Audi RS3

More power and less weight with a sedan to boot.

- David Morley

OMAN seems like an odd spot to launch a new car. Snuggled up to a country where women aren’t allowed to drive (Saudi Arabia) and the current war-zone that is Yemen, Oman is a free, safe but nevertheless sandy destination. And though the roads through the Dhofar Mountains in Oman’s south are smooth, wide and empty, they’re also covered in a layer of dust, blown-in sand and camel tail-pipe emissions. I’m not making any of this up. At least the camels themselves seem pretty roadsmart. The goats? Not so much.

But maybe there was genius in Audi’s decision to launch the upgraded RS3 in such a location. For a start, once you’re out of the city, the speed cameras peter out and the road starts to rise into the rather magnificent Dhofars, twisting into some oddly-cambered bends in the process. There are straight bits where it’s possible to let the new 294kW engine off the leash and the curly bits give you a chance to get a feel for what is a very tactile platform with sharp steering and firm-but-fair suspension. And when you suddenly go blasting into a camel-exhaust section, the active centre diff can have a play at getting you through still pointed in the right direction.