The article was originally produced on January 22, 2021, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

Audi RS Q3

Here you get the answer to why Audi's latest addition to the RS family is so insanely fun to drive on snow.

The combination of winter, a small format, four-wheel drive and a powerful engine make the new RS Q3 a great toy to have a lot of fun with. The test drive took place up in Arvidsjaur. Holy ground when it comes to winter testing. 

When the new Q3 arrived, it was released with two body styles, regular and Sportback. The latter has a sloping rear window and is slightly more compact in size. Mechanically, the models are identical and the differences are something that is not experienced during the actual driving. If you choose the same engine spec that is.

As the heart of the RS Q3, we find Audi's well-sounding and acclaimed five-cylinder engine. A popular engine that has been around for a long time and always offered wonderful experiences. The numbers in the 2.5-liter version that sits in the RS Q3 land at 400 horses and 480 newtons of torque. That's a decent increase in power since the previous generation's 340 horses.

As mentioned above, the place for the test drive is Arvidsjaur in northern Sweden – the parallel universe of the car world. During winter, on a normal day you can see more new, but disguised, car models than anywhere else on our planet. Since I'm always hungry for motoring news, it's a cool feature. 

The sun shines from a clear blue sky and the landscape can almost be compared to pure magic. Right from the start I feel comfortable behind the wheel and therefore switch the ESP system to sport mode. It allows a more playful behavior, but at the same time will save me if it goes too wide on the road. The RS Q3 is incredibly easy to control, even though the snow-covered road is relatively slippery. After testing the sports mode for a while, I choose to disconnect the system completely and rely on my skills. 

The format of the RS Q3 is compact with a short wheelbase. You sit a little higher and have a good view of the car. Possibly slightly worse in the Sportback version due to the smaller rear window. But on a day like this, it's not behind the car that I mainly check, but forward and to the sides. You sit extremely well in the cupped sports seats and the car feels tight and comfortable. A bit like a combination of a fast running shoe and a comfortable hiking boot. 

When you have completely disconnected the ESP system, you have to be sure of what you are doing because the car will not help you if you lose control. If, however, you trust your driving, the RS Q3 will do exactly as you want it to. A dab on the brake to create an imbalance in the car before a curve and then quickly onto the gas to get a rack up so the rear end comes out. You steer through the curve using the gas pedal. At the end of the curve, there is a rush of joy that shows itself in a big grin across the face. Then it's just a matter of repeating the procedure over and over again. This is like dancing to your favorite music and pure joy for the soul. 

How long until we will have the joy of experiencing cars like the RS Q3 with the chirping five-cylinder engine is probably a matter of time. Of course, even a similar car with electric motors will behave in much the same way. But I will miss the sound from Audi's fifth wheel which brings my thoughts back to the glorious eighties and the time when Stig Blomqvist was the king of rallying with his glorious Sport-Quattro.