Should you buy one?

If you’re looking for the ultimate hot hatch, the answer is a definite yes. The Audi RS3 is a hugely rewarding car to drive and its five-cylinder engine alone gives it a character that four-cylinder rivals such as the Mercedes-AMG A45 and Volkswagen Golf R just cannot match. 

It’s got a posh enough interior to help, at least partly, justify the cost and with a comfortable ride, is a car you could quite easily live with every day. Yes, it doesn’t come cheap – and a Golf R at £15,000 less makes a lot more sense on paper – but the RS3 isn’t a car you’ll buy based on the costs, more the enjoyment you’ll get from it, and principally that marvellous engine.

What we like

The RS3’s engine is the key selling point. It sounds incredible and offers exceptional performance that could see off plenty of more expensive performance cars and, given its four-wheel-drive, brings all-year-round usability. It handles keenly and yet is surprisingly comfortable, too. 

What we don’t like

Our list of dislikes is small. Some of the RS3’s driving modes are a bit complicated to understand and the steering wheel buttons can be a pain to use. The boot is quite small and it’s also a huge amount of money to pay for a car of this size, even though its resale values are very good.