The Mercedes-AMG GLA45 is
currently the king of the sports subcompact crossovers, but that may very well
change soon enough. That’s because Audi is busy developing the RS Q3, which aims to
upstage the Merc and sit at the top of its class.
Spied testing at the Nurburgring recently, the RS Q3
carries lots of production parts, including the new grille, reworked bumpers,
and other elements that will distinguish it from lesser versions of the
second-gen Q3.
Things get really interesting beneath the skin, as
the brand’s engineers have updated the chassis to make it cope with the extra
grunt. Speaking of which, the RS Q3 will use the same engine as the RS3
Sportback and RS3 Sedan. The turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder is expected
to retain the 400 PS and 480 Nm of torque that
propel the hot hatch to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds, and up to a top speed
electronically capped at 250 km/h or 280 km/h without the
speed limiter.
Audi will launch the new RS Q3 after mid-2019, in
all likelihood, probably alongside the lesser SQ3, which will arrive with the
S3 Sportback’s and S3 Sedan’s 310 PS turbocharged 2.0-liter
engine.
