport button, which also varies the engine response.
Powerful five-cylinder engines
have a long legacy at Audi. In the 1980s, racing cars and
production cars used them to edge out the competition. Even the
first Audi RS model, the 1994 RS 2, had a five-cylinder engine.
The 2.5-liter unit, already part of the TT RS specifications,
now redefines the state of the art, having recently been named
“International Engine of the Year” by a high-ranking jury of
automotive journalists.
The 2.5 TFSI delivers 250 kW (340
hp) from a displacement of 2,480 cc: a specific power output of
100.8 kW (137.1 hp) per liter. The maximum torque of 450 Nm
(331.90 lb-ft) is readily available at the low end of the rev
range, around 1,600 rpm, and remains constant up to 5,300
revolutions. These general parameters yield excellent
acceleration and elasticity values.
Just 49 centimeters (19.29 inches)
in length, the five-cylinder unit is ultra-compact, tipping the
scales at a mere 183 kilograms (403.45 pounds). The crankcase is
made of vermicular-graphite cast iron, a high-strength yet
lightweight material. Audi is the first car maker to use this
material in a gasoline engine. Perfectly placed reinforcements
further enhance the block’s loadability. The lightweight-design
concept keeps the Audi RS 3 Sportback’s weight in check and pays
off big in terms of axle‑load distribution and, ultimately,
handling.
The large turbocharger generates
up to 1.2 bar of boost pressure. The intercooler downstream
achieves an efficiency rate of over 80 percent. Like all Audi
gasoline turbos, the 2.5 TFSI combines turbocharging technology
with FSI direct injection. The marriage of these two
technologies facilitates a high compression ratio (10.0:1) along
with a correspondingly high efficiency ratio. Flaps in the
intake tract mix the air as it flows in. The two camshafts, each
adjustable by 42 degrees of crankshaft rotation, also enhance
the efficiency of the mixture formation.
Speed and grip: the drivetrain The
compact seven-speed S tronic transmits power from the
five-cylinder engine via three shafts: one drive shaft and two
output shafts. Like all dual-clutch transmissions, it comprises
two transmission structures. The shifting process is extremely
smooth, taking place in hundredths of a second as the clutches
switch, with no perceptible interruption of pulling power.
Seventh gear is very tall – a measure that reduces fuel
consumption.
The driver can operate the
seven-gear S tronic in two automatic modes and one manual mode.
Gears are shifted using the paddles on the steering wheel or the
selector lever. The launch control system manages the sprint
from a dead stop, furnishing explosive turbo power with minimal
tire slip.
Delivering power to the road with
effortless ease, the quattro permanent all-wheel drive grants
the RS 3 Sportback traction, dynamics, and stability. Its
central component is an electronically controlled multi-plate
clutch, mounted at the end of the propeller shaft to achieve a
favorable axle load distribution. Located in its interior is a
plate package bathed in oil.
Thanks to quattro, the propulsive
power can be distributed to each axle as needed. Whenever slip
occurs at one of the axles, an electric pump intervenes at
lightning speed to increase the oil pressure. The pump presses
the clutch plates together in a continuous fashion, thereby
permitting the torque to be redirected accordingly. Thanks to a
powerful accumulator, this process takes just a few
milliseconds.
Dynamics and safety: the chassis
The stiff body lays the cornerstone for the RS 3 Sportback’s
precise handling; the chassis is what makes it happen. The
four-link rear suspension – with a track measuring 1,528
millimeters (60.16 inches) – is anchored to a subframe and
features high-strength-steel control arms that allow it to
handle longitudinal and lateral forces separately.
Widened to a 1,564-millimeter
(61.57-inch) track, the front suspension is a McPherson strut
construction, also with a separate subframe. Key components of
the construction are made of aluminum. Thanks to its
electromechanical drive, the rack-and-pinion steering is highly
efficient, with a sporty-direct gear ratio of 16.2:1.
Coil springs and redesigned shock
absorbers provide the vertical support. The sports suspension
lowers the body of the RS 3 Sportback by 25 millimeters (0.98
inch) compared with the A3. The new range-topping model in the
A3 series boasts 19-inch cast aluminum wheels fitted with 235/35
series tires at the front and 225/35 at the rear. The wheels
come standard with machine-polished titanium-look styling, but
are optionally available in black with a red rim flange.
The internally ventilated disks
measure 370 millimeters (14.57 inches) in diameter at the front
and 310 millimeters (12.20 inches) at the rear. The front
friction rings are perforated for maximum heat dissipation. They
are connected by hollow pins to the aluminum brake disk covers,
which are encircled by four-piston fixed calipers painted a
high-gloss black and bearing RS logos. The electronic
stabilization program (ESP) features a Sport mode and can be
switched off entirely.
Precisely guided by its responsive
steering, the RS 3 Sportback eagerly takes to curves and exits
them with agility, stability, and serenity. The stability limit
is extremely high, an effortless mastery that rounds off the
character of this powerful compact car.
Interior and exterior: dynamic
styling The new top-of-the-line model in the A3 series hints at
its explosive potential from the very first glimpse. Together
with the xenon plus headlights, the front apron, the anthracite
single-frame grill with diamond-patterned styling and the air
intakes cut a distinctive figure.
The side view is dominated by the
flared front fenders made of carbon‑fiber‑reinforced plastic (CFRP),
prominent sill panels, exterior-mirror casings in matt aluminum
look and a large roof spoiler. A high-gloss black diffusor
insert and two elliptical exhaust tailpipes on the left
accentuate the styling at the rear. RS 3 badges adorn the
single-frame grill and the rear hatch.
The dynamic style is matched in
the interior, entirely black and sporting a number of RS 3
logos. The sports seats are upholstered in Fine Nappa leather
with silver contrasting stitching; the inlays gleam in Piano
finish black or the new Aluminum Race look; the leather
multifunction sports steering wheel is flat-bottomed. The
selector lever and instruments are specially designed. The
driver information system can display the boost pressure and oil
temperature as well as a lap timer.
The RS 3 Sportback comes with an
array of standard equipment including the Sport button, rear
parking system, climate control, chorus radio system, and xenon
plus headlights with LED daytime running lights. Audi offers
customers a range of optional features: front bucket seats, roof
rails in matt aluminum look, and styling packages in black or
matt aluminum. Five exterior colors are available, plus an
unlimited selection of custom paint finishes.
The new top-of-the-line model in
the A3 series is already the fourth Audi model to be built at
Audi Hungaria in Győr, where it is rolling off the assembly line
alongside the TT Coupé, the TT Roadster and the A3 Cabriolet.
Deliveries of the RS 3 Sportback
will begin in early 2011. The base price in Germany will be
49,900 euros.
Photo: Audi
(Nov 22, 2010)
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