The all new 367PS (362bhp)Audi RS 3 Sportback is on its way to the UK, if you're a performance car devotee, who is also burdened by real life practicalities like kids and IKEA trips, form an orderly queue.
Okay, referring to children as a burden may be a little on the harsh side, but sometimes - like when you want to buy yourself a sports car - they can certainly limit your options.
This is where the hot hatch comes in, striking that beautiful balance between downright lunacy, and family concious sensibleness.
This particular example of the hot hatch, the second generation RS 3 Sportback, will be available for order in the UK from March, priced at £39,950 OTR, with first orders arriving in the summer. I don't even have kids - although I do pretty much have my own parking space at IKEA - and I have spent the whole morning trying to justify placing an order to myself, here's why...
The new RS 3 will boast the most powerful production five-cylinder engine in Audi RS history with 367PS and 465Nm from 1,625rpm to 5,550rpm. Translation. It is going to be very fast. How fast? Well, with a potential top speed of 174 mph and a 0-62mph time of just 4.3 seconds, the answer is very, very fast. 0.3 seconds faster than the previous model, in fact.
So it's quicker and more powerful than the previous model (as you'd expect), it also benefits from reduced weight, a faster-shifting 7-speed S tronic twin-clutch gearbox, faster-reacting quattro drive, and of course the sharp, modern looks of Audi's latest A3 offering.
In the interest of balance, there is more to this car's practicality than just a nice big hatchback boot with fold-flat rear seats, the RS 3 is in fact capable of returning up to 34.8mpg, which corresponds to CO2 emissions of 189g/km.
As you can see from the photo the interior offers all the quality and luxury you would expect from a range topping Audi, with plenty of kit coming as standard, and of course there's a plethora of options if you would like to really push the boat out that little bit further.
Full spec will of course be available on the Audi website, or from your local dealer, which is precisely the place i'll be trying my hardest to avoid this weekend, or it could cost me the best part of £40,000. Which, funnily enough, is precisely the amount of money I haven't got to spare.
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