SPYSHOTS: 2021 Audi RS3 Sedan seen testing again

The forthcoming Audi RS3 Sedan has been sighted again, this time in a warmer climate than the snowy surroundings in which an earlier example was photographed. Like how the forthcoming RS3 Sportback five-door hatchback is expected to go grille-to-grille with the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S in the hot hatch stakes, the RS3 Sedan will be compared against the CLA 45 S.

The development car seen here in around Nurburg, Germany continues to wear camouflage foil, though this appears to be applied to what is likely to be its production body. Enlarged wheel arches house larger wheels and tyres, and will measure at least 19 inches in diameter; the outgoing RS3 Sportback featured rolling stock with 235/35R19 tyres.

The previously mismatched front bumper and fenders are now more resolved, with the former appearing to be fashioned after that of the Audi S3, though with larger intakes. Much of the basic sedan shape in profile remains, while the rear end is similarly widened to match the setup at the front, and the signature Audi RS dual oval exhausts reside within an RS3-specific rear bumper, bookending a more aggressive diffuser shape.

The outgoing powertrain configuration of a 2.5 litre, turbocharged inline-five cylinder engine is expected to feature in this forthcoming RS3, though it will most certainly be fettled for more than its current 400 PS and 480 Nm of torque in order to at least keep pace with the CLA 45 S that packs 421 PS and 500 Nm of torque from a 2.0 litre turbocharged inline-four.

All-wheel-drive is a given in the Audi, and equally likely is a dual-clutch automatic transmission for the purposes of maximising the transfer of engine outputs to the road for performance that should outgun the outgoing RS3’s 4.1-second 0-100 km/h time, while top speed would likely be limited to 250 km/h.