{ MOTORING REVIEW }
Motoring Editor: Maarten Hoffmann
AUDI RS3
SPLIT PERSONALITY
TECHNICAL STUFF: Engine: 2.5 litre petrol 362 BHP Performance: 0-62 4.3 seconds Top Speed: 155mph Economy: 34.9mpg Price from: ÂŁ39,995
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ot so much a split personality as Jekyll and Hyde. Audi have long been known for their slightly deranged RS models that seem to get slightly more deranged as the years go by. Try the RS6 Avant for example. A full family estate car that just happens to go from 0-60 in 4.3 seconds and proceeds in anger to 155mph, or 174mph if it were de-restricted. And this with the family and all the luggage on board. Now they have done it again with the release of the all-new RS3, the compact model, but one that nevertheless is as mental as the rest of them. I felt a tad daft driving what is essentially a boy racer, and as there seems to be no way to turn the noise off, it barks and growls at every slight dab of the pedal, and sunglasses and head in hands was the order of the day. But secretly, l really enjoyed it, as once you give it its head, you need to hang on for dear life. This is a very fast car, and the fastest hatch in the country. The hot hatch market is highly contested, with the Mercedes A45 AMG, BMW M135i, Focus RS and the highly anticipated, new VW Golf R400 due next year. The reason they have become so popular is that they are everyday drivers, with a hatchback and plenty of space. It just so happens they have dropped in a bonkers power plant that is usually mated with a super car. Plant your right foot on the throttle, and, thanks to the quattro fourwheel drive system, the RS3 flies up the road with ferocious speed. For even more stomach-turning acceleration, and to hit 62mph in the announced 4.3 seconds, you just need to use the launch control system.