Road test: Audi RS Q3/Audi RS 7 Sportback

You could never accuse Audi of not giving you choice. The company now produces 48 different models, which will rise to 60 in the next couple of years. The latest are a red hot version of the A7 four-door coupe, badged the RS 7 Sportback, and there’s a much more powerful take on the Q3 compact SUV called the RS Q3.

The point of this car is to give you 4x4 practicality with extra oomph — 0-62mph in a claimed 5.2 seconds and a top speed limited to 155mph — courtesy of a 2.5-litre five-cylinder TFSI petrol engine providing 305hp and 420Nm of torque.

On the road the RS Q3 feels grippy, stable and quick but never fast enough to run away with you.

That’s not the case with the RS 7 Sportback, the point of which seems to be “What the hell, let’s just have more power”.

Audi has shoe-horned the twin-turbo four-litre V8 from a Lamborghini Gallardo under the bonnet, which means 552hp and 0-62mph acceleration in 3.9 seconds. Bury the throttle in this one and you had better be hanging on tight to the steering wheel.

The company did the same trick with its A6 Avant, which is also ridiculously quick but doesn’t feel as barmy as the RS7 Sportback, presumably because it is taller and heavier. Apart from some slight misgivings about the feel of the steering, this is a brilliant car, which is almost too easy to drive fast.

Audi RS Q3
Top speed: 155mph (limited);
Combined MPG: 32.1;
Emissions: 206g/km;
Price: £43,000

Audi RS 7 Sportback
Top speed: up to 189mph;
Combined MPG: 28.8;
Emissions: 229g/km;
Price: £83,495