The moment I started the new Audi RS3, well before engaging a gear and heading off, I knew this was going to be a good day.
With a distinctive bark from under the hood from that luscious five-cylinder turbo engine, which evokes memories of a bygone era of rallying, the RS3 hits the emotive touchpoints its German competitors miss.
European noise and emission regulations are curtailing the emotional input into cars such as these and for that, the new RS3 has lost the exhaust crackle and pops, but unlike other German brands that have waved the white flag for driver engagement, Audi has traded the raucous exhaust for more under-hood induction. It’ll take in-the-know petrolheads back to the late 1980s when Audi dominated world rallying with an engine not too dissimilar to the beast under the hood of the RS3.
The National is the only Middle East media organisation at the global reveal of the third generation of the pocket rocket in Greece, and while we’re still waiting on confirmation to see if it will be coming to our region, there was another reason to jump on a plane and chase it down ourselves.
This is one of the last European performance cars that delivers its performance without electrification add-ons. At 1,570 kilograms, it’s more than 100kgs lighter than the BMW M4, which equals fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.
The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 400hp
Torque: 500Nm
Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)
On sale: 2022
While both reach 100 kilometres per hour in the same 3.8 seconds, the Audi does it with 73 fewer horses under the hood, yet still tops out at 290kph in RS Dynamic mode from its 2.5-litre, TFSI five-cylinder engine.
Being an all-wheel drive, the RS3, along with most Audis, have suffered from understeer that has dampened the enjoyment on windy roads. However, that has been eliminated with a clever new rear diff, which alters the torque to each rear wheel via an electronically controlled clutch on either side. This transfers weight on turn in, to the point where the RS3 offers a Drift Mode for the first time for track-day giggles.
The RS Torque Splitter rear diff is different from other torque vectoring units, which use the ABS to brake an inside wheel on tight corners. The Audi system goes the opposite way by sending more torque to the outer wheel, so turn left and it sends torque to the right rear, which in Drift Mode is up to 100 per cent, handling up to 1,750Nm per wheel if needed.
All up, there are eight drive modes ranging from Efficiency, which introduces coasting at idle, through to Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, RS Individual, two modes of RS Performance and RS Torque Rear for drifting. RS Performance can be set for either smooth circuits or bumpy tracks such as the Nordschleife.
Former DTM driver Frank Stippler used this setting to full advantage to set a Nurburgring class record five seconds under the previous time with 7:40.748. It wore semi-slick, Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres, but that’s considered showroom spec as Audi now offers these as an option for track days. Our test car wore the more modest 265/30 (front) and 245/35 (rear) Bridgestone S001 Potenzas.
The reality, when kept in Dynamic mode for quick country road driving, is a car that feeds information back to the driver through the wheel and feels like it pivots on its sump plug with laser accuracy – unlike any Audi in recent memory.
On winding roads, it lets you aim squarely at an apex, feel its nose tuck in tight, then even with a slight lift of the throttle, induce a touch of oversteer. If anything, it feels more mid-engined or rear-wheel driven, but thankfully has lost the traditional, all-wheel drive front-end washout.
The RS3 is accentuated by fully variable exhaust flaps that highlight the music from a motor that gives an extra 20Nm of torque, offering 500Nm from 1,800rpm through a seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission with shorter shifting times, delivering the same 400hp as the previous model, but arriving earlier at 5,600rpm.
Behind the 19-inch rims is a set of six-piston, 375mm x 36mm steel discs or optional 380mm x 38mm carbon-fibre units that save 10kg of unsprung weight. The front wheels sit 33mm further apart and the rear track is 10mm wider.
The interior, save for a few colour-coded dash highlights, carbon-fibre accents and hugging seats, is regular A3. It incorporates a 10.1-inch touchscreen in the centre that can be controlled via the steering wheel buttons or voice commands, and a 12.3-inch TFT display main dash, while it supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with wireless charging.
Outside, it’s instantly identifiable by its wider front bumper that houses air inlets for the brakes and intercooler as well as its huge gloss-black honeycomb grille.
As with the current RS3, Audi is offering both sedan and five-door hatch options, though which ones we’ll see in this region has yet to be determined if it gets signed off for the Middle East at all, but we remain confident.
As for pricing, globally, it hasn’t been locked in for most markets yet, but the trend from each is that it will be a premium over the current Dh247,000 when deliveries begin in the second quarter of next year.
Company profile
Company: Eighty6
Date started: October 2021
Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Hospitality
Size: 25 employees
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
Brief scores:
Toss: Northern Warriors, elected to field first
Bengal Tigers 130-1 (10 ov)
Roy 60 not out, Rutherford 47 not out
Northern Warriors 94-7 (10 ov)
Simmons 44; Yamin 4-4
THREE
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J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
%3Cp%3E97%25%20of%20Jewish-Americans%20are%20concerned%20about%20the%20rise%20in%20anti-Semitism%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E76%25%20of%20US%20Jewish%20voters%20believe%20Donald%20Trump%20and%20his%20allies%20in%20the%20Republican%20Party%20are%20responsible%20for%20a%20rise%20in%20anti-Semitism%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E74%25%20of%20American%20Jews%20agreed%20that%20%E2%80%9CTrump%20and%20the%20Maga%20movement%20are%20a%20threat%20to%20Jews%20in%20America%22%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
Mubalada World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
'Joker'
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
Rating: Five out of five stars
ORDER OF PLAY ON SHOW COURTS
Centre Court - 4pm (UAE)
Gael Monfils (15) v Kyle Edmund
Karolina Pliskova (3) v Magdalena Rybarikova
Dusan Lajovic v Roger Federer (3)
Court 1 - 4pm
Adam Pavlasek v Novak Djokovic (2)
Dominic Thiem (8) v Gilles Simon
Angelique Kerber (1) v Kirsten Flipkens
Court 2 - 2.30pm
Grigor Dimitrov (13) v Marcos Baghdatis
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Christina McHale
Milos Raonic (6) v Mikhail Youzhny
Tsvetana Pironkova v Caroline Wozniacki (5)
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 400hp
Torque: 500Nm
Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)
On sale: 2022
