Albert Jason
While carmakers around the world have closed their local factories due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Audi is playing hard to get on the Ring, testing out the future 2021 Audi RS3 Sportback, which completes the automaker’s A3 lineup.
As we can spot in the spy video below, the 2021 Audi RS3 Sportback is currently in disguise, which means it is in its early testing. And once it emerges on the market towards the end of the year, it will come with a more prominent and more aggressive design language than the standard A3.
Unfortunately, the video doesn’t say too much about the car`s new design, since it is covered in camouflage. However, some hints reveal parts of its final shape, like wider front and rear wheel arches with rear air slits, an upgraded rear spoiler, and a chunkier rear diffuser. As for the front, it still keeps the same design language as the standard A3, but rest assured, things won’t remain like that.
Since we don’t have too many details about the car`s design, we did manage to find out a little bit more about the car`s new engine, which will definitely be more powerful than the ongoing model. And judging by the way it sounds in the video, it will be a real banger.
The ongoing model came out with a 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder, with an impressive 294 kW and 480 Nm of torque. That was the same engine that equipped the 2016 TT RS model, and which made it one of the most powerful hot hatches on the market at that time.
The good news is that, according to sources, the same engine will be used, but with greater power. We are not sure how much, but it will be powerful enough to take on the new Mercedes-AMG A45, which outsources 310 kW. So, experts say it would come out with around 290kW-300kW. Mechanically, the RS experts will use the same all-four-wheel system with some other important tweaks that will increase its driving capabilities. For the moment, the details list is rather scarce, but since it is bound to appear on the market towards the end of 2021, we should be able to find out more in the upcoming weeks.
As a reminder, the standard 2021 Audi A3 Sportback was released back in March and features an extremely muscular design, which is part of the company`s new design philosophy. The same design elements are visible on the S3 Sportback as well.
Bigger and wider, the A3 Sportback is aggressive, thanks to the L-shaped headlights with Matrix LED technology, and the high-end single-frame grille with new corner intake clusters on the sides. The wheel arches are also more prominent, while the taillights are now wider and perfectly blend in with the neat rear bumper bar, now equipped with matching corner clusters.
