AUDI RS Q3 Sportback

Small, fast, fun, five-pot family hauler has more than one personality

- Scott Newman

Rating 4.0

ENGINE 2480cc, 5cyl, DOHC, 20v turbo

POWER 294kW @ 5850-7000rpm

TORQUE 480Nm @ 1950-5850rpm

0-100KM/H 4.5sec (claimed)

WEIGHT 1700kg

PRICE $92,900

LIKE: Grunty engine; entertaining chassis; much more practical

DISLIKE: Occasional ride issues; variable steering; rear visibility

THE FIRST-generation Audi RS Q3 was a curious machine. It had prodigious pace, a playfulness that isn’t always present in Audi Sport products and more character than most of its rivals thanks to that growling 2.5-litre turbo five-pot.

But there were drawbacks: it was small inside, the interior was dated and the model itself felt a bit like an afterthought. Transplanting the RS3’s engine under the Q3’s bonnet was a product planning no brainer, but the resulting driving experience, especially once the 270kW/465Nm ‘Performance’ version arrived in 2016, suggested that perhaps the chassis wasn’t cut out for that amount of grunt.