SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Many of the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active list down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and search through the drop-down menu that appears.

Editor's note: SA Roadtests accepts multi-day vehicle loans from manufacturers in order to provide editorial reviews. All vehicle reviews are conducted on our turf and on our terms.

For out-of-province vehicle launch features however, travel costs are covered by the manufacturer concerned. This is common in the motor industry, as it's more economical to ship journalists to cars than to ship cars to journalists.

Judgments and opinions expressed on this site are our own. We do not accept paid editorial content or ads of any kind.


Performance redefined: 2023 Audi RS3 Sportback

Lap-dancing with Lucifer

Pics by Motorpress
Posted:November 15, 2022

The numbers
Prices, Sportback and Sedan: R1 215 000 and R1 245 000
Engine: 2480 cc, inline five-cylinder, DOHC 20-valve, turbocharged
Power: 294 kW between 5700 and 7000 rpm
Torque: 500 Nm between 2250 and 5600 rpm
0-100 km/h: 3.8 seconds
Top speed: 250 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 10.6 l/100 km
Tank: 55 litres
Luggage: 282 – 1104 litres VDA
Standard tyre size: 245/35ZR19
Ground clearance: 121 mm
Turning circle: 12 metres
Warranty/Maintenance: Five-year Audi Freeway Plan

The Machine: No ordinary engine, this 2.5-litre inline five was co-developed by Volvo and Porsche in 1992. Volvo built them and they were used in ur-Quattro, a Porsche or two, some Volvo models and a couple of English Fords, finally retiring in 2014.

Power output back then was around 165 kilowatts and 320 Newton-metres, a weakling compared with this new one. Today’s version was, according to unconfirmed rumour, magicked by the light of a Hallowe’en moon, in secret laboratories down in the dungeons of a medieval castle, in Ingolstad’s Old Town, Bavaria.

The block was recast in aluminium, engine parts assembled using bolts of the same metal, with magnesium oil pan and a hollow crankshaft. A free-flowing manifold, low back-pressure exhaust and new valve gear enable deeper breathing. It’s fed by a combination of multi-point- and direct injection and has the turbocharger turned up high. The result is 294 kW and 500 Nm of raw muscle to propel its 1570 kg from zero to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and on to a governed top speed of 250.

If you crave more, Audi offers an RS Dynamic Package Plus. That takes the maximum to 290 km/h. And, if you’re truly a glutton, chip makers can up the ante to 342 kW and 611 Nm, on 95 octane fuel, without changing anything mechanical.

The new engine is code named EA855 EVO. That probably stands for Evolution. Your mother would call it EVIL. And warn you never to venture within its enticing leather interior. For you would surely be Lap-dancing with Lucifer. Even at idle the inline five’s off-rhythm syncopation, of firing points staggered at 144-degree intervals, sounds a little threatening and unlike anything you ever heard before.

Mama knows that a gentle touch on the accelerator blasts you past slow-coaches at the speed of thought while firmer pressure rocks you back into the seat as the car rockets toward the horizon with eyeball-flattening ferocity. You-all be careful, you hear?

Back to reality: RS3 is available in Sportback, like our test rig, or Sedan that I’ll deal with later. They are both thoroughly modern with all the latest safety- and connectivity kit, control systems and digital gauges. Think electric parking brake, four drive modes, track instrumentation, two viewing screen options, a tab for PRND selection and shift paddles for when you choose to drive manual-style.  

The quattro setup has changed. A new RS Torque Splitter replaces the previous Haldex system with active, and fully variable, torque vectoring for the back wheels. Electronically-controlled multiple-disc clutches on both drive shafts, each with its own control unit, distribute torque variably for excellent stability and agility.

During dynamic driving more torque gets allocated to the outer wheel - the one with the higher load - significantly reducing any tendency to understeer. This means that the new car turns into curves even better than previously and follows steering angles more precisely.

Further, Audi drive select controls engine and transmission characteristics, steering assistance, adaptive dampers and exhaust flaps. Different modes provide a range of driving experiences – from emphasis on comfort and optimised fuel consumption, to normal, to dynamic.

What all that means in plain language is that the car simply feels ‘right’ - and turns you into a more ‘skillful’ driver than you possibly are. Apart from delicious mechanical sound effects as you enjoy the various driving modes and the manual option, there’s a satisfying turbo-blap as you shut down the gas after wicked acceleration.

The original-fit Bang and Olufsen 3D music system is brilliant too. I especially liked the interface, with all its detail, that used to be standard everywhere but is sadly missing on most car systems today.

Practical matters: The boot loads at a height of 66 cm onto a flat surface. The space has two lights, four lashing rings, a pair of bag hooks, a 12-volt socket and a rather flimsy cargo cover. There is no spare under the baseboard; just the car’s battery and a pump kit.

Catches for the 40:20:40-split seatbacks can be reached from behind. Load length is about 70 cm with seats up and 1.40 metres with sections folded. The hatch closes by means of a pair of pull-down handles if your accountant won’t allow you the optional R6 000 electric tailgate.

Tall back seat riders enjoy reasonable headroom but knee- and foot space is tight and the deep foot well makes dignified exits a little challenging. Apart from the usual map pockets, armrest, cupholders, belts, head restraints and door bins, Audi includes a pair of powered USB Type C sockets.

The sedan version, costing R30 000 more, is 153 mm longer, 24 mm lower- resulting in 22 mm less rear headroom – and equally wide, but its luggage bay is 39 litres bigger.

My only complaint is that RS3 tries too hard to be “modern” – a real sport machine deserves analogue instruments and a proper shift lever. A fly-off hand brake would be nice too – for authenticity, you understand.

Test unit from Audi SA press fleet


What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is thoroughly researched, given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

Comments or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.