New Audi RS3 Sedan, spy photos in the snow

The latest Audi A3 arrived on the market almost a year ago followed, six months later, by the sporty “light” S3 in both hatchback and sedan configurations. The most powerful RS3 it will arrive by mid-2021 and, in the meantime, it is still completing the last tests on the snow as shown in the photos below.

Were it not for the more pronounced front air intakes and oval tailpipes at the rear it would be difficult to identify this A3 as the peppier variant. The wheel arches are wider and the brakes larger, but to an inexperienced eye it might look like a normal A3 S Line.

It’s the details that make the difference

The understated style is typical of Ingolstadt RS models so if you don’t know where to look, it’s hard to catch all the updates. For example, the S3’s front air intakes are fake, but on this one they look real and are flanked by additional vertical slats that act as air deflectors.

Thanks to the spy photos that show the profile, we can see how this camouflaged specimen is slightly lower than a standard A3, while a more prominent spoiler peeps out at the rear.

Under the hood the 5-cylinder

The highlight of the RS3, however, remains hidden under the hood where, even on this generation, there should be a five cylinders turbo petrol of at least 400 HP. Some indiscretions they speak of a 415 bhp 2.5-liter TFSI and a 450 bhp Performance variant, enough to beat the current queen of the segment, the 416 bhp Mercedes-AMG Classe A45S.