2023 Audi RS3 Sedan coming to Malaysia – 2.5L turbo five-cylinder with 400 PS, 500 Nm; AMG CLA45 fighter

The Audi RS line-up in Malaysia currently consists of five models, namely the RS4 Avant, RS5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7 Sportback and more recently, the RS Q8. These will soon be joined by the latest RS3 Sedan, which will be making its first appearance in Malaysia next week according to a Facebook post by Audi Centre Glenmarie.

Currently in its second generation, the RS3 Sedan first made its global debut last July alongside its hatchback sibling, the RS3 Sportback. Competing against the C118 Mercedes-AMG CLA45 S 4 Matic+, the RS3 Sedan packs a 2.5 litre turbocharged straight-five engine that sends drive to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive system.

Audi has a long history with five-cylinder engines, and the TFSI unit in the RS3 Sedan delivers an impressive 400 PS (394 hp) from 5,600 to 7,000 rpm and 500 Nm of torque from 2,250 to 5,600 rpm. These figures allow for a 0-100 km/h time of 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h. Along with all the other improvements you’ll find out about shortly, the RS3 lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes 40.748 seconds, beating the previous lap record by 4.64 seconds to become the fastest compact car to tackle the Green Hell.

The powertrain also features a rear axle differential that Audi calls an RS Torque Splitter, which allows for fully variable torque vectoring between the rear wheels. Unlike the previous setup that had a single multi-disc clutch package on the rear axle, the Torque Splitter uses one electronically controlled multi-disc clutch for each driveshaft.

Each of the two multi-disc clutches has its own control unit, which uses the electronic stabilisation control’s wheel speed sensors to measure the wheel speeds to decide how much torque to send to each wheel. This also enables controlled drifts by applying all the engine power at the rear axle to just one of the rear wheels – up to a maximum of 1,750 newton meters of torque.

Drivers will also have access to a new RS Performance drive mode, which adjusts the powertrain to deliver optimum performance on the racetrack. If more sliding is preferred, there’s also a RS Torque Rear mode that is essentially a drift mode. These join other available options like Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, RS Individual and Efficiency.

Another new addition to the RS3 Sedan is the modular vehicle dynamics controller (mVDC). This central system captures data from all powertrain components relevant to lateral dynamics to ensure they interact more precisely and more quickly.

The RS sport suspension plus with adaptive damper control is available as an alternative to the standard passive setup, while ceramic brake discs are also offered as an option to replace the standard steel discs. As for the chassis, it’s McPherson struts at the front and a four-link setup at the rear.

Visually, the RS3 Sedan is properly aggressive with its large intakes on the RS-specific front bumper, distinctive headlamp design (LED standard, Matrix LED optional), revised taillights with dynamic turn signals, RS-specific rear bumper with an integrated diffuser as well as a RS exhaust system with oval tailpipes and fully variable flap control system.

Inside, there’s the 12.3-inch Audi virtual cockpit plus as standard and 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Model-specific features for the RS model include a shift indicator, a powertrain status display and for the first time in the RS3 range, a head-up display.

We’ll have to wait until next week to find out more about the RS3 for our market, including specifications and possibly pricing. Looking forward to it?

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