[Akshay1234]

Audi RS5 Sportback Review

Audi RS5 Sportback Pros

• Great acceleration and performance from the 2.9L V6 twin-turbo petrol engine. Just point and shoot
• Aggressive looks worthy of an RS model
• Quattro system gives loads of traction and road-holding in any situation
• A useable and relatively practical sports sedan

Audi RS5 Sportback Cons

• Busy suspension at lower speeds
• Relative lack of steering feel takes getting used to
• Aural pleasure is too little for a sports car
• Missing features such as adaptive damping, sport differential...

[Akshay1234]

Exterior

Head on, the RS5 looks menacing. With the aggressive grills and vents, even a layman will know it means business:


The rear features lines akin to its bigger sibling - the RS7. Tail-lights, while pleasing, didn't have any of the fancy patterns or dances while locking/unlocking the vehicle. Inside each of the exhaust tips are 2 smaller pipes:


Typical side profile of a sportback. I think Audi has got the design spot on. The RS5 can be mistaken for its bigger sibling - the RS7:


This Sonoma Green colour is beautiful. It showed the lines of the car well and is so unique that it got second glances wherever we went. From this angle, the RS5, again, is pleasing to look at:


From the rear 3/4th angle, the bulk is well hidden by the design, especially above the rear wheel. Note the angle of the rear windshield, which leads to bad visibility in rain:


19" wheels are simple but sporty. The Continental rubber on our test car was slightly worn but held well in terms of traction in all conditions. Note the little RS5 badge towards the top left with the fake vent design around it:


A closer look at the detailing on the radiator grille, which also houses an RS5 badge:


At the rear, notice the same honeycomb pattern present on the bottom of the bumper. Lip spoiler is subtle but aggressive:


A parting shot. The beautiful green colour meant we had to get pictures with similar green surroundings. The RS5 is really a good-looking car. I just wish it made a louder sound to go with the looks:

[Akshay1234]

Interior

While the interiors are well put together and feel solid, there is nothing which particularly stands out. The interiors can be described as sleek, sporty and solid:


Ergonomic and sporty flat-bottom steering wheel feels great to hold, but I wish the steering feel was better:


There is an RS button on the steering wheel to engage the RS mode. Aluminum paddle shifters feel good to operate. Notice the RS display theme in the instrument cluster behind, which is very sporty:


Instrument cluster with the RS theme, which one can change by pressing the view button on the steering. There are many combinations for this, including a full map view. It's all quite cool:


Standard view of the instrument cluster:


Driver's doorpad with the regular controls and Alcantara:


The B&O speaker grille. While it is great to have the Bang & Olufsen music system, which sounds great, I personally feel it's gotten a bit watered down in terms of quality from what Audi's B&O systems once used to be (in this vehicle, the higher-end A8, etc. the quality is still maintained):


Sportier "RS" seats at the front. Headroom isn't the greatest (for taller drivers). My head brushed the roof while tackling a couple of bumps. Little button above the seat adjustment controls is for the massage function, which IMO, isn't a proper massage but just actuates the lumbar support in various permutations. Very different from a proper seat massage function:


Seats are draped in Alcantara with a diamond stitch pattern and leather on the sides. They are comfortable and quite supportive. Notice the RS logo embossed on the leather:


B9 facelift gets a larger MMI screen. We can see the settings to configure the RS mode. This vehicle didn't have adaptive damping, or sports differential, so there really wasn't too much to configure. The MMI didn't have CarPlay, which I found odd:


View of the centre console. It doesn't get a wireless charging pad:


Carbon fibre style aluminium trim looks and feels good:


Rear legroom is just about par for the course. Headroom is limited for taller passengers due to the sportback shape of the car, but the rear is not an unpleasant place to be and quite practical:


Large boot can swallow up quite a lot of luggage:

[Akshay1234]

Driving the Audi RS5 Sportback

The RS5 uses a V6 twin-turbo engine producing 444 BHP and 600 Nm. The V8 from the previous generation has been dropped in favour of this 2.9L engine. It's almost the same as the 3.0L V6 powering the newer Q7s, and Porsche Cayenne/Panamera, but with a slightly shorter stroke.

I slid into the driver's seat, pressed the start button and was greeted with a gentle roar from the engine which then settled into a distinct thrum. It's a bit too silent for a vehicle wearing RS badges all over and in spite of opening the exhaust valves, it doesn't make much noise except at high revs. That's about the only negative of the drivetrain.

The EA839 engine packs in quite the punch. While it doesn't suffer from any turbo lag as such, once the turbos spool, it's really something and gives you a strong shove back into the seat. Pottering about in comfort mode, the gearbox shifts early and very smoothly. In fact, for the first couple of minutes, I thought it was a DSG due to the low-speed feel and the hesitation to downshift. Once I saw the car go into D8, I realised it was the ZF8 transmission, but I still had to Google it to confirm. Audi has done a good job with the tuning of the gearbox, and it gives one a good whack while changing gears at full throttle. The mid-range is where the most fun lies. It picks up speed like no one's business and as soon the turbos spool, it's a different beast altogether. The motor seems to never let up and goes strongly to the redline again and again. Launching the RS5 from a standstill was the most fun I've had on these damp monsoon roads in a while. In spite of the power and my brake boosting, there was negligible traction loss even on soaking wet roads and that seems to be the party trick of this car. With the short first few gears and the rev-happy and punchy engine, giving the RS5 full throttle in any situation is entertaining.

In the city, the first thing I noticed is how busy the suspension felt. At speeds up to 45 km/h, I could feel almost every imperfection on the road with a lot of lateral movement too. It is well damped and doesn't thud about, but still, adaptive dampers would have made it much better. At slightly higher speeds, the ride settles a fair deal, but, "comfortable", isn't exactly how I would describe the suspension. It's worth mentioning that it takes medium and larger bumps much better than one would expect, always staying silent apart from a thud if one hits a large bump. I found it surprising that a suspension, which was so pliant on medium bumps, was just so busy at lower speeds.

