Ultra-exclusive Audi RS3 Competition Limited coming to Australia, marking golden jubilee of the five-cylinder

Manually adjustable coilover suspension, considerably louder engine and exhaust sound and 290km/h top speed crown the Competition Limited spec sheet

Audi will mark the fiftieth anniversary of its use of five-cylinder engines by releasing a hardcore and strictly limited version of the RS3 badged as the Competition Limited.

We’re expecting the RS3 Competition Limited to set a heady new record for Audi hot hatch pricing locally.

In its home market of Germany, the limited edition commands an enormous 60 percent premium over the standard car.

Even considering that Australia’s regular RS3 is better equipped than its German counterpart, the Competition Limited could still land at around $150,000.

The standard RS3 is priced from $104,800 plus on-road costs in Australia.

Output from the 2.5-litre turbo ‘five remain level with the standard RS3, at 294kW/500Nm, with the Competition Limited focussed on chassis upgrades and visual changes.

While the 0-100km/h claim is steady at 3.8 seconds, Audi Sport has lifted the top speed for the RS3 Competition Limited to 290km/h as standard.

Plus, it’s a noisier affair thanks to reduced firewall sound insulation as well as standard inclusion of an RS Sport Exhaust system and earlier-opening exhaust flaps.

A total of 750 examples of the Competition Limited will be built globally across the five-door Sportback and four-door sedan body styles.

From 139 right-hand drive units, Audi Australia has secured a tiny slice of the allocation with 18 cars earmarked for the local market — 10 Sportbacks, and eight sedans.

While there is no official word out of Audi that the RS3 Competition Limited is a ‘farewell special’, the company has previously intimated that the five-cylinder’s days are numbered.

It has been a big week for five-cylinder news out of Europe.

The top-shelf RS3 grade has been confirmed just one day after Cupra confirmed an Australian release of the Formentor VZ5 that borrows the iconic Audi powertrain.

The biggest change sits beneath the RS3 Competition Limited, tucked out of sight.

For the first time on an RS3, Audi has fitted a coilover suspension package with three ways of (manual) adjustment.

Special tools are included to allow drivers to alter high-speed compression, low-speed compression and rebound parameters.

A stiffer rear stabiliser bar is exclusive to the Competition Limited, while rear spring rates have also been increased for consistency.

Audi says the changes are aimed at sharpening the RS3’s turn-in characteristics while improving body control and damper performance in high-speed driving.

Carbon ceramic brakes have also become standard equipment for this variant with red brake callipers making the stopping package more noticeable.

Visually, the Competition Limited is distinguished by matte carbon exterior elements while the car is available in three colours: Malachite Green, Daytona Grey, or Glacier White matte.

Unique 19-inch alloy wheels are painted matte Neodymium gold. While street tyres are included by default, Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R semi-slick tyres are optional.

Up front, the Competition Limited nabs double front canards and a split lip, while matte carbon mirror caps, side skirts, and a variant-specific rear spoiler up the aggression.

Darkened matrix LED headlights feature a custom startup animation referencing the five-cylinder’s 1-2-4-5-3 firing order.

Inside, the Competition Limited sports a distinctive colour scheme with the RS bucket seats finished in Dinamica upholstery in a light gold colour.

A numbered plaque identifies each car, and the digital instrument cluster gets trim-specific graphics with a white revolutions counter inspired by the ‘90s Audi RS2 Avant.

On top of the exclusive elements, the RS3 Competition Limited lands with high specification including Sonos premium audio, heated seats, three-zone climate control and privacy glass.