Updated RS3 gets a more aggressive exterior and exhaust note

Audi has updated the RS3.

Up front, the car gets a redesigned hexagonal Singleframe grille. Now flatter and broader, this new grille further communicates the car's dynamic character. This sits between the car's new head lights, which now display a new checkered flag lighting signature thanks to their 24 LED elements. Drivers can now opt for three different daytime running light designs from the car's MMI system.

The head lights of the Audi RS3 now display a new checkered flag lighting signature, while the car's rear diffuser now sports a reflective red reflector in its centre

At the rear, the taillights also now light up dynamically from the inside out with the coming home/ leaving home function. The Audi RS3 also gets a new diffuser complete with a red reflector in the centre, and the two oval tailpipes have been visually enlarged thanks to their black frames.

The car is now available in two new metallic colours: Ascari Blue and Progressive Red. Daytona Grey, meanwhile, has been added to the list of matt finish colours.

In the cabin, the RS3 now gets back-lit door panels so hundreds of lasered rhombus shapes of various sizes light up when the car is locked or unlocked. The 12.3-inch Audi virtual cockpit also now can display a new rev counter, which prominently displays the revolutions per minute in its centre.

The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster of the Audi RS3 gets a new rev counter display, while its door cards are now back-lit so they display hundreds of lasered rhombus shapes

The car remains powered by the firm's 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine, which develops a total of 394bhp and a peak torque of 500Nm, allowing it to reach 100km/h from a standstill in 3.8 seconds and to race on to a top speed of 290km/h. This engine also now gets a revised exhaust system so it can deliver what is described as a fuller-bodied sound no matter which driving mode is selected.

Audi states that the RS3's suspension has also been fine-tuned so it better avoids understeer at the entrance to the corner and turns in more willingly. Owners will also find it easier to generate oversteer simply by applying more steering angle, Audi states, thanks to the use of an improved algorithm for the car's all-wheel drive system.

The new Audi RS3 Sportback and RS3 Sedan will be manufactured at Ingolstadt. The first customer cars are expected to be delivered to dealers in Europe by October 2024.