Audi's Q3 Can Be RSed

The RS boys at Audi's Quattro GmbH skunkworks certainly like to be kept busy. They've put a Lamborghini engine in a family estate (RS6) and had the cheek to tackle the BMW M3 head-on (RS5). Those zany chaps have even done their bit to bankrupt every hairdresser in the land by wheeling out a £50k TTRS Plus. And in-between  souping up everything four-wheeled and Audi besides the office chairs, The Quattro Team also developed the R8, which by any stretch was a pretty decent first effort at a supercar.

There used to only be one RS-Audi on sale at any given moment, but right now they've got the RS3, RS5, and TTRS all being churned out, while the RS4 Avant is imminent and an RS6 will apear before 2013. Clearly this isn't enough for those workaholics, because they're now pimping out Audi's SUV's, starting with the pocket-sized Q3.

If you've not heard much about the Q3, frankly we can't blame you. It's the usual Audi copy-and-paste styling, but they launched it just after Range Rover showed off the moon buggy-spec Evoque, so the 3 has been a Q-car in more ways than one. It's been in desperate need of a protein 'shake and some sex appeal, so who you gonna call? If you have a boring car problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... The Quattro Team. And they've created, predictably, the RS Q3 concept.

What we've got here are TTRS Plus oily bits in a Q3 body. So that's a 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo engine connected to all four wheels via a seven-speed paddleshift gearbox. The numbers? 355bhp, 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds, and 164mph flat out. Suddenly, the mumsy Q3 is worrying Focus RS drivers...

It's telling that Audi have simply jacked up the Q3, chucked in the drivetrain from another car and then slammed it back down on 20-inch alloys with ceramic brakes. Why? Because it's so easy. Tiny investment, minimal fuss, and there's your Boxster-bating SUV. Job done. And that means Audi can concentrate going to town on the styling, which is what really needed the work in the first place.

You'll have seen the cheese-grater chrome front grille, and Lambo-style openings either side. The ride height has been dropped to kill any remaining notions you might take the Q3 off-road, and the rear is playing at being a supercar with a diffuser and oval tailpipes straight off the R8 V10. All the body additions are carbon fibre, as are the blue highlights inside the leather-heavy cabin. It's not child-friendly, it's not cheap, and it's got an attitude problem. Welcome to the Evoque party, Q3.

There's only two slight hitches to RS Q3. One is that it's still a 'concept' for the time being, until The Quattro Team decide they're bored of tuning saloons. Secondly, when it does arrive, with or without all the carbon bits, it's going to be way over £50k, just like its TT bredrin. And that's not your average CarThrottler's budget, unless you were Made In Chelsea.

Is the Q3 concept an RS too far? Hit us up in the comments...