The Audi RS3 is available as both a 5-door hatchback and a 4-door sedan. Both offer similar performance but selecting the right one for you is sometimes a little difficult. We'll compare some key differences to help make your decision easier.
The Audi RS3 is a firm favourite in the office. We love the compact size and high power output. The 2.5-litre 5-cylinder turbocharged engine sounds great and performs exceptionally well. All of the RS3 variants are fitted with quattro all-wheel-drive which makes the RS3 handle like it’s on rails and the electronics allow you to corner at a speed far higher than you probably should.
The current generation Audi RS3 is available locally in two body configurations; 5-door Sportback (hatch) and a 4-door sedan, a more traditional approach to automotive design. Sedans are slowly dying out, losing favour to crossovers and SUVs. We still believe there’s a place for the conventional sedan and whether you choose the sedan or the Sportback, both will give you the thrills you’re after.
Sedan vs Sportback
We’ve established that both variants offer the same in the way of their drivetrain; a 2.5-litre 5-cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 294 kW and 500 Nm torque and that they send the power to all four wheels through their quatro systems.
Their performance is quoted to be the same too: a 0 to 100 km/h sprint time of 3.8 seconds and will top out at a top speed of 250 km/h, unless you opt for the optional Driver’s Pack that will increase that to 290 km/h. So where are the differences?
Aside from how their appearances differ, both are remarkably similar (which explains the similar performance figures). The Audi RS3 Sportback is 153 mm shorter than the sedan, so if you have parking limitations, that 15 cm could make the difference. The Sportback is also 24 mm taller, so if you like the impression of a low-slung car, the sedan may be the better option. This 24mm difference will mean that the centre of gravity is different between the two but you will hardly feel this. Similarly, the difference in weight is 5 kg with the sedan being the heavier of the two.
Both offer easy ingress and egress thanks to their 4-passenger doors but cargo areas do differ between the two. The sedan does have the smaller opening and the hatch of the Sportback does make loading and unloading of larger items a little easier. The sedan offers a 321-litre boot while the Sportback is considerably smaller at 282-litres. The Sportback makes up for it by offering a generous 1104-litres when you fold the seats forward. If you often have passengers in the rear seats and still need to cart luggage, the sedan is the better option but if you do this infrequently, then the Sportback will work as well.
There is a small price difference. The Sportback is, at the time of writing, R30 000 cheaper than the sedan and while this may not sound like much, it could mean a difference of a few hundred Rands each month, depending on how you’ve structured your finance agreement. This is naturally based on the base prices of each model and it’s entirely possible to spec a Sportback to be more expensive.
Verdict
Both the Sportback and sedan are great choices and deciding between the two will come down to personal preference. There isn’t all that much to separate them and only the slightest lifestyle differences will see you wish that you had one over the other.
Keyword: Which is the best variant of Audi RS3?