Quattro - Audi's Neckarsulm-based mostly performance division - not too long ago expanded its RS portfolio in South Africa with the addition of the RS5 Sportback and the RS4 Avant. We obtained behind the wheel of the latter to seek out out whether you must consider it over its coupe and station wagon siblings. Does it offer the best of each variants? We don't love: Doesn't fairly land that knockout blow, dynamic steering is just not probably the most direct. Try full specification details and finance estimates here. Some Audi sellers recurrently offer specials: Have look here. Where does it fit in? Is there a extra applicable colour for an Audi RS model than Misano Red? Until recently, the RS5 coupe was the one RS version of the B9 generation-A4 sedan and station wagon (as well as their A5 coupe, cabriolet and Sportback derivatives, for that matter) in the South African market. The RS5 coupe is not a nasty providing by any means, however on condition that Audi's rivals BMW and Mercedes-AMG offer sedan, coupe and convertible variations of their govt-class performance cars, it was nicely and actually outnumbered.
Audi South Africa has now introduced the RS4 Avant and RS5 Sportback, which share a powertrain and numerous other parts with the coupe. National new automobile sales figures counsel the station wagon has restricted appeal (despite its iconic moniker, but Audi holds firm that it won't build a sedan model), so perhaps the RS5 Sportback is an efficient compromise. Just like the coupe, it packs a meaty biturbo 2.9-litre V6 engine and quattro all-wheel drive, however all of that's paired with a stylish physique (replete with an extra pair of doorways and a sensible hatchback). So, what's it like to drive? Please inform us about your experience right here. Fans of the Audi RS brand will fondly remember the peach of a naturally-aspirated (4.2-litre) V8 engine in the previous RS4 and RS5 (although, interestingly, that is the 1st RS5 Sportback). Not solely did it sound glorious, but it surely delivered sledgehammer efficiency.
When information broke that the V8 "had lost 2 cylinders and gained a pair of turbos", purists have been upset, but Audi did it within the quest for improved driveability/versatile performance and higher efficiency. The 2.9-litre turbocharged V6 matches the outgoing mill when it comes to peak energy output (331 kW), however comfortably trounces the V8 in terms of maximum torque (600 Nm at 1 900 rpm, in contrast with 430 Nm at four 000 rpm). Does 170 Nm make all of the difference? What occurs while you shift the 8-velocity transmission into Drive and ground the RS5's accelerator? Instantaneous shove, that is what. By advantage of the bi-turbo setup, there's very little lag and the 'box is mapped to deliver dual-clutch-like gearshifts. The car is responsive and pressing, particularly in its most aggressive driving mode (Dynamic). Because the RS5 Sportback is required to transmit 600 Nm to the road, the dual-clutch S Tronic transmission, which Audi tends to favour for a lot of its efficiency variants, will not be suited to handle all that torque.
Therefore, Audi has fitted a traditional 8-velocity computerized, however it's sufficiently responsive; the feel by means of the shift paddles is pleasant. The Audi RS5 Sportback's digital dashboard, replete with a centrally positioned rev counter. One of the issues we appreciate most about the RS5 is which you could "tone down its lunacy". It isn't all the time applicable (or potential) to make the fast Audi hurl itself down a stretch of asphalt as if it is a strafing fighter aircraft, and maybe this author is mellowing with age, however such full-bore driving antics are tiresome. Comfort mode fully dials again the Sportback's throttle response, energy delivery, relaxes the steering really feel and even closes its exhaust valves. It's outstanding to cane a credible AMG/M rival one minute after which, at the touch of a button, you may very well be fooled into considering you are piloting (however) a 2.0 TFSI. Of course, you may tailor the settings of the automotive's Drive Select interface exactly to your choice. Our preferred Drive Select mixture was to depart all settings in Comfort, except for the ferocity of the engine responses and exhaust sound (the RS5 Sportback sounds most evocative/sonorous in Dynamic).
Can it handle dynamic cornering effectively, or a minimum of as well as its acclaimed rivals? Well, the Audi RS5 Sportback is not a lithe and lightweight automobile, and the stability of its quattro setup feels neutral (front to rear). Despite the legal guidelines of physics preventing it all the best way, the RS5 exhibits impressive grip ranges most of the time. When the tyres eventually scrabble for traction, predictable understeer sets in. The non-compulsory quattro sports activities differential setup is claimed to be capable of sending extra power to the rear axle for some tail-sliding theatrics, but you'd actually should be urgent on to expertise this. The steering setup suffers the identical affliction as many trendy cars: there's not sufficient actual feedback and, at instances, it could really feel a tad artificial. At this finish of the market, the Audi RS5 Sportback delivers luxury features in abundance. Granted, it doesn't have the latest extremely-fashionable Audi infotainment system, which we've experienced within the Q3, e-tron and A7, but it is a tried-and-examined setup.
