Audi got lazy. The cars are great, sure, but for the past 10 years or so they’ve always kind of looked the same. Enter the 2018 Audi RS5, and it dares to be something different from Audi. Also, it has 450 horsepower. Great!
The RS5 has always been a bit of a brute among Audi coupes, and the latest version doesn’t disappoint. It may use the same 2.9-liter turbo V6 from the Porsche Panamera, but the Audi is more powerful and quicker than its cousin.
Overall the new RS5 sports a beefier, more aggressive look over the old car. The headlamps are larger and wider, and the lower grille has bigger openings. The rear haunches are more pronounced and from the side, it trades sleekness for brutality. It’s much more of a muscle coupe than it was before.
Practically every component is all new or upgraded. Torque has increased to a very healthy 442 lb-ft. All that power is put down using Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system that employs a 40:60 torque split. Also available will be a rear sport differential for optimal traction. Audi says the RS5 should hit 60 MPH in 3.9 seconds and have a top speed of 174 mph.
This inside is exactly what you expect from an Audi sports coupe with an Alcantara sport steering wheel, RS badges stamped wherever necessary and everything highlighted with red stitching. Of course, the RS5 will also come with Audi’s super high-tech Virtual Cockpit that will be able to give the driver readouts on tire-pressure, torque, and g-forces.
The RS5 Coupe will be delivered to European dealerships this summer, with no specific schedule announced for the U.S. market, but there is a very good chance it should make its way stateside sometime soon.
I dig it. It’s nice to see Audi design experiment a little.