Future classic: Audi RS3

By Ryan Standen

| 20 Jan 2026

Classic & Sports Car – Future classic: Audi RS3

Nobody does a five-cylinder engine quite like Audi. Or should that be nobody did a five-cylinder quite like Audi?

Fiat, Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo and others have dabbled, and Volvo was a past master, but now Ingolstadt is the keeper of the flame.

The RS3 is the sole model in its line-up fitted with this turbocharged 2480cc cracker, and that’s worth celebrating.

Why do fans of internal combustion get fired up about a ‘five’?

Well, the offbeat configuration provides smoother delivery and more power than a ‘four’, but it’s more compact than a ‘six’, with a power stroke occurring at 144° intervals on the crankshaft.

Or, if you’re not technically inclined, the long and short of it is that the 1-2-4-5-3 firing order makes a terrific noise.

The Audi RS3’s turbocharged five-cylinder is an engine to savour

The latest Audi RS3’s motor doesn’t share any parts with the original quattro’s famous ‘five’, but there is still a ring of late-night rally stage to the way it snorts and snarls.

The 2.5-litre TFSI engine offers 394bhp and 369lb ft of torque, with the latter delivered from 2250-5600rpm, but it pays to hang on until the 7000rpm redline to hear its hard-edged yowl.

It doesn’t sound turbocharged, but the single blower makes sure you don’t forget it’s there: the punch above 3000rpm is mighty.

Before you know it, the shift light on the head-up display flicks to red and it’s time to do it all again.

The Audi RS3’s cabin is stuffed with tech – including a touchscreen, digital dashboard and head-up display – plus an assortment of physical buttons

There are seven gears in the dual-clutch ’box, but you’d need a circuit to explore anything beyond third.

The RS3 is the baby in the range, but it’s still properly quick: 0-62mph in 3.8 secs trumps a 2008 Audi R8 by 0.8 secs, and if you tick the £8805 Carbon Vorsprung option (as here), it will charge on to 174mph.

But don’t think this is a one-dimensional tool that’s only good for straight-line thrills.

The Audi yanks itself into apices and scampers out of them with extraordinary poise, but you never feel far removed from the action – with the clever torque splitter between the rear wheels flattering your driving.

The RS3’s brilliant torque splitter can send the car’s full 369lb ft to one rear wheel

The Audi RS3 will gobble up most cars in its path, and that gaping grille says as much.

Alternatively, leave it in Comfort mode and you can feel like a pound-shop Mikkola or Mouton, watching the nose bob skywards when you accelerate and dive back down when you jump on the brakes.

Audi has remained coy about how long this unit will remain in production, but don’t grieve just yet.

For now, you can still buy an Audi with a turbo ‘five’ and four-wheel drive, and there are good times ahead: rumours are that the 2.5 TFSI will power a 25th-anniversary VW Golf R in 2027.

As for the RS3, it’s much more than just a homage to the marque’s five-cylinder legacy: it’s a sports-car slayer that has evolved into a captivating driver’s car.

Hopefully it won’t be the last with a 1-2-4-5-3 heartbeat.

Images: Max Edleston