Unleashed

First international drive of the awesome Audi RS 5 Coupe.

Due in Australia later this year, the razor-sharp new RS 5 Coupe is the very embodiment of pure excitement. Audi Magazine got behind the wheel at its international luanch in France for a first taste of performance excellence.

26 June, 2017

Like a scarlet arrow shot from an archer’s bow, the RS 5 Coupe fires along the spectacular CG2 road carved into the French side of the Pyrenees mountains just beyond Andorra. That odd little principality, bustling with its myriad tourists, has long since receded into our rear-vision mirror.

Now we’re in clear air; the road’s kinks are visible; the impending hairpin still a good kilometre distant. The foot stays planted, the eight-speed automatic transmission grabs ratios swiftly in its manual mode in response to upshift plucks on the wheel-mounted paddle. The numbers on the Virtual Cockpit display pile on like a one-armed bandit in hyperdrive as the twin-turbocharged V6 snarls with insistence in its upper reaches. This is a gem of an engine, breathing deeply now, its torque split being funnelled with clinical effectiveness: 60 percent rear, 40 percent front.

Now the speedo numbers are tumbling upwards to where the ‘2s’ begins; the hairpin is rushing at us in a blur of green verge and hungrily vacuumed tarmac. Brake. Brake hard. The nose dips just slightly as the pedal is mashed; the RS 5 Coupe’s large discs bite with venom and the vast 275-section 20-inch front tyres turn friction energy into savage deceleration. Our torsos strain against the belts. Give yourself room on the entry, I remind myself, and wind on a generous turn of lock from the fast-ratio Dynamic steering system. Eyes up; look for the exit. The front-end bite is massive; those big Hankooks deliver limpet grip and there’s ample whisper of impending, confidence-inspiring understeer to let you know you’ve found the limit. Now back on the throttle. Instantly the quattro system senses the traction demands and sends more torque rearward; up to 80 percent in this type of driving, according to an earlier conversation with Audi Sport R&D boss Stephan Reil.

You feel it through the seat of your pants, deeply ensconced as it is in the wonderfully supportive RS-specific bucket seats. There’s a telegraphed sense that the back end is about to break into oversteer; the chassis balance feeling decidedly rear-biased. But where a rear-drive rival would light up the back tyres and demand throttle modulation, the RS5’s system still has ample torque driving the front wheels to pull the car cleanly, hungrily, out of the bend. No wasted energy, just pure quattro-enabled thrust.

The run up the next section of our climb above Soldeu highlights just how linear the power delivery of this engine really is. Locating the turbochargers in the valley of the V6 makes for a shorter gas-flow path, meaning lag is imperceptible. Boost comes on strong and early. By a mere 1900rpm, the engine is producing peak torque, a whopping 600Nm, and that twist holds on until 5000rpm. The resulting torrent of acceleration is akin to winding open the valve on a firehose.

The first generation RS 5 Coupe was powered by a magic 4.2-litre atmospheric V8, with a caterwauling soundtrack and maniac top end, but its torque output is comprehensively demolished by this new engine – a massive 170Nm gain – while consumption improves by an equally impressive 17 percent. The combined consumption figure is now just 8.7 litres per 100km, although we’ll forgive the new RS5 a greater thirst in these sublime driving conditions. Further, the new 2.9-litre V6 engine slashes 27kg off the front end and accounts for nearly half the 60kg Audi Sport has pruned from this second generation incarnation compared to its predecessor. Its sound is more muted, but with the sports exhausts system fitted – standard for Australian cars – there’s still a satisfying purpose to the engine note, and some wonderfully percussive thuds and retorts on overrun.

The change in the new RS 5 Coupe’s transmission type also warrants mention. The previous model used a seven-speed dual-clutch design, noted for its direct coupling and ultra-fast shifts. This new model uses an eight-speed torque convertor automatic from German specialist ZF; its shifts speeds are now virtually mirror those of a dual-clutch, its capacity for torque unwavering, and its low-speed behaviour flawless. The extra ratio allows the lower gears to be more closely stacked for even quicker acceleration, the upper couple even taller for quiet, refined low-rpm cruising and minimal fuel consumption.

Chose the Comfort setting from the Drive Select menu (or add it to your Individual setting) and the transmission shifts early to best utilise the generous torque curve and sip fuel with restraint. Or select Dynamic and feel the powertrain coil in anticipated tension, primed to unload the moment you give your right ankle a decent flex.

Our strafe through the Pyrenees is over mostly glassy bitumen, but later on the drive back to Toulouse, France’s fourth largest city, we’ll encounter road-works sections littered with sharp edges and broken bitumen. The ride quality of the RS 5 Coupe proves to be exceptionally compliant, cementing its claim to true GT sports ability. Part of this stems from the fitment (as standard on Australian cars) of Dynamic Ride Control (DRC), an advanced chassis system that provides a diagonal hydraulic linking of the dampers. Sounds complicated, but the upshot is superb body control without the need for excessively stiff chassis tuning, hence the ride comfort.

It’s clear that Audi Sport began its second-generation RS 5 Coupe from a position of supremacy given the talents of the one-rung-below S5 Coupe. That car remains a compelling value proposition given its near-RS abilities for around $105,800. Audi Australia will confirm pricing and final equipment closer to the RS 5 Coupe’s Australian launch later this year, but standard equipment will be impressive.

As we enter the outskirts of bustling Toulouse, the RS 5 Coupe’s mission statement has been made clear; its nailing of targets abundantly evident. This range-topper ramps up performance to another dimension, yet doesn’t wilfully sacrifice civility and daily usability at the alter of the performance gods. It’s quiet, swift and comfortable when you want it to be; up on its toes and punching hard when time and place encourage it. It’s surely the purest embodiment of the RS philosophy yet to crown the A5 range.

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First international drive of the awesome Audi RS 5 Coupe.

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