2022 Audi RS3 | MotorWeek Road Test

Volkswagen is no stranger to packing big performance into little packages. Same goes for the Audi side of the business. But when Audi shoehorns oversized performance into their tidy hardware, they also wrap it up in extremely appealing fashion. Well, time to unwrap up our Audi RS3 and find out why its beauty is much more than just skin deep. #Audi #AudiRS3 #AudiRS3Sedan #RS3
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[@TheCarCrazyGuy]

I inquired about one of these recently. The dealer told me $20,000 over sticker so I had to laugh at them and tell them hell no. Later they came back at me and said we can probably do $10,000 over and I still laughed at them. I will not pay markups and if I never get one that’s ok with me.

[@davisflyer]

Never give in. It's the only way to stop the madness!

[@Spheredalai]

then how do you aquire one without any markups at all?

[@TheCarCrazyGuy]

@@Spheredalai Never agree to markups. If they offer it to you at or less than MSRP you buy.

[@Jhihmoac]

"Markups" PFFFFT! - That is the instant pocket change the dealer makes that also depreciates from the vehicle's value the minute it leaves the lot!

[@j.m.5995]

Good on you mate! It's time consumers stick to our bases

[@videogazer801]

Glad to see this man is still doing videos. So classic, and classy!

[@videogazer801]

John makes this review so awesome!! 👍❤️

[@PhillyDee215]

Man Audi was killing it at the track yesterday

[@SportsMusicCars]

That type of MPG and performance is unheard of.

[@GLA45Amg716]

Right ? 😂

[@vir123456]

Most likely the benefit of the 5 cylinder.

[@kupidzheart]

volvo

[@catinthehat5140]

Turbo gets you peak then on highway small engine gets mpg

[@SportsMusicCars]

@@catinthehat5140 small engine and an steep over drive.

[@Jhihmoac]

The I-5 is an unusual engine... Got power to it, that's for sure!

[@perfectstranger831]

I’ve been watching this show since I was a kid! Always the best content!

[@786theresonly1GOD]

Wow my favorite car show !!!! Since I was a kid and God bless this man still making these reviews

[@ultimatem9178]

Kudos for bringing back the 5 cylinder !!!!!

[@revelare_xvii6269]

4:04 Mans almost went full on Group B

[@NoName-cn3cp]

Motor Week forever

[@tracktoys9269]

Speaking of Audi rs's, I was out in my old stingray one night, and a RS7 pulled up next to me. Funny thing, I knew the guy and I knew what the car can do. My old 74 stingray is no match for this thing. he took off anyway, and I couldnt believe what I saw. When he launched I could swear the front tires almost completely lifted from the pavement!!! the front wheels trying hard to get traction. he claims this car will do 10's in the 1/4. I believe him! this is one bad car! I always wanted an S3 or an RS3, but alas its way out of my price range. So I have a stable of corvettes and a camaro...Im happy.

[@gwei316]

Picked up mine in this exact color over a week ago and loved it!

[@gwei316]

@@JPEnjoi yea the green is hot as well. Def. worth the upgrade for you.

[@kawasakiwhiptwo5821]

Congrats. Definitely have fun, but be safe.

[@uncleben4560]

What did you pay over sticker price.. if you dont mine sharing that info.

[@germanengineering204]

Congratulations on that new ride! Just curious if there's anything you dislike about the car?

[@gwei316]

@@germanengineering204 yes the tiny shifter is driving me crazy, worst decision to get rid of the real shifter by Audi. Previous gen was so nice.

[@gtrance3567]

It would be nice to set up a mic towards the back of the car to get more exhaust sound.

[@rlsedition]

Pontiac came up with the idea to switch to wider front tires than rear on a front-heavy FWD car (2005 Grand Prix GXP V8).

[@vvvvel]

"wider is better"👍

[@rlsedition]

@@vvvvel Yes, a much earlier Pontiac tag line.

[@junali94]

Rest In Park Pontiac 🌠

[@LatestHour]

The previous generation was SO good-looking.

[@RS35cyl]

Yep! I have one 2019 RS3

[@Jack-fr9bk]

This is better looking by far

[@toddatisme8063]

Wish they’d bring it back to Canada. My 2018 RS3 still gets the job done 👌🏿

[@dman5849]

It’s coming back in 2024

[@toddatisme8063]

@@dman5849 I have a deposit down on a new one but audi hasn’t confirmed that it’s actually coming back. Where did you hear this ?

[@catinthehat5140]

​@dman5849 oh wow, really?

