The Audi RS 3 is the highest-performance version of the A3 line and the compact RS model that established Audi Sport’s modern small-car performance formula. It first appeared for the 2011 model year as the RS 3 Sportback, a five-door hatchback that paired everyday usability with a motorsport-flavored character and Audi’s signature five-cylinder turbocharged engine. From the start, the RS 3 stood apart from the rest of the A3 family through its wider bodywork, RS-specific chassis tuning, and all-wheel-drive layout, giving Audi a serious rival in the hot-hatch performance class.
The nameplate returned for a second generation in the middle of the 2010s, continuing the Sportback tradition and broadening the range in 2017 with the addition of a sedan body style. That expansion marked an important turning point for the model, because the RS 3 evolved from a hatchback-only European special into a more global compact performance line. Across this era, Audi kept refining the celebrated inline-five engine and the dual-clutch quattro formula that made the car distinctive among compact performance cars.
A third generation arrived for the 2021 model year, bringing a further step in performance and chassis sophistication while preserving the RS 3’s core identity. Audi later introduced notable special editions and technical updates that highlighted the model’s five-cylinder heritage and its role as the brand’s compact enthusiast flagship. Today, the RS 3 remains one of Audi’s most recognizable modern performance nameplates, known for combining compact dimensions, everyday practicality, and the character of Audi’s long-running five-cylinder tradition.