Audi RS5 Cabrio 2013 Review

Not so much:
>> All the rigidity of Tupperware. Sorry Tupperware…
>> Dual-clutch box slow to react at times
>> Degrades the RS name

Audi’s RS 5 Cabriolet is proof positive that you can have too much of a good thing. Although its coupe counterpart treads the fine line between enough and excess and at all times delivers an engaging drive, the cabriolet steps over the line.

Despite the fact Audi has strengthened the RS 5's structure to cope with the chop job that turns coupe into cabriolet (in the process adding over 200kg!), within a few metres of your first drive, it’s clear this car is not at the high standards set by its sibling.

Although almost in a class of its own (at least until BMW confirms there will be an M4 cab; AMG does not offer this type of vehicle – wonder why?) there’s little to recommend the RS 5.

It’s been quite some time since we've driven a soft-top that exhibits this amount of scuttle shake. Even on moderately pockmarked roads, the dash and rear vision mirror shake and shimmy noticeably.

At the same time, the fat, squared-bottomed RS wheel, which in the coupe delivers adequate (though not fulsome) feedback, oscillates side to side in your hands over road irregularities. It's disappointing and saps the confidence you should have in car of this mechanical calibre -- and price.

Audi Australia officially debuted the RS 5 Cabriolet this week. The car hits dealers this month at a steep $175,900. That’s a $20,000 premium over the RS 5 Coupe, which has been repriced to $155,900 (was $161,400) on the occasion of the launch of the soft-top.

The latest “repositioning” is the second price cut for the RS5 coupe. In mid-2012, with the arrival of the facelifted model, Audi Australia slashed $13,400 from the then-$175,300 two-door coupe.

Audi now says “sharp pricing” of the recently introduced RS 4 allowed it to “re-negotiate” the position of the RS 5.

Our test car was fitted with option adjustable suspension as well as a sports exhaust. Along with other add-ons (see below), the as-tested price was approaching $200,000.

Using the Audi Drive Select function within the MMI infotainment system, it was easy to cycle through the Comfort, Dynamic and Auto modes on our Misano Red tester. After just a couple of kilometres, however, it was apparent Dynamic was better left for smoother surfaces, so much of the drive through the NSW's Hunter Valley region was spent in Comfort.

Using the Individual function, we were able to combine a little of each mode. By the finish of the drive we’d settled on Comfort for suspension and Dynamic for the excellent Sport differential and tuneful exhaust. ‘Settled’ is the operative word, however…

Make no mistake, the RS5s (both coupe and cabrio) are on the hard side of firm -- as you'd expect from a vehicle wearing Audi’s top badge. For some buyers this unyielding suspension performance is 'worn' almost as a badge of honour. After 200km or so in the jiggling RS 5 cab it had simply become tiresome.

We opted for the Comfort setting with the steering too. Dynamic mode seems simply to weight up the steering overly. Wheel feel is not a highlight of this car.

What almost pulls the RS 5 Cabriolet out of the mire is its wonderful 331kW/430Nm 4.2-litre V8. Capable of punching the RS cab to 100km/h in just 4.9 seconds and rapidly on to go-to-jail speeds, it’s a beautifully tuneful engine -- Audi’s best.

Although not a stump-puller in the AMG 6.2 mould, the hand-built eight has much to endear it. It revs like an engine half its capacity and makes music all the while doing so.

Unlike most V8s, it delivers its best with 4500rpm or more already under the right foot. In this respect it's much more akin to the fantastic 4.0-litre eight in BMW's E92 M3 or one of the very exotic Italians. Matched to Audi’s normally excellent S-tronic dual-clutch transmission, the powerplant is the highlight of this car.

The dual-clutch transmission can be left to its own devices but on our test car this seemed to bring with it some clutch ‘flare’ and indecision, especially on overtaking.

Better to knock it into sport mode (which will automatically send you back a gear or two, even on the highway) or, best of all, use the transmission in full manual mode. At open-road pace, two down-changes are punctuated with crisp throttle blips, and when the right pedal goes down, you're away. Overtaking thus becomes not only effortless, but aural entertainment at its best.

Audi would suggest it's an assault best enjoyed with the top down and we're not against that. A push of the button has the roof stowed electrically in just 15 seconds on the move at speeds of up to 50km/h. You can reverse the process, also on the move, in just a couple of seconds more.

This company has for some time led the field in terms of cabin execution and the RS 5 is no exception. There’s proper room for four in the beautifully finished space, though we noted top-down progress is a magnitude less blustery with just two and the folding mesh wind-blocker in place.

In terms of balancing practicality and pose, the RS 5 Cabriolet does a decent job, offering up to 380 litres of luggage space that’s golf club friendly in its dimensions. The figure is reduced to 320 litres when the hood is lowered, but additional space can be liberated via folding rear seats.

Along with the RS badge comes a full complement of RS equipment – most drawn from the donor RS 5 Coupe. RS-specific features include a high-performance RS braking system with front ‘wave’ rotors (the fronts are massive 365mm units gripped by eight-piston monoblock brake calipers) and, of course, the latest quattro all-wheel drive system.

This trademark of RS models is amazingly effective in its latest guise, which in the RS 5 also features a computer-controlled electro-hydraulic torque vectoring rear ‘Sport’ differential.

Other standard equipment in Aussie RS 5 Cabs includes: adaptive xenon headlights, hard-drive MMI Navigation plus, Audi Music Interface (AMI), a high performance stereo system and Bluetooth connectivity.

Options include the above-mentioned adjustable suspension, variable ratio steering and ceramic brakes. Bring your chequebook.

Bucket-style manual sports seats were also fitted to our tester – at a near $5000 premium over the electrically adjustable memory seats offered standard. Although offering better lateral location, you lose power adjustment and frankly the race car looks are, in my mind, at odds with the cabrio theme.

The RS 5 coupe and cabriolet are among the first Audis to be offered locally with the brand’s new Audi Connect web-based multimedia system. An $800 option on A/S/RS5 variants, the system offers access to Google functionality on the move.

It’s a worthwhile addition to the standard MMI system – especially in terms of the Google Earth overlays that augment the sat-nav. Google search info will also be handy for those travelling further afield. iPhone users take note, however, the system cannot be used with Apple smartphones and as such will require its own data SIM.

Internationally, Audi’s quattro GmbH division plans to grow its volumes of RS and associated models this year from around 11,500 units (in 2012) to 15,000 – a 30 per cent increase. Down Under, Audi wishes to also bolster the number of high-performance and high-spec vehicles it sells.

There’s little doubt Audi will find buyers for the RS 5 Cabriolet, but chances are they’ll be badge -- or perhaps horsepower -- snobs. For while the latest RS 5 has plenty of cachet and mumbo, alas it’s a car that’s almost certain to leave real drivers cold.

Whatever the volume, that’s not in the interests of the RS brand.

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