[@toddatisme8063]

My dealership said it’s for sure coming in 2025. They just finishing doing the new model refresh on the S3. That will trickle down to the RS3. So ya 2025 🙌🙏

[@Spheredalai]

that i5 has a unique grunt almost like an extremely suppressed V6

[@joshthemediocre7824]

My brother and i were coming back from Cleveland this weekend in his 2022 mustang GT when he rolled up on a new RS3, from 60 the Mustang jumped out a little bit but the Audi quickly came around and walked him all the way to 135..i was very impressed, it's a rocketship.

[@anthonysaquatics4359]

A mustang or equivalent muscle car would gap a RS3. 60-130 time of an RS3 is 12+ seconds a full 2 seconds behind an GT

[@germanengineering204]

@@anthonysaquatics4359 Nah RS3 has done a 11.8 at almost 120 trap! Audi is just the better car, and would annihilate the Mustang in a dig race!

[@catinthehat5140]

AWD probably mastered

[@oscardelarosa8217]

Impressive car.

[@brianlee9233]

It's pretty good so far!

[@j.m.5995]

Love Audi and other German cars but theyre not built to last much more than 50k miles trouble free. Even if you're a capable Diy'er it will be an expensive and resource consuming proposition long term to keep it in top shape

[@fzr1000981]

This 5 cylinder has a great reliability reputation well beyond 50k miles

[@cbotten106]

Sounds like Motorweek could have used the carbon ceramic brakes and optional gumball track tires off the option sheet. Car and Driver said the optional tires transform the car at Virginia International (VIR). And apparently dropped from the options list for 2024.

[@jaydibernardo4320]

Que Scotty Kilmer "An endless money pit as it ages".

[@fzr1000981]

Very reliable motor actually

[@catinthehat5140]

He lnows nothing

[@jamesj.litteriojr.433]

One Bad Ass Car!!!!!!!!!!!! That's all I'm gonna say! I want one...Now!!!

[@rickreid81]

What a great looking & fast car

[@GLA45Amg716]

They dropped the ball not giving the US a hatchback everyone would want one

[@chrisdooley1184]

I will be interested when it’s available as a wagon and the dealers get their heads out of their bums regarding these ridiculous markups on their RS cars. My local south Florida guy is marking all RS up $35-$50k. Nuts

[@nateisright]

All sedans should be liftbacks.

[@brucewayne2773]

You always say it best, John👍👏❤

[@GLA45Amg716]

This or the NEW M340i? They cost the same. Which would you take ?

[@icecreamesandwhich]

Personally I'm leaning towards rs3 for it's engine. To me i find that inline 5 to be something incredibly special

[@joes.7536]

The two best. Thought choice. This 5cylinder is extremely powerful when modified. But the b58 has a ton of potential too. I’m taking the Audi because it has the dual clutch trans.

[@germanengineering204]

Both fun cars, but 340i is not a true M car, and won't hold its value like a collectable RS3 that people are dying to get!!

[@ShafinRehman]

If this came in a hatchback.... ooof it would be a sweet option. I wish the interior was better though, especially for the price

[@catinthehat5140]

There is a hatchback but not in the US

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

Damn Audi got some beautiful cars!👌🥰👍

[@shaun7126]

The front-end look like the 17 type r rear-end

[@bradfromthevalley]

Excellent video and a cool car. The grill kind of looks like a Hyundai, usually I would notice the Korean cars taking cues from the Europeans, but this looks like it is getting styling or design cues from the Koreans.

[@WSKRBSCT]

It's not a coincidence. They poached a bunch of VAG and BMW guys.

[@TenaciousTomato]

Great review!

[@oldtwinsna8347]

Amazing, this is what the top trim TLX should've been, instead its a shadow in performance.

[@kawasakiwhiptwo5821]

Acura definitely dropped the ball on that one.

[@germanengineering204]

Sucks bad to, because the TLX was on thr top of my list until it came out! It's way to heavy, and as a result not fast enough either lol!

[@johnnymartinez478]

when you have seen 1 audi front end you have truly seen them all for that generation

[@bmstylee]

The Audi and BMW front ends are just horrible looking.

[@shahab_shawn_siahpoosh]

The only thing that can make Audi sport cars even better is offering them with manual transmission. I wish Audi would make these amazing cars with manual trans, before internal combustion engines and transmissions become part of the auto history

[@axe2grind244]

True story. I don’t think Audi makes a manual in any RS car actually. This is why I want a 1st gen TT-RS…they only came in manual.

[@joecamaro]

A manual would be cool, but the car wouldn't be as quick.

[@scottroberts5529]

Wish they offered that motor for the Golf R

[@keepthezen4256]

Innovative Motorsports swaps the 5 pot into many golfs. An Alltrack as well I think, check their channel

[@scottroberts5529]

@@keepthezen4256 yeah I know they do em. Wish we got the hatch version or the s3 and Rs3

[@ecjaye]

Building one right now on Audi's site.

