Skip to main content

Audi's newest forbidden fruit is the 367hp RS Q3 performance

Audi will travel to the Geneva Auto Show that will open its doors next month to introduce a hot-rodded crossover called RS Q3 performance. As its name implies, the company’s newest RS-badged model is positioned at the very top of the Q3 lineup.

At the heart of the RS Q3 performance is a turbocharged five-cylinder engine that has been massaged by Audi’s go-fast Quattro division to produce 367 horsepower — 27 more than the stock RS Q3 — and a generous 343 pound-feet of torque over a broad range that stretches from 1,625 to 5,550 rpm. The crossover consequently sprints from zero to 62 mph in 4.4 seconds, meaning it’s about as fast as a Porsche 911 Targa 4, and it goes on to a top speed of 167 mph. Surprisingly, the RS Q3 performance delivers over 27 mpg in a mixed European cycle when it’s driven with a light right foot.

The RS Q3 performance rides lower than the model it’s based on because its suspension system has been re-tuned. It also gains a more muscular front fascia with titanium-look trim, gloss black inserts in the grille, and bigger air vents. The rear fascia receives a wider air diffuser, while dark gray 20-inch alloy wheels wrap up the track-inspired look.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Audi has spruced up the cabin by adding a specific instrument cluster with gray faces, white dials, and red needles, as well as black leather upholstery with dark blue contrast stitching on the seats and on the three-spoke, flat-bottomed steering wheel. Carbon fiber trim on the door panels, on the center console, and on the dashboard adds an additional dash of sportiness to the cockpit.

The 2016 Audi RS Q3 performance is on sale now in Germany where it carries a base price of €61,000, a figure that converts to approximately $68,200. Want one? You’re out of luck if you live in the United States, because it doesn’t sound like Audi’s newest pocket rocket will embark on a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean anytime soon.

Ronan Glon
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Kia EV3 vs Tesla Model Y: Can Kia’s new entry-level car take on Tesla?
White Kia EV3

The Kia EV3 is finally coming, and it could well end up being the best small-size electric SUV to buy when it finally rolls out. It's smaller than the Kia EV9, but it offers many of the same design elements and features. But there's another small-size electric car that's currently one of the most popular vehicles out there -- the Tesla Model Y.

How does the Kia EV3 compare with the Tesla Model Y? And is one vehicle actually better than the other? We put the Kia EV3 and the Tesla Model Y head-to-head to find out.
Design
The design of the Kia EV3 is very different than that of the Model Y, though they're both reasonably good-looking vehicles.

Read more
Entry-level Cadillac Optiq EV promises 300 miles of range for $54,000
2025 Cadillac Optiq front three quarter view.

The 2025 Cadillac Optiq will be the General Motors luxury brand's entry-level EV when it starts production late this fall. But it won't have entry-level specs.

After unveiling the Optiq in November 2023, Cadillac is now filling in some of the blanks on this electric crossover SUV's spec sheet. We now know that the Optiq will feature a standard dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain tuned for 300 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque, along with an 85-kilowatt-hour battery pack providing an estimated range of over 300 miles. Like other GM EVs, the Optiq will be capable of one-pedal driving, with regenerative braking adjustable via a steering wheel paddle.

Read more
2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally first drive: old pony learns new trick
2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally driving on dirt.

With its Mustang Mach-E, Ford promised an electric SUV imbued with the spirit of the iconic Mustang performance car. Now well into its production run, the Mach-E is living up to its Mustang billing in that, like the traditional internal-combustion Mustang coupe and convertible, Ford wants to grow the herd of Mach-E variants.

Introduced for the 2021 model year, the Mach-E is nearing the point where most vehicles would see a redesign, or at least a major update. That seems especially pressing given the accumulation of fresher competition in the form of the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Chevrolet Blazer EV. But instead of a redesign, the big news for the 2024 Mustang Mach-E is a new Rally model designed for dirt-road driving.

Read more