High-speed stability is great and as one would expect with the Quattro all-wheel drive system. It never seems to lose composure and it even corners flat. Direction changes are easily done, and the steering is quick and accurate though it does really lack feel. One would wonder what's happening with the wheels and it could give an artificial sense of security. Still, pushing the car isn't a task and it feels like it's doing what it's meant to do, especially with the Quattro refusing to let go of the traction.

The brakes have good stopping power, and with the large calipers at the front, there was only the slightest amount of fade after some hard driving, which is commendable.

All in all, it's a useable, practical and fast sportback which makes a compelling case for itself. It does have its shortcomings, and while it may not feel as mechanical as an M or as wild as an AMG, it certainly does carve a niche for itself.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[avira_tk]

The best car Audi sells right now in India. Does this car have progressive steer, if you are taking a right angle turn, the steering needs to be turned only 90 degrees for a right angle turn. That's a really impressive piece of engineering.

[vinya_jag]

Clean interiors. Amazed how brave Audi could have been to go back in time on some of the layout designs. I am sure, these are the most functional units and would have saved some engineering effort to put them into place.

[Jaisalmeriya]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

Driving the Audi RS5 Sportback

Attachment 2361423

All in all, it's a useable, practical and fast sportback which makes a compelling case for itself. It does have its shortcomings, and while may not feel as mechanical as an M or as wild as an AMG, it certainly does carve a niche for itself.

Droolworthy design and interiors. I think i just saw this very car in Pune in Radha Chowk, Baner literally a few minutes back on the way back from office. Came home, logged on to the forum and see this on the home page. Am i right Aditya?

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

Audi RS5 Sportback Review

Audi RS5 Sportback Pros

• Great acceleration and performance from the 2.9L V6 twin-turbo petrol engine. Just point and shoot
• Aggressive looks worthy of an RS model
• Quattro system gives loads of traction and road-holding in any situation
• A useable and relatively practical sports sedan

Audi RS5 Sportback Cons

• Busy suspension at lower speeds
• Relative lack of steering feel takes getting used to
• Aural pleasure is too little for a sports car
• Missing features such as adaptive damping, sport differential...

Nice quick review. Perhaps you could also add some light on driving the same on some good tarmac with curves as well at a later date.

Good to see such cars available in India from all German brands. As always, Audi does a wonderful job with straight lines and simple looks.

Wonder what would be correct competition for this one? AMG E63S? Any other wildcard? I was thinking Mustang could be one but I guess it is a RWD only, not really a luxury and not available anymore anyways.

[JoshMachine]

Thanks for sharing a crisp review of the mean machine
The nice sportback design gives it the classical 'Fast & Furious' fast car vibe!

I have fond memories of the RS 5.

Back in Nov'21, when I was doing test drives for my Vento upgrade, I landed at the Audi showroom to check out the svelte A4. However, as luck would have it, I was offered a complimentary ride in a beautiful Turbo Blue RS5. Details here.



Even though the complimentary ride was not a long trip, it was enough to get a sense of what those 450 horses could do, when unleashed on asphalt. Pure power!

One difference I noticed now is with the steering wheel. Back then, it was a rather simplistic looking design:-



They have now evolved to the flat-bottom design which oozes a bit more of race-track creed

[animeshc]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

In the city, the first thing I noticed is how busy the suspension felt. At speeds up to 45 km/h, I could feel almost every imperfection on the road with a lot of lateral movement too. It is well damped and doesn't thud about, but still, adaptive dampers would have made it much better.

.

This is something I can totally relate to even in my S5. My ownership review is blocked as I couldn't figure out how to describe the suspension . As you mentioned, one can feel everything on the road and there is definitely some vertical movement at lower speeds but counter intuitively it's quite stable and silent over rumblers etc and as you aptly put there is no thudding.

[GTO]

Great review of a very special Audi . Love the writing style. Thanks for sharing!

Amazing car with a potent engine & fantastic grip levels, especially on wet roads. Practical as a daily driver too. This Audi pulls & pulls on the open road:


Spotted another legend, the Nissan 300ZX, on Worli Seaface:


Alongside an iconic BMW at Bastian, Worli:




Spotted this RS5 in a sweet colour + dark tints @ BKC:

[sandeepmohan]

I am a fan of the S and RS series of Audi's. Even more than any of the M's and AMG's. The cars coming out of this series from Audi look killer. There isn't anything as sharp looking. They get those shades of paint spot on and nobody does better alloys. Compare this to the wheels you get on a C43 AMG and you'll know what I'm talking about.

If I could call out a sore point, its the interior. Go back to a 2017 Audio S5 and you wonder if anything has changed at all. I mean, a slightly bigger infotainment screen, a bit more detailed graphics on the drivers cockpit isn't good enough for a car at this level. Audi can do better here.

[ksgehlot]

It’s a good practical car. I own one in Nardo Grey colour. It drives very well , suspension is way too stiff and it gets uncomfortable if you are driving on bad roads. But on a good highway you will enjoy driving it.

The spec is little different from the Test car. The steering is different. You get Alcantara steering wheel which looks way better. And No B&O system ( Which is sad ). Also there is no Apple Car play.

Overall with the Performance it is a very well priced car with minimum loadings.

For those who are looking for affordable Sports car , this would be it. All other are above 1.50Cr.

[johy]

Great review of a great car. I have been in love since I watched Autocar India's review on it on YouTube. They got a great rainy day for the review. What more could you ask!

https://youtu.be/oTfOJZDQJDE