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AUDI RS5 COUPÉ by Melvyn Hamid
Sometimes , a glamorous interior , heaps of clever gadgetry or space for the full Von Trapp family isn ’ t your main priority . Sometimes , you just want your executive coupé to go fast . Really fast . Cue the Audi RS5 Coupé and the Audi RS5 Sportback – both adorned by the brand ’ s ‘ racing sport ’ lettering and transforming your common or garden Audi A5 into a 444bhp sprinter .
The Car : It might have an Audi badge glued onto it , but the RS5 ’ s V6 petrol engine is shared with the Porsche Panamera 4S . Thanks to its turbochargrs , this engine feels much more urgent low down in the rev range than the previous V8-powered RS5 . Audi has established the RS badge as the name of its performance models , and the RS 5 is a mainstay of the range . RS cars benefit from input from Audi Sport , the company ’ s motorsport division , and the RS badge carries as much weight with performance car fans as the M badge from BMW and Mercedes ’ AMG brand .
The RS 5 is the fastest version of the A5 on sale , available in two-door Coupe and five-door Sportback body styles . It slots in above the S5 models and features the same running gear as the high-performance RS 4 Avant estate . That means it gets a 2.9 TFSI 444bhp twin-turbo V6 under the bonnet , quattro four-wheel drive and an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox as standard . This gives a 0-62mph time of 3.9 seconds , while the top speed is 174mph . You ’ ll be in licencelosing territory in no time at all , though .
The Drive : The automatic gearbox has eight well-chosen ratios . It operates smoothly when you ’ re driving sensibly , although there is a noticeable delay to change down when you ask for a sudden burst of acceleration . It ’ s smooth and obedient when you take control manually , too , but isn ’ t quite as snappy to shift as the dual-clutch gearboxes in rivals . Set the car into Dynamic mode on the Audi Drive Select system and the automatic gearbox response sharpens up ; it ’ s quicker to change down , allowing much easier overtakes . It also holds onto gears for longer so you can build up through the rev range for even more power . Dynamic also ramps up the noise from the optional sports exhaust ; in this setting , you ’ ll find the engine howls and parps when you ’ re revving it . These take a bit of getting used to but are a cool feature for that futuristic feel .
The ability of the quattro four-wheel drive system and its torquevectoring system to individually apportion power to each rear wheel helps to provide a decent amount of purchase on smooth surfaces , too .
In summary : Compared to the standard Audi A5 Coupe and A5 Sportback , the RS 5 gets an aggressive makeover , with wider wheel arches evoking the look of the original Audi Quattro , Audi offers this Carbon Black version with a black carbon roof , wing mirrors and extra detailing , along with the Vorsprung model which adds unique 20-inch alloys , a gloss-black styling pack and RS Sport suspension plus with Dynamic Ride Control ( DRC ).
For the money you could quite rightly expect the RS5 to be more competitive against the obvious alternatives , but actually I don ’ t think it has any clear-cut rivals at all . So don ’ t consider it as an inferior AMG C63 rival , rather think of the RS5 Sportback as a cut-price AMG GT63 S .
Prices for the RS 5 Coupe start from £ 74,000
For more information or to book a test drive , contact Melvyn Hamid on 0151 357 8066 Cheshire Oaks Audi Longlooms Rd , Ellesmere Port CH65 9LF
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