d motorofficial f motor_mag^65ABOVE
Hydraulically linked
dampers in the RS5
lack travel and are
extremely stiff on
rebound in DynamicONE Standard
20-inchers are
just one of many
things we get as
standard over and
above international
marketsTWO Speccy cabin
features Nappa
leather seats and
optional carbon
inlays ($1000)
and adaptive headlights to drive its price down to $129,900.
That’s staggering when you consider the performance and it
once cost $156,300.
Fitted with Competition-spec software, a 331kW/550Nm
twin-turbo six, lowered suspension and 19-inch wheels on
fatter tyre sidewalls, it’s quoted to dispatch 100km/h from rest
in 4.0 seconds, equalling the AMG and only one tenth off the
Alfa Romeo. But we’ll get to that later, because BMW isn’t the
only one slashing prices on a 3 Series.
Alpina, the Buchloe-based company that’s hot rodded
BMWs with Munich’s blessing since the ’60s, has dropped its
B3 S’s price from $157,651 to $117K drive away. But rather than
create its own version of an M3, the B3 S approaches the fast,
premium, rear-drive sedan in a different way.
Yes, its 3.0-litre straight six, based on an N55 that spins
two sequentially arranged turbochargers, squeezes 324kW
and 660Nm through its rear wheels. But it sheathes it all with
a silken suit. Instead of the M3’s seven-speed dual-clutch
transmission, it has a smoother eight-speed automatic, a
cloud-like ride and lacquered inserts throughout the cabin.
Yet, there’s another outcast in our midst. Audi’s new RS5
Sportback drives four wheels, instead of two, and derives itscore measurements from the RS4 Avant. Oh, and it’s technically
a five-door since its boot hinges off the roof.
It still wields fearsome credentials, like its hot-vee twin-
turbo V6 that wrings 331kW/600Nm from 2.9 litres. That’s put
through an eight-speed auto and active rear-LSD that can
focus 85 per cent of power on a single rear wheel. The claim is
it can hit 100km/h from rest in 3.9 seconds, so we’re going to
test that at a drag strip. First, though, in the Mercedes-AMG.
Pinch the round dial on the AMG’s right steering spoke,
twist it until a flag appears on its mini-LCD and you’re now
in Race. The hydraulic engine mounts tense like a weight
lifter’s calves. The stability control loosens its hold on yaw
rates and revised software primes the powertrain with its most
aggressive settings. Deep breath.
Jam your left foot on the brake, the right one on the throttle.
The nose lifts as the revs build and the exhaust booms through
the cabin. The digital tacho cluster burns red, ready for your
cue. Release the brake.
The back axle shudders as 700Nm try and rip apart a pair
of Michelins. Traction control cuts in. The onboard stability
software deems first gear useless and upshifts early. Revs
drop... then unfurl on to the 375kW power peak. More axle
shudder. More traction control.
Third gear arrives at just under 100km/h. The engine bellows
through third, then fourth, before snicking into fifth just at the
finish line. As poor as traction is, though, this is its best run.
Despite everything you do to improve it.
We try traction control off, on or half-engaged. Ditto the ESP,
and rolling it away from the line. If we knew how to launch the
powertrain in second gear, we would. Back in 2017 at Winton
Raceway we achieved 4.27sec and 12.20sec at 195.68km/h with
the previous C63 S, but we can’t improve on 4.4sec 0-100km/h
and 12.3sec at (194.60km/h) 0-400m times.
It’s easy to explain why it’s slower to 100km/h. Max speed in
second gear has dropped from 112km/h to 96km/h, forcing an
upshift before it reaches triple figures. But the reasons behindTHE RS5 WIELDS
FEARSOME CREDENTIALS,
THE CLAIM IS IT CAN HIT
100 KM/H IN 3.9 SECONDS
➜