Updated Audi RS 3 Sportback zooms into Singapore

Audi's ultimate baby firecracker, the RS 3 Sportback, is back in Singapore with a thorough refresh that doesn't just give it edgier styling, enhanced cornering (and drifting) capabilities, but also… a more pleasant smelling interior.

From the front, the updated RS 3 Sportback looks even fiercer than before thanks to a flatter and broader grille, as well as redesigned side air intakes accentuated by vertical black blades. Audi has clearly had quite a fair bit of fun in the lighting department of late, and here, the RS 3 Sportback benefits as well with head light signatures that delightfully mimic checkered flags (three additional light designs are selectable from the MMI touch display).

New light signatures and a smattering of extra black help set the updated RS 3 Sportback apart from its predecessor

Likewise, the rear of the RS 3 Sportback has gotten a light nip-and-tuck with new arrow-shaped tail light graphics, new vertical side reflectors, and a massive diffuser struck down the middle by a red reflector. If seeing Kyalami Green is not your preference, new paint coats this time include Ascari Blue and Progressive Red in a metallic finish, and Daytona Grey in a matt finish.

The RS 3 Sportback hasn't gotten a power bump with this latest update, with its signature turbocharged 2.5-litre five-pot still putting out a heady 396bhp and 500Nm of torque. What has changed, however, is what you'll hear when you gun the accelerator.

Audi has reworked the RS 3 Sportback's signature five-cylinder engine to deliver a more voluminous and more distinctive sound

Audi states that the five-cylinder unit now delivers a sound that is "more voluminous and even more distinctive" specifically in the Dynamic, RS Performance and RS Torque Rear modes - as well as "consistent and fuller-bodied" no matter the drive mode, thanks to an optimised exhaust flap control.

While the updated RS 3 Sportback's century sprint timing has remained the same at an already-manic 3.8 seconds, you might remember that this upgraded little firecracker managed to lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife last year in just 7m 33.12s, besting the BMW M2 by more than five seconds.

For that improved timing, you can thank a reworked algorithm that sees the RS 3's adaptive dampers, rear torque splitter, ESC, and brake torque vectoring system reacting "more acutely" to various driving situations than before. Audi states that this gives the RS 3 the ability to behave "more agile earlier" and "in a more controlled manner", allowing it to take corners at higher speeds. (New standard C-rated tyres also accentuate its sharpness.)

A reworked algorithm that controls the car's lateral dynamics has gifted the RS 3 Sportback better cornering capabilities 

Prefer to burn some rubber, and go sideways at speed instead? The updated algorithm also allows drivers to obtain the same drift angle faster, because oversteer is easier to initiate - now via the steering angle, rather than by primarily increasing the load requirement as was the case before.

Here's the dark horse of the all the latest geeky updates, though: The RS 3 Sportback also promises to smell better on the inside.

"One of the most subtle yet most immediate experiences when buying a car is the aroma that greets your nose when you open the doors of your new Audi for the first time," Audi states. Anyone who has bought a new car before should be inclined to agree.

Multi-sensory experience: The cabin of the updated RS 3 Sportback promises olfactory delight thanks to its calibrated mixture of aromas

With a dedicated team of five chemists on hand, Audi states that it chemically analysed and evaluated all of the car's interior components - which amount to a whopping total of about 200, mind you - before deciding how they could smell nice in combination and under all climatic conditions. The result is a unique aroma, comprising the natural smells of Nappa leather and the pleasant inherent odour of selected polymers.

It's from within the car too that you'll be able to notice the car's sportier flat-bottomed and flat-topped steering wheel, which is claimed to fit perfectly to one's hands when pushing the RS 3 Sportback round bends at speed. Audi is offering new RS bucket seats optionally too with this refresh, which provide better lateral support.

And finally, the price of admission to the heightened multi-sensory experience promised by the new RS 3 Sportback, you may ask?

The hatch is now on sale in Singapore with a launch price of $396,999 (inclusive of COE). It can be viewed up close now at the Audi House of Progress Singapore, located in Cross Street Exchange.