Audi RS3: Proof That Modern Performance is Easy to Drive Fast!

Audi RS3

Even with an unexperienced, speed-hating driver behind the wheel, the Audi RS3 is still quicker than some modern exotics.

We truly live in the golden age of automotive performance, a world where everything – even minivans and economy cars – are quicker than many so-called performance-focused vehicles sold just a few years ago. Performance has certainly come a long way in a very short period of time, which is rather heartbreaking when we compare our heroes of yesterday to the incredible hi-po machines of today. However, there is one good thing about modern performance vehicles like the Audi RS3 – they’re so darn capable and easy to drive that anyone can achieve maximum acceleration in one, as is proven by this recent video from Car Magazine.

After spending some time in the new Audi RS3, it became immediately evident to Car that this is a vehicle anyone can drive, and it certainly doesn’t take much skill to achieve the best quarter-mile time possible, thanks in part to its genius electronic aids and quick-shifting seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Its turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine also cranks out plenty of juice – 401 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, which is good enough for a 3.3-second romp to 60 and an 11.8 second quarter-mile in optimal conditions.

Audi RS3

On this particular day, conditions weren’t exactly optimal – rather, the weather in South Africa is rather dreary and cool, but that doesn’t really matter for a car like the Audi RS3, which offers up plenty of traction thanks to its Quattro all-wheel-drive system. But the real question here is, how will the car perform when it’s being launched by a 70-year-old woman that isn’t really a fan of driving fast? The answer, it seems, is pretty darn well.

Our elderly driver manages to rip off a 12.8-second quarter-mile pass on a less than ideal surface in not-great weather conditions, which is truly impressive for a number of reasons – not just the fact that she isn’t exactly a seasoned race car driver or even an enthusiast. Rather, what’s truly impressive about the RS3 is that this time is virtually identical to the one posted by the Lamborghini Murciélago, an exotic supercar that isn’t nearly as utilitarian, affordable, or comfortable as the RS3 – and that, friends, is what we like to call progress.

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