Audi RS3 competition limited review

This is the Audi RS3 competition limited, a special edition of the RS3 competition created to mark 50 years since Audi first fitted a five-cylinder engine beneath the slim bonnet of the 1976 100. Unsurprisingly, it is a limited-run model. More surprisingly, it is extremely costly. We will come to that shortly.

Audi RS3 competition limited: five-cylinder power unchanged

So how does a manufacturer renowned for its five-cylinder engine commemorate five decades of producing celebrated five-cylinders? Not by altering the engine, as it happens. Instead, Audi has equipped its ferocious compact hatchback with coilover suspension and carbon-fibre additions, while leaving that famed five-cylinder unit untouched.

It therefore retains the 395bhp and 369lb ft delivered by the so-called ‘regular’ Audi RS3, along with the same 0-62mph time of 3.8s. For the RS3 competition limited, however, the limiter has been lifted to 180mph straight from the factory.

To be fair, this engine is something of a masterpiece, having collected several Engine of the Year awards. It hardly requires further attention. For this version, though, Audi has installed a variable RS sports exhaust system designed to “broaden the spectrum of the exhaust note”.

There is also less sound insulation around the bulkhead, allowing more noise into the impeccably finished cabin. Put simply, occupants will hear more of that five-cylinder engine.

Adjustable suspension and RS3 competition limited equipment

The principal change, as mentioned, is the suspension overhaul. It brings an especially sophisticated set of adjustable coilovers, which are both more effectively cooled and thicker than before. Low-speed compression can be adjusted across 12 settings, high-speed compression has 15 settings, and rebound damping offers 16 settings. That is a substantial amount of adjustment and customisation.

At the rear, Audi has fitted a new stabiliser bar that is thicker and more rigid than the previous item. The revised suspension has also led the firm to increase the rear spring rates. Taken together, the setup is vastly more adjustable than before. It is adjustable enough that the new car includes a configuration guide and even a set of tools.

Other features include the RS3’s torque splitter, fresh aerodynamic components at the front, a new roof spoiler, an exclusive colour scheme, special badging, RS bucket seats, contrasting stitching and RS-specific graphics in the 10.1in display. It also has white instrument dials, echoing the old RS2 Avant. That car had a five-pot too, of course.

UK price and production numbers

In the UK, the RS3 Sportback competition limited starts at... £92,855. That is an enormous sum for a small, rapid Audi. Its rarity may help support the price, because this is, as noted, a limited edition: Audi will build only 750, with merely 11 coming to the UK. Is it worth it?