[@youtoobe169]

This is all well and good, but good luck actually being able to buy one.

[@fzr1000981]

Just did...no markup either

[@hillre14]

Yo that thing was cooking around the track

[@ftr911drvr]

It's wild that people were paying more for Integra Type S than this car with markup I love cars but it's one thing to be an enthusiast vs just being a simp thats bad with money

[@spinnetti]

These are presented in exactly the same way as in 1980. Feels weird to see 1980 video with modern cars lol.

[@razvandobos9759]

I really hope we get the smaller A1. Mexico has it.

[@roberthoyt7921]

Unlikely. The A1 hatch may be due for discontinuation after the current generation model runs out of stock.

[@Jorge-Tamacas]

I think it's too expensive for some interior detailes, too much plastic, room for rear passengers it's not enough. Why wider front tires, why not same size all around? I know is a front bias AWD car. That I5 sounds great

[@SportsMusicCars]

3.5 to 60 but only 12 @ 116 in the 1/4?? 3.5 should be 11.5 @ 124. seems the car dies mid track...

[@ultimatem9178]

I thought the quarter mile was a little slow also. I'm thinking a computer program slows it down.

[@SportsMusicCars]

@@ultimatem9178 The ECU might be cutting boost or something. Pretty sure with a decent tune, this thing runs mid 11s all day. Then again, a GT-R can supposedly hit 60 in 2.7 and 11 flat in the 1/4, when 10s should be happening.

[@TheSmokingDen]

Motorweek frequently puts out slow numbers. I think Car and Driver tested this at 3.3 to 60 and about 11.7 in the quarter. Anytime you see a motorweek acceleration number factor 2 tenths off the top.

[@SportsMusicCars]

@@TheSmokingDen 3.3 and 11.7 are really fast anyway. I'd be happy with a car that does 60 in under 5 sec! My current car gets it in under 6...

[@mrturner4620]

To be fair it IS only just a 5 cylinder, can’t do it all

[@dohc1067]

I am on the fence a little with the styling, but I do like the color, brakes, tires, and performance. Alot of plastic for the cost. If I wanted a turbo charged car, I would prefer a top of the line Accord for comfort and give up on the overall performance.

[@davisflyer]

If you are even thinking of Accord, this isn't the right car for you. A4 would be closest Audi competitor.

[@tbirdboy]

Punches well above it's weight. This thing smokes anything Lexus offers. Now if only someone would address all that gaudy black plastic on the front grill.

[@justchillin619]

Would you rather have gaudy plastic chrome instead?

[@tbirdboy]

@@justchillin619 Is gaudy plastic chrome my only choice? My current '20 Audi Q5 plug-in eschews that look. The Audi TT-RS used a more matte version, at least in 2020, not sure about now. A Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz this is not.

[@aaryeshg.6526]

The Audi 4 rings and badges and the edges of the grille could do with chrome. It looks way too aggressive with it being blacked out. Older Audis and VWs had some chrome accents on their performance cars.

[@carguybd]

Reportedly the street price of a Civic R is the same as the MSRP here, but there’s ADM here too pushing it to where the first digit is a 7. Figure an 8 incl. taxes. Yikes. I took my $26k (pre run-up) CPO 9k mi. GTI Autobahn and let my local performance company have fun. It would annihilate the R, but not the RS3, (while astonishingly getting 40+ mpg always. Really). I’d rather have the RS3 however, but dang fifty large additional?

[@robertedwards3822]

Nice car. But mand, a 3 Series at that starting price? And no standard available. I'll pass.

[@chasem8491]

0:00 test driver listening to George Straight while track driving an RS3. I'm speechless. I guess he cares more about straight-line-performance?! Yaha 😁

[@jonathanlozano7502]

i noticed that too but George is the KING though

[@edgarhenrique4262]

Audi RS 3 Sedan azul é uma benção. Esse carro é excelente e super esportivo... eu Edgar 🇧🇷 tenho um sonho de eu ter um carro desse ... Porque para Deus nada é impossível . 🙏 Obrigado e Deus abençôe 🎁.

[@mikea5205]

I look forward to a rich teenage girl tailgating me in one of these.

[@germanengineering204]

Your comment made absolutely no sense, but I'm sure you think it's funny lol!

[@mikea5205]

@@germanengineering204 - I'm happy that you're triggered.

[@speeddemon311]

🤡

[@drwisdom1]

I started driving VWs in 1973 and GTIs in 1983. In 1992 I watched MotorWeek review the Corrado before I bought one and still own it. This RS3 has an automatic - yuck!

[@cbronsonda13th37]

My dream car 😢

[@MrTjulius]

The bigger front tires look ridiculous.

