Audi RS 5 Coupe Competition Plus 2022 Review

Unusually, whether you want the sportiest 2022 Audi RS 5 Coupe or need a little more practicality and plump for the RS 5 Sportback, both models are priced from $157,991 plus on-road costs – more than $10,000 cheaper than a BMW M4 Competition and about $22K less than a Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupe.

That price advantage is useful because Audi Sport’s incoming new RS performance packs, which see the RS 5 draw closer to its German rivals, won’t come cheap.

The first of the two packs – the RS Competition pack – is priced from €7875 ($A12,050) in Europe, while the second full-fat ‘Plus’ pack costs €11,875 ($A18,160).

Official Australian pricing for the new RS Competition packs is expected shortly.

If you’re wondering about the difference between the two offerings, the cheaper RS Competition pack available on the 2022 Audi RS 5 raises the factory speed limit from 250km/h to 290km/h while adding an all-new RS sports exhaust.

The new exhaust is especially welcome, injecting some drama that’s missing from the regular car’s pipes but doesn’t overdo it and certainly isn’t deafening on a cruise.

Other welcome hardware added by the basic Comp pack includes a set of lighter machined 20-inch alloy rims that shave 2kg off the kerb weight and can be optioned with 275/50 track-focused Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres that have been specially developed for the RS 5.

You also get Matrix LED headlights, RS Competition puddle lamps and extra blacked-out exterior elements.

The cabin has microfibre and leather sports seats, a faux suede-wrapped steering wheel and gear lever, plus a reduction in sound-proofing that’s claimed to enhance the repertoire of the new sports exhaust and contribute to an overall weight saving of around 8kg.

So far, so good, but if it were us we’d strongly urge you to cough up the cash for the extra goodies introduced by the Competition Plus pack, which brings an upgraded sport rear limited-slip differential, quicker fixed-rate steering rack and RS Sport Pro coilover suspension.

Other changes introduced as part of the updates on both packs are an eight-speed automatic that shifts faster and holds gears at the red line, plus a recalibrated Dynamic driving mode that allows more slip on the rear axle for more engaging handling both on road and track.

As standard, the Audi RS 5 has a huge list of standard equipment, as we detailed recently in our review of the coupe.

If you regularly track your RS 5 you might want to consider the hugely powerful carbon-ceramic brakes fitted to our test car, although the $13,600 asking price could rule them out given the expense involved.

The 2022 Audi RS 5 Coupe and Sportback have received a maximum five-star safety rating from ANCAP, although the testing dates back to 2015.

There’s nothing to suggest the current model isn’t still one of the safest cars in its class.

As standard, the RS 5 gets high- and low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB) including pedestrian avoidance, lane departure warning and lane keeping abilities, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection (but no active assist), front and rear cross traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, driver attention monitoring and front, side and rear parking cameras.

Australia came very close to missing out on the top-shelf RS Competition Plus pack for the 2022 Audi RS 5 Coupe and Sportback – and the Audi RS 4 Avant that we’ve reviewed separately – on account of our terrible roads.

The concerns were that some owners might be tempted to run the adjustable springs in their very lowest setting that sees the RS 5 ride around 20mm lower than the standard car and could see it scrape over our poorly surfaced roads.

Luckily, Audi Sport (and its suspension partner KW) managed to somehow ease worries and prove the set-up would work here.

When Audi embarked on developing the two new Competition packs, it was explored whether or not more power could be extracted from the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 that’s also found in the Porsche Macan.

The simple answer was ‘yes’ and that there’s plenty of potential left to extract more kilowatts from the powerplant. However, the costs involved and the limited number of RS 4 and RS 5 cars sold annually ruled it out.

Interestingly, making more power would be relatively cheap; the expensive bit is meeting ever-stricter emissions regulations in the process.

In the end, more power would have meant bigger brakes and beefed-up suspension components to cope with the higher output, which in turn would have added to the kerb weight. Without the 8kg saving, the RS 5 tips the scale at 1685kg – around 40kg lighter than the BMW M4 Competition.

The decision to offer an adjustable suspension on a series-production sports car is an unusual one, not least because the adjustments – to height, compression and rebound – are carried out with the wheels off.

But according to Audi Sport, many owners had already sought out similar set-ups from the aftermarket.

The huge advantage of Audi Sport supplying the coilovers is it takes any guesswork out of the equation for owners trying to improve their car’s handling. The components are also high quality, tested for durability just like every other part fitted to an Audi model.

The trick for engineers was to boost agility without ruining ride comfort and, as a result, the coilovers feature 20 per cent stiffer springs but incorporate two-way adjustable dampers that help offset the added stiffness on a bumpy road.

To help, Audi Sport offers a toolkit and manual with suggested settings that include a Nordschleife configuration.

With the new suspension set-up, engineers addressed another issue concerning the RS 5’s variable-ratio dynamic steering that for track use offered inconsistent feedback and could confuse drivers as to the steering rate needed on any given corner.

Audi Sport considered an all-new rack but the cost involved ruled that out, so instead the current car’s variable-ratio rack has been locked in a single 13:1 steering ratio.

Next, a revised quattro diff was added that is more aggressive in its reaction, aiding turn-in and allowing more exit oversteer to reduce understeer.

Calibration was key to all the enhancements and that includes the eight-speed automatic that now boasts shorter shift times and can hold revs at the redline.

