HE ONLY FAST AUDISTO CONSIDER
are those that wearanAvant body;it’s
written in the rules somewhere,on the
internet most likely. GenerationsofRS4s and RS6s
have built on the legacy laid out by the original
RS2 and are fi rm favourites ofthose who enjoy a
performance outputthat’s directly proportionalto
the load space available.
However, remove the load space and,R8 aside,
Audi Sport’s modelline has often fallen short of
expectations.RS3s are a bit ofa blunt instrument,
likewise theTTRS, whichmistakes rapid progress
for drivingthrills.And the RS5 coupe?As a GT
car it could pass for a juniorBentley, but as a
sports coupe it comes up short when asked to
go splitter to splitter with a C63 orM4.Quick,but
not engaging;plenty ofgrip, but little in the way of
entertainment. It’s a fi ne place to spenda lot of
miles,though,offering a bit offi zzshouldthe road
become interesting.
None ofwhichleaves muchhope for the new
regulations,the 2.9-litre twin-turboV6, co-
developed with Porsche,returns with unchanged
fi gures of444bhpand 442lbft oftorque,numbers
that put it at the back ofthe class when facing
AMG,Alfa Romeo and BMW.And as we discovered
with ourlong-term RS4,while theV6 is a
willingperformer, it’s not what you would call a
charismaticone.
In the RS5 Sportback it’s a similartale.There’s a
near-instant response to throttle inputs,followed
by a rapid-firesequence ofupshifts from the ZF
eight-speed auto ’box as it races for the most
emissions-friendlygearas quicklyas possible.It’s a
performance-dullingprocess.So you scroll through
the Drive Select system and fi nd Dynamicmode,
shift the lever to manualand do it all yourself.A
sharperthrottle follows, and by changinggear
manuallyyou feel more connected to the action,
a larger cog in the performance mechanism,ifyou
will.Run the turbocharged six to its peak and the
speed piles on at a rate you expect ofa car carrying
RS5 Sportback.It’s the fi rst timeAudi Sporthas
been charged with applyingits RS recipe to the
Sportback shape(it will be doingthe same for
theA7 laterthis year),and for all intents and
purposes the result is an RS5 coupe with two rear
doors and an openinghatchback.And yet it feels
a sweeter drive.
Aftertaking aWLTPhit and being sent back
to the dyno room to pass the latest emissions
T
Audi RS5Sportback
Will Audi’s first RS offering in Sportback form be an improvement over its coupe sibling?
Driven