Audi celebrates five-cylinder’s 50th with tribute RS3 Competition

Having debuted its first five-cylinder engine five decades ago, Audi has removed the wraps from a commemorative edition of the sole model still with an in-line five unit, the RS3.

Swansong

A limited edition of which only 750 units will be made worldwide, the RS3 Competition doesn’t receive any additional power, and only gains aesthetically and on the inside.

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Available as either a sedan or Sportback, the Competition also represents the five-cylinder’s swansong as it will bow-out once current A3/RS3 production ends in 2027.

New outside

Building on the updates applied to the normal RS3 two years ago, the Competition’s exterior tweaks comprises darkened Matrix LED headlight clusters, a new front lip spoiler and 19-inch alloy wheels with matte Neodymium gold inserts.

Along with red brake calipers, Audi has also restyled the bumpers and the Singleframe grille in addition to the rear diffuser.

A matte carbon fibre finish on the mirror caps, side skirts and diffuser round the aesthetics off.

A unique final edition is the lights flashing in the engine’s cylinder firing sequence of 1-2-4-5-3 when the doors are locked or unlocked.

On the colour front, three choices are available; Dayton Grey, Matte Glacier White and Malachite Green said to have been derived from a colour once featured on the Audi Sport quattro.

Even more sportier

Underneath, the RS3 Competition’s chassis has been stiffened with a new coilover suspension, plus an equally new rear stabiliser bar.

The otherwise optional carbon ceramic brakes are now standard, while the shock absorbers are made from stainless steel at the front and aluminium at the rear.

Aside from these being manually adjustable, Audi has dropped the ride height by 10 mm and also fitted reservoirs to the front shocks for improved cooling.

Finally, the torque vectoring system has been revised and semi-slick Pirelli PZero R tyres made available as an option. A new active exhaust system, with an internal butterfly valve, rounds the changes off.

Inside

Inside, the RS3 Competition’s interior is trimmed in Ginger White leather with added Alcantara and Neodymium Gold inserts.

Dinamica micro-fibres on the centres and black side bolsters complete the bespoke finishes on the RS bucket seats.

Elsewhere, the 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit digital instrument cluster receives white dials as a tribute to the RS2 Avant that debuted in 1994.

The white touches are completed by Ginger White stitch work, seat belts and 12 o’clock marking on the steering wheel.

Rounding the interior off in full is a matte number’s plaque on the centre console.

As is up front

As indicated earlier, the 2.5 TFSI engine doesn’t receive any power or torque bump from the normal RS3.

The five-cylinder, therefore, once again produces 294kW/500Nm, which goes to all four wheels through a seven-speed S tronic gearbox. Top speed is 290 km/h, with 0-100 km/h taking 3.8 seconds.

Not yet for us

Now available in Germany, pricing starts at €108 365 for the Sportback and at €110 005 for the sedan.

These equate to R2 049 333 and R2 080 348 respectively when directly converted and without taxes. By comparison, current RS3 pricing ranges from R1 498 200 to R1 610 700.

For the moment, Audi South Africa has not confirmed allocation of the RS3 Competition for the local market.

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