We tested part of the Audi RS range at the Los Arcos circuit (Navarra). Units of the new Audi RS 3, RS Q3, RS 4 Avant, RS 5, RS 6, RS 7, RS Q8, TT RS Coupé, R 8 and e-Tron RS awaited us there.
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The most prestigious brands, and especially the German ones, have their competition departments or subsidiaries, which are not only responsible for the racing department, but also work on the development and fine-tuning of the sportiest models manufactured in series. . This is the core business of Audi Sport GmbH, which since 1983 (when it was called quattro GmbH) has been working in Neckarsulm on the development of high-performance sports cars and concepts.
Audi Sport GmbH is responsible for the sportiest range of the German firm, which currently has 14 models in all segments, including pure electric.
The history of RS was born in 1994, when the already iconic Audi RS2 Avant was launched, which today has evolved into the Audi RS4 Avant (link to the Audi RS4 V6 Biturbo video test) without going any further; An RS4 that currently mounts a 450CV 2.9 TFSI Biturbo V6, the same as the Audi RS5 Coupé and Audi RS5 Sportback.
Beneath this V6-powered RS range is the group of RSs powered by the 5-cylinder engine, which includes the new Audi RS 3 Sedan and Sportback, the RS Q3 and RS Q3 Sportback, and the Audi TT RS Coupé. All offer 400 hp and a maximum torque of 480 Nm, which reaches 500 Nm in the Audi RS3.
A step above we find the V8 4.0 TFSI of the Audi RS6 Avant, Audi RS7 Sportback and Audi RS Q8 (link to the Audi RS Q8 video test) that offers 600 CV and a maximum torque of 800 Nm. The latest evolution of this engine mounts microhybridization and a cylinder disconnection system, which allow consumption to be reduced.
The combustion engine with the largest displacement (but not the highest performance) is the naturally aspirated V10 FSI. It has a displacement of 5.2 liters and offers 570 or 620 hp in the Audi R8 and R8 Spyder. It is the most powerful combustion model manufactured by Audi in series cars.
An electric RS, and very sporty
But the automotive world, for better or worse, is heading towards electrification. Hence, the German brand has not hesitated to offer an electric RS, the Audi e-Tron GT (link to the Audi e-Tron GT video test). The 598 hp (646 hp in boost mode) of the e-Tron GT show that an electric car can perfectly be a great high-performance sports car, with quattro drive thanks to its two electric motors, one per axle, which guarantees the transmission of that power to asphalt effectively.
Audi offered us the opportunity to drive a large part of this entire range of sports models, a benchmark for the brand, at the Los Arcos circuit in Navarra. With any of them you can set up a track day and have a great time. If you do it on a circuit like Los Arcos, with very tight radius turns, it is ideal especially for wheelbase models and lower weight.
The Audi RS 3, both the Sportback and the sedan, together with the Audi TT RS and the R8, were the ones that convinced me the most in terms of behavior. Sometimes the greatest power is not necessary to have a fun time behind the wheel and experience strong sensations. The RS 3, recently arrived on the market in its latest evolution, is particularly agile when changing trajectories, and demonstrates great resistance to understeer, thanks to its new Torque Splitter system, which actively and variably distributes engine torque between the front axle and individually, on the rear wheels. When driving sporty, the torque received by the outside rear wheel from cornering is increased, reducing the chance of the car going over the nose.
In the RS 3, it is also perceived a certain slippage of the rear axle that generates, in short, a very racing style of driving. Convincing.
SUVs, less effective
The Audi RS Q3 was not so exciting for me, and perhaps even a bit tricky to drive compared to the ease of its range brothers. It gave me the feeling that the 400CV of its 5-cylinder engine did not fully adjust to the possibilities of its chassis, which at certain times seemed somewhat outdated. The stability, traction capacity and sensations in the RS Q3 is a little below that offered by its brothers in the RS range, and it feels quite different from what you find in an RS 3, without going any further. It is true that its SUV character, with a slightly higher body, conditions these sensations at the wheel, and the inertia is noticeable.
The Audi R8, at the opposite pole, conveys a sense of impressive agility and, above all, of control, thanks to its perfectly crafted track-ready chassis, low center of gravity and excellent quattro traction with mechanical limited-slip differential.
At the Navarre presentation I was able to drive two other top-of-the-range cars: the RS 6 Avant, a 600 hp “cucumber” that, despite its volume and weight, drives very intuitively and safely, thanks, among other technology, to the quattro drive with a mechanical type limited-slip differential, very effective and that normally distributes 60% of the torque to the rear axle. As an option, Audi offers the quattro sport differential with RS-specific tuning, which distributes the torque individually between the wheels. When accelerating, it gives more torque to the outside wheel of the turn, reducing understeer, which could become pronounced in a car of its weight.
The e-Tron GT, surprising
But the real surprise was, in my case, experiencing the driving of the Audi e-Tron GT, a compendium of technology, with two electric motors capable of giving up to 646 hp and providing an all-wheel drive system that can vary the distribution of torque. 0 to 100% instantly. It has a rear differential with multi-disc clutch that can lock variably from 0 to 100%, reducing the reactions that could cause the great power and weight of this car.
The result of all this technology is a very exciting electric sports car, very fast and safe, which makes the layout easy even on a circuit like Los Arcos, very technical and in some sections quite buzzy, with big support changes. The only negative point I found, at least in this first contact, was the touch of the brake, typical of an electric car. You need to adjust to that feeling of lack of bite on the first stroke of the pedal, or else you lengthen your braking distances dangerously.
The best thing about the entire driving experience with these Audi RS units is that, in the same way that they allow sporty driving on the circuit without disheveled, they do not neglect their friendlier character, that of true GTs capable of taking you on any route. tourist comfortably. Audi prepared a tour around Logroño, along beautiful mountain roads, with little traffic at this time of year and with enough curves to enjoy an RS on the open road.
Audi knows how to combine this duality of character like no other brand, which you can even find in an Audi R8 (although it is, of the entire RS range, the one with the stiffest suspensions and the one that is least functional). But even so, with an R8 you can consider a tourist route without damaging your cervical vertebrae, something that not all sports cars can guarantee.
adaptive damping
Undoubtedly, the “trick” of all this is, once again, in the electronics. The damping with adaptive control of the RS 3 and RS Q3, which can even be sporty as an option, perform “miracles” just by changing the driving mode through Audi Drive Select. In the RS 4, RS 5, RS 6 and RS 7, Audi goes one step further with the RS Sport Plus sport suspension with optional Dynamic Ride Control (DRC), which controls the roll and pitch movement of the body by modifying the response of the shock absorbers.
In the case of the RS Q8, Audi uses an electromechanical active stabilization system, with two-section stabilizer bars that rotate in opposite directions to reduce the car’s lean on the supports.
In short, a lot of technology at the service of dynamic efficiency that Audi introduces very effectively in this RS range, which is what gives the brand prestige in the eyes of its customers with a sportier spirit.