[@성태김-c1w]

Small But Mighty

[@stevemcgowen]

Shame we won’t get a hatchback or variant- like Europe…

[@lexburen5932]

americans should be happy with what thet are getting. Audi can be taken out of the USA if they complain to much.

[@kawasakiwhiptwo5821]

Even for all that performance, $60,000 is a lofty starting price.

[@robertedwards3822]

Considering its a 3 series, it's an insane price.

[@kevincarr7656]

Sweet car, but I disagree with the assessment of the sheetmetal. The RS3, in my opinion, has an overwrought exterior; the size of the grille is ridiculous - not helped by the blacked out logo - and the fake cooling vents out back? Oh, puh-leeze. What happened to more elegant Audi designs? The interior has a cool design and looks very tech-forward, but why aren't the materials more Audi-esque? This interior looks more fit in a VW, in some ways. At least that glorious five cylinder engine is part of the package, which may be enough to overlook those wrongs.

[@Skyy301]

Previous generation looked much, much better smh.

[@videogazer801]

This car is on its way to being discontinued, as there just isn’t a market for it. 5 cylinders is just weird

[@speeddemon311]

Half a Lamborghini Gallardo engine fitted with a turbo! Waiting list everywhere, and can't be ordered in certain places because it's sold out lol! These cars with the 5 cylinder will all a collector's car with high desirability! True classic! Just look at what used one's from 17/18 model years are going for its nuts buddy 😂

[@spydersniiper]

Says who? They are face lifting the '25 which my guess would get it at least another 3 years...

[@lgalphagools]

Front grill is giving off Toyota Avalon vibes 🤢🤮 otherwise it's a sweet ride!

[@somejackball]

WANT! 👍🤪

[@rodrigodelallata7140]

they need to make motorcycles😆 like BMW

[@MrTjulius]

Has reliability improved on Audis? My buddy had one with a diesel, beautiful car, it was such a piece of shit they bought it back for what he paid for it. It was a certified used car..he'd wouldn't buy another Audi if he had a gun to his head.

[@jasonbourne7499]

I prefer the M3

[@fzr1000981]

Boat...I had high hopes for the new M2 but also heavy

[@Kai240i]

It's almost 2023 and why does motorweek videos still feel like 2008. MotorWeek, time to change up a bit or else time will leave you behind.

[@doctorandrus]

we love driving EV's?

[@taurussho86]

$60k no thankyou

[@vvvvel]

For that price it better be imported from Germany.

[@CrazyWeeMonkey]

@@vvvvel Which it is. The RS3 is built at Audi's Ingolstadt plant in Germany

[@vvvvel]

@@CrazyWeeMonkey Ya that's Important factor in reliability.

[@TheJohnmuzquiz]

Its not, its actually built in Hungary

[@vvvvel]

@@TheJohnmuzquiz Not even Dutch quality? might as well be assembled in Mexico.

[@cavaseno]

New RS3 or New M2? Pick one ☝️

[@cavaseno]

@@layne4376 I’m with you

[@GLA45Amg716]

RS3

[@gabrieldetwiler7078]

RS3. That 5 cylinder sound and the insane tuning potential of these engines is enough for me to choose it over almost anything else

[@Skeetopunk01]

M2 is really ugly. RS3

[@cavaseno]

@@Skeetopunk01 I think it looks awesome.

[@Yormsane]

Wow, for that classic 5-cyl engine. Boooo, for the cheap & nasty black plastic everywhere.

[@fzr1000981]

Drive it....people who b*tch about the interior don't own it!

[@germanengineering204]

You have no clue what it's like!😄

[@fzr1000981]

@@germanengineering204 me? I own it

[@abelucious]

Very fast but it's a front wheel drive biased AWD system and no manual transmission just kills it.

[@fzr1000981]

M2?

[@naitch1761]

And in 3 years everything will brake like usual 🤷‍♂️

[@basshead.]

so true

[@davisflyer]

@@basshead. Not at all. I own 2 Audis, a 2016 and 2018. No problems with either of them.

[@fzr1000981]

The 2.5 is very reliable actually

[@haviiithelegogunner907]

You can get them with 5 year warrenty up to 150 tkm (90k miles). 100% coverage from Audi

[@TheJohnmuzquiz]

People running these 1000hp with 100,000miles on the Odo 😂

[@rw3915]

3.5 seconds to 60 mph. Imagine smoking a Ferrari F40, 288 GTO or 512 TR Testarossa Flat 12, or worse yet a Lamborghini Countach with the 4V heads with a RS3. Man. How times have changed.

[@hectoromargarciacruz1703]

Audi Q2, Audi Rs4 Avant Guayin