Proving that power wars never end in draws, the Audi RS3 has been given the boot while also booting its Mercedes-AMG CLA45 rival off the compact sedan power throne.

The long-rumoured Audi RS3 sedan came to fruition in the halls of the Paris motor show packing a heavily upgraded and 26kg-lighter version of the 2.5-litre turbo five-cylinder engine found in the RS3 Sportback, and pinched fellow recent debutant, the TT RS.

It takes the RS3 Sportback’s 270kW/465Nm then strides past the 2.0-litre turbo four CLA45’s 280kW/475Nm to deliver 294kW between 5850rpm and 7000rpm, and 480Nm from 1700rpm until 5850rpm.

Audi RS3 rear driving

Given that MOTOR has already recorded a 3.95sec sprint for the Sportback, the sedan could shuffle further into serious supercar performance territory.

Audi rs3 sedan interior

Audi’s superb 12.3-inch full-TFT ‘virtual cockpit’ speedometer and tachometer cluster makes its debut alongside a reconfigured leather/Alcantara tiller.

Audi RS3 side

Audi Australia is targeting a mid-2017 launch for the RS3 sedan for an expected premium above its $78,900 Sportback sibling.