Finally, Audi Sport has developed a new tyre based on the track-focused Pirelli P Zero Corsa. This has also seen the ABS and carbon-ceramic braking systems retuned, with the RS 5 coming to a halt up to two metres earlier from 100km/h.

The 2022 Audi RS 5 Coupe and RS 5 Sportback are both quicker with the new RS Competition pack treatment, even though there’s no boost in either power or torque to the 331kW/600Nm 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6.

Thanks to the fractionally lighter kerb weight, grippier tyres and quicker-shifting eight-speed auto, the 0-100km/h sprint now takes just 3.8 seconds – 0.1sec quicker than before, while top speed has risen to 290km/h.

Those figures cast the RS 5 Coupe in a good light against its closest rival. Also using an eight-speed auto, the BMW M4 Competition is claimed to hit 100km/h from rest in 3.9 seconds, putting it 0.1sec behind the uprated Audi. The M4 Competition’s top speed is also capped at 250km/h.

The 2022 Audi RS 5 Coupe averages 8.7L/100km under the WLTP test regime conditions, while emitting 199g/km of CO2.

Again, the Audi coupe beats the BMW, with the M4 Comp only managing 9.81L/100km and 223g/km of CO2 – not that either car will be bought on efficiency terms.

Where in the Audi RS 4 wagon we had concerns over how the coilover suspension might degrade the ride comfort, it’s less of an issue in the 2022 Audi RS 5 Coupe.

That’s because we think both the buyers of the Coupe and Sportback would happily trade some compliancy for sharper, more agile reactions – and that’s just what you get with the RS Sport Pro suspension.

As well as throwing on the coilovers, Audi Sport engineers further curbed body roll with the addition of thicker anti-roll bars with more rigid bushing. Particular attention was paid to the rear suspension.

Even pulling out of a car park the lack of roll and instant reactions through the steering are noticeable, with the fast Audi two-door feeling more alert and precise than before.

The feeling of driving a sharper, more focused performance car is only enhanced when you escape the city and find some country roads where the reduced body roll and stickier tyres (in the dry at least) provide plenty of confidence.

Allaying our fears over ride comfort, Audi Sport has set up the RS 5 to sit just 10mm lower than standard while easing off the compression but keeping rebound stiffness.

That translates to a car that never crashes over bumps and can cope with the worst any Spanish road could throw at us, which bodes well for when we test the uprated RS 5 on home soil.

Regardless of the speed travelled, we prefer the fixed-rate steering rack that is a huge advance over the muddled feedback the variable steering provides, or didn’t – although Audi still stress many owners still favour the variable rack.

As the roads became dusty it was interesting to see how Audi’s famed quattro all-wheel drive system coped. Pushing naturally into understeer, the uprated rear limited-slip diff does feel keener to allow the tail to arc wide for a more neutral stance, which is promising.

To get the best of the new set-up, Audi Sport says you must drive in the Dynamic mode with the transmission in either Sport or manual mode. We preferred configuring everything in Dynamic, with the steering in Comfort for less weight and self-centring, even on track.

On the pretty Spanish Ascari circuit, the RS 5 continues to impress, although we spent more time in the RS 4 Avant which is even more remarkable.

It’s there you can begin to explore just how much grip the special Pirelli Corsa tyre can muster and witness how the powerful carbon-ceramic brakes just don’t wilt, lap after lap.

During corners, the RS 5 (and RS 4 wagon) both seem more engaging and adjustable, and faster, and it sounds far better too, thanks to the sports exhaust.

Trail brake in and get onto the power early and it’s now possible to indulge in the odd drift, too.

Ultimately, the RS 5 remains too heavy for it to be ever considered a dedicated track tool, but for an occasional track day it’s a lot of fun – and fast.

Age has little wearied the 2022 Audi RS 5 Coupe and Sportback cabin. Helping keep the interior fresh is plenty of sporty carbon-fibre trim as well as RS graphics for the instrument panel and infotainment systems.

The Competition and Competition Plus packs also add black seat belts with red edging, while the standard RS sports seats are trimmed in Dinamica microfibre and leather.

We especially like the grippier Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel.

Space remains at a premium in the coupe, especially in the tight rear seats. The RS 5 Sportback is roomier, but if you have even a small family the RS 4 Avant is a far better proposition.

Boot space is decent, with the RS 5 Coupe offering up to 450 litres and the bigger RS 5 Sportback up to 465 litres.

The Competition packs are valuable additions to the 2022 Audi RS 5 Coupe and RS 5 Sportback.

We think that once you’ve sampled them, you won’t want to order your RS 5 without at least one of the packs fitted.

The Competition Plus pack is worth it, such is the transformative effect on the RS 5’s handling repertoire, adding welcome agility and engagement to the fast Audi without sacrificing its ride.

Does it transform the ageing RS 5 Coupe into a BMW M4 Competition beater?

We’re not convinced, but the Audi RS 5 counter-attacks with a classier cabin, more sophisticated styling and the unique chance to tailor its handling to the roads you encounter every day.

2022 Audi RS 5 Coupe Competition Plus at a glance:
Price: $178,000 est (plus on-road costs)
Available: Final quarter 2022
Engine: 2.9-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol
Output: 331kW/600Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.7L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: 199g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2015)