Updated coupe retains air of smart menace
FUTURE MODELS/ Big power and angry new-look debut in Neckarsulm’s hot new coupe, writes Michael Taylor
Menace has always been one of the keys to Audi’s RS5 coupe, from the fat wheel arches to the rumbling evocative exhaust to the brutal straight line performance.
That’s not going to change with the new model which is due in SA in the fourth quarter of 2017, but Audi is talking loudly and proudly about the RS5 debuting the new RS design language, partly in the hope that people don’t labour on the disappearance of its V8 engine.
Yes, the all-new RS5 coupe uses the same KoVoMo Porsche-engineered biturbo V6 as the Panamera, and uses it to such effect that it extracts 331kW of power and 600Nm of torque from its 2.9l.
The all-wheel drive quattro model doesn’t suffer much in performance in the switch from the naturally aspirated 4.2l V8 to force-feeding of a V6, but it remains to be proven whether the sound can be as captivating.
TORQUE
Its 600Nm of torque is a full 170Nm more than the V8 could ever muster, and it’s available from 1,900r/min to 5,000r/min, while its 331kW of power pushes it to 100km/h in a claimed 3.9 seconds on the way to a limited 250km/h top speed (there’s an optional 280km/h limiter, too).
At 4,723mm, it’s 74mm longer than the outgoing RS5, with its bulging wheel arches pushed out 15mm compared to the standard S5 coupe’s bodyshell.
“The new Audi RS5 coupe is the gran turismo among the RS models,” Audi Sport CEO Stephan Winkelmann says. “The high-performance coupe combines elegant aesthetics with high everyday usability. The car’s V6 biturbo has been developed from the ground up and provides more performance coupled with higher efficiency.”
Winkelmann claims the designers drew their inspiration from the wild and wicked 90 quattro IMSA GTO racers which dominated the US racing circuits in the post Group B era.
It has a wider, flatter singleframe grille than the standard models, along with enormous air intakes for radiator and brake system cooling.
There are also tinted bezels for the LED (and optional Matrix LED) headlights, while the car rides on 19- or 20-inch forged alloy rims and punches its emissions out of oval tailpipes.
The Porsche-sourced engine continues the trend of “hot vee” engines, siting both of its turbochargers inside the vee-angle of the engine, and combines centrally mounted direct fuel injectors with a short stroke to boost power and improve economy.
The high-compression Miller-cycle motor also lets the RS5 pull its consumption down 17% to 8.7l/100km and 197g/km of CO2 emissions.
It’s also lighter, pulling 60kg from the V8’s mass with the help of a BMW M4-style carbon fibre roof, despite all the turbo plumbing, to weigh 1,655kg.
Audi feeds its new-found V6 power through an eight-speed automatic transmission and permanent all-wheel drive, with 60% of the drive nominally headed to the rear end. The hard-turning sport differential is an option.
It rides on five-link suspension systems at both ends to increase suspension accuracy and ride quality, while sitting 20mm lower than the standard A5 coupe.
It has the usual Audi Sport array of go-faster options for its go-fastest front-engined coupe, including the more aggressive Dynamic Ride Control damping system, carbon ceramic brakes and sharper steering ratios.
INSIDE
Inside, the model continues the Audi Sport (nee Quattro GmbH) love affair with black and diamond stitching. It introduces new bits to the A5/S5 coupe’s cabin, including an upgrade to the Virtual Cockpit digital instrument cluster to include feedback on torque, G-forces and tyre pressures. It also has a dashmounted shift light, which seems redundant given that it slushes through an automatic transmission.
The interior delivers permanent internet connectivity via LTE and a Wi-Fi hotspot option. It also links smartphones via CarPlay and Android Auto.