Abt Sportsline Has Decided The RS Q3 Needs 440bhp And Fancy Wheels
As you might have worked out by now, the work of Abt Sportsline can be cleanly split into two categories. Cars that are tweaked subtly but effectively, and deranged festivals of horsepower. The latter - in the case of the -R models - sometimes being plastered in stickers for good measure.
The German company’s take on the RS Q3 is of the former variety, but with 435bhp (440hp) and 383lb ft of torque to play with - increases of 40bhp and 20lb ft on stock - it’ll be plenty fast.
Once the Abt Engine Control Unit has been plugged in and the extra power is unlocked, you’re looking at a 0-62mph time of 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 177mph. That Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0 you meet at the traffic lights won’t know what hit it.
It wouldn’t be an Abt car without some fancy wheels on offer, and sure enough, there are four sets available - DR, ER-C, FR and GR. Thankfully, they look snazzier than the names imply, and they’ll all available as 20s, with the DR also available as 21s. The latter might sound silly, but - just with the 23s on the Manhart RQ900 - that’s the same size as the RS Q3’s biggest optional shoes. Yep, Audi has caught up with the aftermarket when it comes to wheel sizes.
The white RS Q3 Sportback you see here wears the FR rims, which Abt say allows for the “brake calipers are also perfectly showcased”. Lovely.
There are no additional aesthetic tweaks, but let’s face it, the RS Q3’s excessively angular form is plenty eye-catching as it is.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
What a horrible looking car. And Rhodes wheels look like something from Halfords
These wheels remind me so hard of mercedes AMG wheels
Please stop with performance SUVs. You get a hatchback, raise it and beef it up to make an SUV, then lower it to make a performance SUV! Bloody pointless, just make a fast wagon if you want practical performance.