Revised RS 5 models

It’s been a big year for Audi Sport, celebrating its 25th year and revising its entire product offering along the way. A number of completely new RS models have joined the elite team – RS Q3 Sportback and RS Q8 – while the other members of the line-up have been revised, refined and further honed, to raise the bar even further.

This process of ‘renewal’ is now complete with the first look at the new Audi RS 5 Coupé and Sportback models, both slated to arrive in Australia around the middle of next year. Already amongst the most desirable high-performance grand tourers on the market, the revisions are not unlike taking a wickedly sharp blade and further honing it to surgical sharpness.

The potent 2.0-litre TFSI twin-turbo V6 powerplant remains, with its 331kW and 600Nm of torque – rocketing the RS 5 models from standstill to 100km/h in just 3.9 seconds on the way to a top speed of up to 280km/h on request.

Power is transferred to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive via a lightening-fast eight-speed tiptronic transmission giving the RS 5 models unparalleled handling in all conditions, with the option of further sharpening the handling package with addition of a sport differential at the rear axle, which distributes the torque actively between the wheels.

The two RS 5 models are fitted with RS sport suspension as standard, with RS sport suspension plus with the Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) hydraulic roll and pitch stabilisation available as an option. This further reduces pitch and roll during high-speed cornering, taking the vehicle’s handling characteristics to an even higher level.

But it is the styling of the RS 5 Coupé and Sportback that has received the greatest attention, taking an already stunning vehicle and giving it greater presence and a sharper look than ever before. The styling changes are subtle – these are not designs that benefit from radical changes – but rather, refining the classic look in keeping with the other members of the RS family.

The Singleframe has become wider and flatter in keeping with the recently previewed RS 6 Avant and RS 7 Sportback models. 

There is also  the nod to the Audi Sport quattro from 1984 with the air vents above the grille, and the optional matrix LED headlights with Audi laser light feature darkened bezels. The large, strongly contoured air inlets have been given a new, pentagonal cut and the side sills and the diffuser insert at the rear end have also been redesigned. 

The gloss black, matt aluminium and carbon styling packages give the attachments at the front and rear ends and the side sills an even more individual look. Customers can have the four rings and RS logos designed in black for an even more distinctive look and new colours Turbo blue and Tango red have been added to the range. In addition, the Coupé is fitted with a carbon roof with a CFRP fibre structure which lowers the vehicle’s weight by just under four kilograms.

The revised RS 5 models are equipped with 19-inch wheels, with new 20-inch wheels available upon request in three variants, one of which is painted completely in gloss black and another in matt bronze. In the standard brake system, steel disks are gripped by callipers painted in black or red, or as an alternative, Audi offers carbon fibre ceramic brake disks for the front axle with callipers are painted in grey, red, or blue.

Inside, the RS 5 models remain a study in understated elegance. The RS sport seats are covered with Alcantara and leather as standard, or fine Nappa leather as an option, while the RS design package with red or grey accents is available upon request. Control elements such as the steering wheel and selector lever as well as the knee pads are fitted with Alcantara covers with red or grey contrasting stitching.

The new operating concept of the two RS 5 models is concentrated on a 10.1-inch MMI touch display. The large, free-standing display with acoustic feedback is slightly inclined toward the driver, and with the top infotainment system MMI navigation plus, a specific RS monitor provides the driver with information on the drive temperature, longitudinal and lateral acceleration, the quattro sport differential, the tyre pressure and temperature.

In the optional Audi virtual cockpit plus (12.3-inch display), the driver can select between multiple screens including an RS-specific performance design, which displays the rotational speed scale as a kind of angle that includes a shift light display. When the driver uses the RS mode steering wheel button to select one of the two new individual RS modes, the RS-specific performance design opens up and displays RS specific information and the optional head-up display also offers exclusive RS graphics.

The top infotainment system MMI navigation plus uses a new main unit, the third-generation modular infotainment platform (MIB 3), for its numerous functions. The portfolio of Audi connect adds numerous online services to the navigation and the RS 5 models feature an impressive suite of driver assistance and safety systems as standard.

The striking new RS 5 Coupé and Sportback will form part of the Audi Sport offensive in 2020, which will delight Australian performance enthusiasts, who have long embraced these high-performance Audi models. Australia has consistently ranked in the top five Audi Sport markets worldwide, despite our relatively small population and our ferociously competitive market Down Under. Amongst the Audi Sport offering though, the RS 5 models, with their unique combination of performance and distinctive styling hold a special place with performance aficionados who will be eager to put these newcomers through their paces next year.