The Audi RSQ3 did not need more power. Giving what’s basically a Nissan Qashqai with a bigger grille, a posh touchscreen and a German accent 394bhp straight from the factory was already quite spicy.
Alas, friends, this memo failed to reach the workshops of Abt Sportline, the tuners who make merry with the boost under the bonnets of unsuspecting Audis until they end up with stuff like this 1,003bhp hybrid RS6. The question is not so much ‘how’ but ‘why’?
Abt didn’t stop to question why an RSQ3 might need to be quicker. It just got on and made it happen – simply with a bespoke piece of engine management coding. As a result, the 2.5-litre, five-cylinder turbo engine behind that grille now chucks out near-as-dammit 440bhp.
Meanwhile, torque has rocketed from 400Nm to a massive 520Nm. Pity that seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox, eh?
Let’s just take a break to comprehend that power. The original Audi Quattro – the legend upon which Audi’s whole RS division is based – made about 200bhp. A brand-new Porsche 911 Carrera S generates 450bhp.
So, this jumped-up shopping trolley makes more power than a Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale and has more torque on tap than you get in a BMW M2. It’s a Lamborghini Urus after it’s been through a skrink-o-matic ray.
Abt claims its SupeRSQ3 (our name, not theirs, but call us Abt, let’s chat) can romp from 0-100kph in 4.3 seconds (seems conservative – the standard RSQ3 takes 4.5sec) and will warble its way up to 285kph. Is that sufficient? Are you satisfied? Please, someone say that’s enough…
