2015 Audi RS3 Revealed, Australian Launch Confirmed

Now isn’t this a pleasant way to welcome a Friday? Here is Audi’s all-new RS 3 Sportback hot hatch, revealed in Europe this week ahead of a mid-2015 launch.

As expected - and hoped - the new RS 3 is again powered by a five-cylinder turbocharged engine, its 2.5 litre heart churning out a hefty 270kW and 465Nm.

That makes the new RS 3 a fine-line 5kW and 15Nm meaner than its key rival the turbocharged 2.0 litre four-cylinder Mercedes-AMG A 45.

And, with a claimed 4.3 second 0-100km/h time, the Audi is a tight 0.3 seconds quicker.

This new RS 3 arrives just over four years on from the debut of its impressive predecessor, which was driven by an earlier version of the same 2.5 litre engine that produced 250kW and 450Nm.

But, unlike that hero, this new RS 3 is coming to Australia.

Speaking with TMR today, Audi Australia’s Shaun Cleary confirmed a late 2015 launch for our market. Other details, such as pricing and specification, will be revealed closer to launch.