Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

26 | AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE

T

he RS5 sits at the top of
Audi’s A5 coupe line-up. In
typical Audi RS fashion, this car
goes softly, but carries a very
big stick.
Everything in this model is
new, including the 2.9-litre,
twin turbo V6, developed with
Porsche (where it’s also found
in the Panamera and new
Cayenne); VW’s rigid, lightweight
MLB platform architecture;
fi ve-link suspension with
adaptive, adjustable dampers at
both ends and an eight-speed
automatic, mated to to Audi’s
signature quattro all wheel
drive system, with a mechanical
centre differential, and active
torque vectoring between the
rear wheels.
RS5 is available as a two door
coupe and a fi ve door Sportback,
both priced at $157,700.
Sliding into the luxurious,
supportive, Nappa leather sports
driver’s seat, you face Audi’s
virtual cockpit, with confi gurable
digital instruments, including
specifi c RS displays for engine

power and torque, cornering

g-forces and a light that tells you

it’s time to change up, in manual

mode, because you’re about to

bang the rev limiter.

You sit deep in the RS, with lots

of seat and wheel adjustment.

The wheel itself is a lovely

lightweight, fl at bottomed thing,

with shift paddles and an array

of controls; using these, and/

or voice control, you rarely have

to reach for the infotainment

controller on the centre console.

A larger body yields more rear

seat space, but with tall people

up front you still sit legs splayed,

on a comfortable, supportive

bench shaped for two. Headroom

is OK for those up to about

185cm. Boot space is generous.

Audi’s engine may lack the

theatrical shoutiness of its

rivals, but it’s a magnifi cent

device, very Porsche like in its

superb responsiveness at the

pedal – with zero turbolag in

Dynamic mode – and offering

unctuous, honeyed horsepower

right across the rev range.

Sure, the old RS5’s 4.2-litre,

naturally-aspirated V8 was a

glorious piece of nostalgia, but, in

the bottom half of the rev range

at least, it wouldn’t see which

way this one went.

Audi claims 0-100km/h in 3.9

seconds. Mercedes claims the

same for its C63 AMG S coupe;

BMW’s M4 Competition is 0.1

second slower.

Beyond its performance,

though, what really makes this

RS5 special is it’s superb agility,

poise and driver engagement

• three traits often lacking in
  performance Audis, which too
  often feel overweight, unbalanced
  and dead in your hands.
  Light, communicative steering
  points with absolute precision and
  the car responds in a completely
  neutral manner.
  Audi has deliberately
  engineered a strong rear drive
  bias into quattro for the RS,

and it shows in the absence of

understeer, and a willingness

to tighten its line, just bit, on the

throttle. Yet you also retain the

major advantage of quattro: you

can apply the go pedal as hard

as you like mid corner and the

car will just rocket out, with no

compromise between grip and

slip, as happens with its rear

wheel drive rivals.

Ride comfort, if not quite Gran

Turismo in compliance, is pretty

good considering the 275/30

tyres (at both ends) on 20 inch

wheels. Comfort mode is fi ne in

town; Dynamic mode is typically

fi dgety and fi rm, with some

coarseness and tyre noise also

evident on country roads.

Audi has transformed the RS5

from a likeable but fairly brutal,

blunt instrument into a car of

delicate, lithe, yet immensely

powerful, authoritative character,

that’s a real pleasure to drive.

AUDI RS5 FROM $157,700 S

THINGS WE LIKE

 Grunt and power from the V6

 Superb interior design and quality

 Adaptive suspension offers great

handling plus ride comfort

 Road grip of Quattro

 Classy exterior design

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

 Ride lacks compliance at speed,

and tyre noise is excessive

 Automatic’s shift calibration needs

work

 Muted engine sound

SPEX

 Made in Germany

 2.9L twin turbopetrol V6/eight-

speed automatic/all-wheel drive

 331kW of power from

5700-6700rpm/600Nm of torque

from 1900-5000rpm

 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds (claimed)

 7.2L/100km highway; 11.6L/100km

city; 98 octane premium; CO2

emissions are 199g/km

 Warranty: Three years/unlimited

kilometres

 Standard: Six airbags, stability

control, adaptive dampers, 20-

inch allo ys, automatic emergency

braking, lane keeping, blind spot

monitoring, radar cruise, automatic

parking, leather/Alcantara

upholstery, sports front seats,

Virtual Cockpit digital instruments,

Bluetooth, navigation, digital radio,

voice control, Apple CarPlay, Android

Auto, sunroof, LED headlights

 Redbook future values: 3yr: 46%;

5yr: 30%

Safety

Performance

Handling

Quality and reliability

Comfort and refi nement

Value for money

Overall

STARS

compare with ...

BMW M4, Lexus RC F, Mercedes-

AMG C63 S