The new Audi RS3 GT will be a track-focused farewell to the five-cylinder engine
Audi’s five-cylinder engine isn’t long for this world, and a new hardcore RS3 is in the works to send it off in style
Audi’s five-cylinder is one of the most charismatic and best-sounding engines you’ll find in a mainstream performance car, but it’s living on borrowed time. Ever-tightening emissions regulations have seen it evolve over the years to become cleaner as well as more powerful, but with Audi moving into a new era of four-, six- and eight-cylinder hybrids and EVs, the five-pot is unlikely to be part of its future product plans. Thankfully, it’ll be going out with a bang in a special edition, hardcore RS3.
These spy shots provide a glimpse at the new model testing at the Nürburgring. With more aggressive aero and what appears to be a hunkered-down ride height, we could be looking at an RS3 GT, following the formula set by the limited-run RS6 GT launched last year.
To recap, the RS6 GT was a stickered-up special designed as a tribute to the current RS6, which will be replaced by a new hybrid model in due course. It sat on adjustable coilover suspension with a retuned four-wheel drive system and ceramic brakes, which it used to great effect – to drive, it’s the best RS6 there’s ever been. The current RS3, meanwhile, is already a cracker, but there’s definitely room for extra edge – something that the GT could deliver.
Power will come from the existing 2.5-litre turbocharged five-pot, but with this potentially being its final outing, Audi will almost certainly up the wick. In the current RS3 it generates 394bhp and 369lb ft of torque, but there’s headroom for more, as demonstrated by the 401bhp, limited-run Performance Edition from 2022. We’d be surprised if the GT isn’t pushed further to become the most powerful RS3 yet.
Visually it’s a little more aggressive, with canards added to the bumper and a subtly different rear spoiler than the base car, but the production car could also be marked out by optional livery packs, as per the RS6 GT. This test car is fitted with ceramic brakes and cross-spoke wheels, both of which are already available on the standard model. Inside expect the RS3’s optional bucket seats to feature, as well as plenty of carbonfibre and Alcantara trim.
The most significant changes are expected under the skin, where the GT could feature adjustable coilover suspension as found on the RS6 GT, as well as the discontinued RS4 Competition and Edition 25 Years. This would allow manual ride height and damper setting changes to suit either road or track, replacing the base car’s adaptive damper setup. Audi Sport may tweak the RS3’s electronics to suit the new suspension – including the calibration of its four-wheel drive system and Torque Splitter rear diff, which can divert all of the torque at the rear axle to a single rear wheel.
If it’s anything like its bigger brother, it won’t be easy to get your hands on an RS3 GT. The RS6 GT was limited to 660 units, of which just 60 came to the UK and were quickly sold out despite an enormous £176,975 asking price. The base RS3 costs £62,120, and the GT could break through the £80k mark to get closer to BMW’s new M2 CS. Expect it to launch later this year or early 2026.
