Audi RS5 2010 Review

Road Test

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $175,300
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): RS bucket seats $6500, Dynamic steering $1080, Adaptive cruise control $2945, Bang & Olufsen via 14-speaker surround sound system $1700
Crash-rating: Five-star Euro NCAP
Fuel: 95 RON PULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 10.8
CO2 emissions (g/km): 252
Also consider: BMW M3, Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG, Porsche 911 Carrera

About our ratings

The sun has risen on a drizzly Sunday morning and usually I'd be quietly cursing the heavens, but this weekend is different. This weekend I'm testing the Audi RS5.

This particular German V8 sports coupe is unlike its rear-wheel drive rivals from Mercedes-Benz and BMW, as Audi has paired a bahn-storming 4.2-litre V8 with its trademark quattro all-wheel-drive system. Wet weather? No worries.

With a power output of more than 300 kilowatts and an engine that revs beyond 8250rpm it sounds like a fearsome combination. And the reality isn't far off: this Audi is one of quickest cars I've had the good fortune of driving, and also one of the most satisfying.

For all its power and performance, the Audi RS5 is remarkably well-behaved when not carving up twisty mountain passes, and has no problems in heavy traffic. Indeed, it's a decent commuter car in many respects, the tractable V8 showing surprisingly good flexibility, even at low revs.

Add to this the auto park-brake feature that holds the car steady at traffic lights or on hills, a versatile seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic self-shifting gearbox, plus auto headlights and auto wipers, and you've got yourself a vehicle that won't baulk at the daily commute.

The polished interior befits a vehicle costing $175,300, and the first thing you notice after opening the long driver's door are the heavily bolstered sports seats. These are one of the biggest hints to the Audi's performance potential, since the RS5's exterior isn't dramatically different from lesser models in the A5 range when optioned with bigger wheels, as many are.

There is seating for four and all four seats were tested (by four adults) on a two-hour round trip down to the coast. The only real qualm was rear seat head room; passengers more than six-feet tall will touch the headlining. The seats also don't fold forward enough for larger passengers accessing the rear pews.
Otherwise, leg room isn't too bad and ride quality is commendable for something rolling on large 19-inch alloy wheels with gumball rubber, and won't have passengers complaining of sore backs.

The RS5 cruises quietly down the highway, the engine ticking over at 2200rpm in seventh gear at 100km/h. Driven in anger the fuel tank is drained quicker than a schooner of beer on a balmy night, but when driven lightly the 10.8L/100km claim doesn't seem so fanciful.

You sit deep in the cockpit, the plush leather bucket seats and driver-focussed dash angled slightly towards the captain's seat adding to the sense of occasion. Importantly, you don't have to stretch to reach anything, such are the ergonomics and control layout logic.

The intelligently designed centre stack combined with the latest version of Audi's MMI (multi media interface) makes changing the cabin temperate, chassis settings or radio station a doddle. The MMI system is clustered around the gear shifter and one can quickly navigate the car's numerous menu systems via the rotator dial and four context sensitive buttons.

The last RS Audi I drove, the RS4, featured a sports button on the steering wheel that when pressed, opened up the exhaust system for more bass, and sharpened the car's steering and throttle response. This time the 'hero' button located on the centre stack isn't as prominent but has more options, allowing an 'Individual' mode on top of three preset modes (comfort, auto and dynamic).

Drivers can customise the various aspects of Audi Drive Select, adjusting the 'aggression' levels of the electronically-controlled torque-vectoring rear sport differential, a system which makes its debut in the RS5.

On top of the latest generation of Audi's quattro AWD system, the torque-vectoring rear differential manages the torque split between the rear left and right wheels, and this is appreciated most when you set the rear diff to 'dynamic' and tip the nose into a corner under hard throttle.

The torque-vectoring rear sports diff almost eliminates understeer completely, giving the car the type of positive turn-in typically the hallmark of a finely-tuned rear-wheel drive vehicle. The RS5 is also capable of maintaining ridiculously high mid-corner speeds, to the extent where the driver is often left laughing hysterically at the vehicle's sheer audacity to keep accelerating through bends.

It's very gratifying to drive a naturally aspirated high power sports car, gradually feeding the power in as you pass the apex, because there are no torque spikes in the power delivery (as is the case in some forced induction cars). The predicable, linear power delivery is very reassuring.

This might sound a little clichéd, but after 30 minutes of white-knuckle driving the RS5 begins to feel like an extension of your body. As you attempt to probe the limits of the chassis, the toughest question will be "how brave am I?", because the coupe's grip limit is beyond belief.

Wet roads? No problem. Audi's wide-bodied coupe tracks so cleanly and rapidly through corners I was compelled to check the sat nav system for tighter, more challenging tracks. After a time I ended up on an unsealed road, and though not quite as sure-footed on damp gravel, the RS5 still confidently ploughed through bends. Though the steering is a little too light in my opinion, it does firm up the harder you push.

The engine weighs 216kg, which isn't too bad for a V8, and unlike the lesser A5 models this German tarmac warrior benefits from aluminium front guards which helps reduce front end mass. It also sits 20mm lower to the ground than its brethren and packs a front strut brace for good measure.

Stability control is excellent, but even in the wet it rarely kicked in, testament to the AWD system's improved traction. If you want more flexibility in the stability system, there's a sports mode for the ESP, which affords a little more give before the car is brought back into line.

What boggles the mind is that the cornering ability of the RS5 can be improved further, with a dynamic damping technology (DRC) being offered in 2011. E-gads!

Audi reckons the RS5 will accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 4.6 seconds, thanks to its 331kW/430Nm, but it feels faster -- much faster.

Stomp on the loud pedal and the V8 Audi growls into life and burbles between shifts, emitting a subdued but ever-present thrum that grows in volume and pitch the closer the tach needle gets to 8000rpm, all the while adding to the experience.

The standard, seven-speed dual clutch gearbox deserves praise too, keeping the engine on the boil when you're going at it hammer and tong. The steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters also work well, allowing more control over engine speed.

And the RS5's brakes are hard to fault. I don't recall ever having to mash the pedal into the carpet; it was almost as if the car preloads the brakes and half a foot full is all that was required for 90 per cent stopping power. The brake pedal felt firm and the big eight-piston front calipers bite 365mm front discs with potency.

If there are any drawbacks to the range-topping RS5, it's the lack of eye candy. At a glance it could easily be mistaken for a run of the mill four- or six-cylinder A5. Sure, it gets a pop-up rear spoiler, 19-inch wheels, mildly flared wheelarches and a slightly more aggressive front fascia, but to the untrained eye it's just another A5.

The almost $180,000 asking price could also be seen as a negative, but I'd wager this Audi could mix it with Porsche 911s that command a much higher price tag.

The RS5 is one of the most balanced sports cars I've ever driven, and arguably the most rewarding. It gets my vote as the best car of 2010 for not only its jaw-dropping performance, but also its civility and practicality.

Audi has built an incredible vehicle, one whose performance threshold can only really be touched on the race track. As Mike Sinclair explained in the national launch report, the RS5  is an absolute demon on the race track, but thankfully it's also immensely rewarding to drive on public roads.

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site