http://www.autoexpress.co.uk
IT’Sbeenalongtimecoming,butyou
cannowbuyanAudiRS5Sportback.
WhiletheCoupévariantwentonsale
backinmid-2017,thisfive-doordidn’t
makeitherebeforeWLTP-enforced
emissionscertificationcameintoplay.
Buthereitis,liningupagainstrivals
such astheAlfaRomeoGiuliaQuadrifoglio,
theMercedes-AMGC63Sandthesoon-to-
be-replacedBMWM3.Therearejust250
Sportbacks(plus250Coupés)availableto
orderintheUKthisyearbeforeanupdated
version–followingtherestofthefacelifted
A4andA5ranges–comeslaterin2020.
Undertheskin,thebasicsarethesame
asintheCoupé.Thatmeansa2.9-litretwin-
turboV6pumpingout444bhpand600Nm
oftorque.AlloftheUK’s2019allocation
comesinAudiSportEditiontrimwhich–
ontopofsomeblackexteriorpiecesand
anewtopspeedof174mph–givesthe
RS5athroaty-soundingsportsexhaust.
ButwhatmakestheRS5unique,at
leastuntilthenextM3isreleased,isits
four-wheel-driveset-up.Inmostsituations,
thequattrosystemsends40percentof
itstorquetothefrontaxle,whichmeans
noneofitsrivalscomeclosefortraction.
Despitegivingaway59bhptotheAlfa,
theAudiwillcrack0-62mphinanidentical
3.9seconds.Yetintherealworldthe
differenceisevenmorestark.Whereit
takesagentle,consideredapproach exiting
acornerintheAlfaorMerc,theRS5canfire
outataviolentrate.Combinedwiththe
hugelevelsofgrip,itmeansthattheRS5
cancovergroundatanastonishingrate.
Theroadsofourtestrouteweresmooth,
butanymid-cornerbumpswereshrugged
offwithimpressivecomposure,while
thebrakesfeltstrongandpositive.
Thesportsexhaustiswelcome,too;the
RS5stillcan’tquitedeliverthethunderous
roaroftheC63’sV8,butonepressofthe
buttononthecentreconsolemakesthe
RS5significantlynoisierthanbefore.
Whileit’simpossibletoknockitsspeed,
itshardertomakeacasefortheRS5being
funtodrive.There’slittleadjustabilityinthe
chassis,anddespitethequattrosystem’s
abilitytosendupto85percentofdrive
totherearwheels,theset-uprarelyfeels
anythingotherthanneutral.Thesteering,
althoughpreciseenough,offerslittle
feedback,either.Quickthoughitis,theRS5
sometimesseemsalittletooeasytodrive.
Butisolatingsomeoftheinformation
betweenroadanddrivermeansthatthe
Sportbackisaphenomenalcruiser.Bumps
areroundedoffmoresubtlythanineither
theM3orC63,and–apartfromalittle
roadnoise–thecabinishushedatspeed.
It’snotunreasonabletoexpect30-35mpg
onamotorwaycruise,too,soitdelivers
adecentrangebetweenfill-ups.
Theinteriorisassmartlyappointedas
ever,andbuildqualityisimpossibletofault.
Buttheinfotainmentsystemisgettingon
abitnow;there’snotouchscreen,which
makesappslikeAndroidAutoandApple
CarPlayafafftouse.Atleastit’sbackedup
byAudi’sVirtualCockpit,whichisstillone
ofthemostintuitiveandcustomisable
digitalset-upsonthemarket.
Ifyoudoneedtocarryfour,thenthe
Sportbackmakesmoresensethanthe
Coupé,too.Awheelbasestretchedby
60mmtranslatestogenerousrearlegroom,
whilethehugehatchbackopeningmakes
theSportback’sbootmoreusable,aswell.
PricesfortheRS5Sportbackareidentical
totheCoupé,withbothstartingat£68,985.
ThatmakestheAudinearly£5,000more
expensivethantheAlfaandalmost£10k
morethantheageingBMW.Yetitisquite
abitlessthanthe£73,258thatMercedes-
AMGasksfortheboisterousC63S.
ASatoolforcrossingcontinents,
fewcarsareaseffectiveasthe
newAudiRS5Sportback.Huge
performance,gripandrefinement
areallthereinabundance.Yet
comparedwithrivalsitfeelslike
somethingofabluntinstrument,
andonethat’sshortoncharacter.
However,Ifyou’researchingfor
aseriouslyfastall-rounderthat’s
easytolivewithandeveneasier
todrive,it’stoughtooverlook.
★★★★★
Verdict
EQUIPMENTThe Sportback’s
20-inch wheels areavailable in two
styles,but both areano-costoption.
Sonoma Green paint (shown here)
costs£675, but helps RS 5stand out
PRACTICALITYHatchback tailgate
makes the Sportback morepractical
than the RS 5Coupé. There’sanextra
60mm in the wheelbase, too, which
workswondersfor rear legroom
Audi RS 5Sportback
Audi Sport Edition
Price: £68,985
Engine: 2.9-litre6cylturbopetrol
Power/torque: 444bhp/600Nm
Transmission: Eight-speedautomatic,
four-wheeldrive
0-62mph: 3.9seconds
Topspeed: 174mph
Economy: 31.0mpg
CO 2 : 207g/km
ONSALE Now
Essentials
“Bumpsare rounded offmoresubtly than in
rivals, and the cabin is hushed at high speeds”
Running costs
31.0mpg (official)
£75fill-up
Performance
0-62mph/top speed
3.9seconds/174mph
AudiRS5Sportback NEWCARS
SpecialIssue 31
AlexIngram
[email protected]
@AxleIngram
Eight-speed autogearboxdoes afine
job of dealing with all of the V6’storque
Audi RS 5
Sportback
FIRSTDRIVEAudi’ssleek hatchjoins the
Coupé to takethe fighttoAlfaand BMW
