The 450 hp GT car among the RS models

There’s a particular kind of Audi that doesn’t shout about its speed, and the new RS 5 Coupé is exactly that car. It marries athletic power with clean aesthetics and the everyday usability you’d expect from an A5, then turns everything up. Under the bonnet sits a freshly developed 2.9 TFSI bi-turbo V6 producing 331 kW (450 hp) and 600 Nm (442.5 lb-ft). Quattro all-wheel drive is standard, sending drive to all four wheels for traction, agility and stability that stay dependable even near the limit. Throw in the infotainment and the way the driver-assistance systems work together, and you have a grand tourer that plays the long-distance game as convincingly as it plays the fast one.

Audi’s designers didn’t have to look far for inspiration. The RS 5 Coupé crops its motorsport flavour from the Audi 90 Quattro IMSA GTO, and the front, sides and rear all get the usual RS-specific treatment. The dimensions tell their own story: at 4,723 mm (185.9 in) long, this second-generation RS 5 Coupé is 74 mm (2.9 in) longer than the car it replaces; at 1,360 mm (53.5 in) tall it sits 6 mm (0.2 in) lower; and at 1,861 mm (73.3 in) wide it is almost unchanged. Compared with the A5 Coupé, the Singleframe grille looks broader and flatter thanks to its new honeycomb structure, and it wears both the Quattro lettering and the RS 5 emblem. Below it, a contrasting blade runs between the air inlets and joins them together. Those inlets carry the same three-dimensional honeycomb, amplifying the car’s aggression, while extra lateral air inlets flank the lights and make this already wide athlete look wider still.

Standard illumination is LED; the optional Matrix LED headlights are set apart by darker-tinted bezels. A sharply drawn shoulder line — Audi’s familiar wave — gives the RS 5 Coupé its emotive, elegant look, and for the first time it is three-dimensional, so it plays light against shadow rather than sitting flat. Quattro blisters on the flanks emphasise the pronounced bulges over wheel arches widened by 15 mm (0.6 in). The wider door sills wear the body colour, with inserts in black or, on request, carbon. Mirror housings come in matt aluminium look, with carbon, body colour or black also on the list.

The short rear ends in familiar RS language: a diffuser insert, the oval tailpipes of the RS exhaust system, and vertical air outlets at the outer edges of the LED tail lights. A surface-mounted spoiler lip in black — or carbon at extra cost — rounds things off. Styling packages in gloss black, carbon and matt aluminium add further scope for personalisation. Overall the RS 5 Coupé is offered in seven colours, and Audi Sport also lays on the exclusive Sonoma green metallic; through the Audi exclusive range, buyers can specify freely chosen paint finishes as well.

A V6 that leans on a legend

The new 2.9 TFSI is a descendant of an Audi legend: the 2.7-litre V6 that powered the first RS 4 Avant, produced between 1999 and 2001, and made 280 kW (380 hp). Like that original, the new high-performance V6 is bi-turbocharged. Set it against its direct predecessor — a naturally aspirated, high-revving V8 — and its pulling power and efficiency occupy another dimension entirely. Between 1,900 and 5,000 rpm the 2.9 TFSI feeds 600 Nm (442.5 lb-ft) to the crankshaft, a full 170 Nm (125.4 lb-ft) more than before. With 331 kW (450 hp) — 155.5 hp for every litre of displacement — it launches the RS 5 Coupé from rest to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.9 seconds, six-tenths quicker than the old car. Order the RS dynamic package and Audi raises the electronically restricted 250 km/h (155.3 mph) top speed to 280 km/h (174.0 mph).

Mechanically the 2.9 TFSI was derived from the 3.0 TFSI used in the S5, but the greater forces inside demanded changes. Valve lift was shortened by 3 mm (0.1 in) to 86 mm (3.4 in). The bore stays at 84 mm (3.3 in), so displacement works out at 2,894 cm³. The crankcase carries thin-walled grey cast iron cylinder liners, and the crankshaft main bearing runs 2 mm (0.08 in) larger in diameter than the S5’s. Cast from an aluminium-silicon alloy in sand, the crankcase weighs only 34 kg (75.0 lb). A “deep-skirt” design extends its walls far downwards, saving more weight. The complete engine tips the scales at 182 kg (401.2 lb) — 31 kg (68.3 lb) lighter than the V8 it replaces — which pays dividends in gross weight and axle-load distribution.

Each of the two turbochargers is assigned to a single cylinder bank and can build up to 1.5 bar of charge pressure. As with all of Audi’s new V6 and V8 engines, the turbos sit inside the 90-degree angle between the banks, so the exhaust side of the heads faces inward while the intake side faces out. That layout keeps the engine compact and the gas paths short, with minimal flow losses — which is why the 2.9 TFSI responds so sharply to the throttle. The high-output V6 is efficient, too. On the NEDC it uses just 8.7 litres per 100 km (27.0 US mpg), equivalent to 197 grams of CO2 per kilometre — a 17 percent saving over the old model.

Audi’s new B-cycle combustion process is the decisive factor. It is tailored to the part-load range, the operating mode that dominates normal driving. In the induction tract the intake valves close well before the piston reaches bottom dead centre. That very short opening time keeps the fresh gas charge comparatively small; when the piston rises again the compression phase starts later than usual, allowing a high geometric compression ratio of 10.0:1, with combustion taking place in a relatively small volume. Against the shortened compression phase, the expansion phase is extended, and that is where the efficiency comes from. In a classic Miller cycle the reduced cylinder charge hurts torque and power; Audi neutralises that with turbocharging and the two-stage Audi valvelift system (AVS). All four camshafts can be adjusted by up to 50 degrees of crank angle. At higher loads and engine speeds, AVS closes the intake valve later — opening time stretches from 130 to 200 degrees of crank angle while lift grows from 6.0 to 10.0 mm (0.2 to 0.4 in). Cylinder charging rises appreciably and the engine revs out hard.

Another pillar of the B-cycle process is the central placement of the injectors in the combustion chamber. Around the intake valves this allows a geometry that, working with the intake ports, mixes the charge in a targeted way. The common-rail system injects fuel at 250 bar; the high pressure gives a homogeneous spray pattern and an even flame front. Thermal management does its part as well. The crankcase and cylinder head use separate coolant circuits, and after a cold start a switchable water pump controls flow so the oil warms as quickly as possible. The exhaust manifolds are integrated into the cylinder head with coolant circulating around them, which speeds warm-up and, once the engine is hot, lowers exhaust temperatures — consumption drops noticeably, especially when driving hard. Low friction helps too: a fully adjustable oil pump builds only as much pressure as needed, and the chain drive uses a fresh concept to cut the power it draws. The crankshaft drives the balancer shaft through gears, with that shaft lying low in the V of the banks; from there chains run to the four camshaft sprockets, which are trioval — slightly triangular — to compensate for peak forces. The balancer shaft itself spins on low-friction roller bearings.

Even starting it, the car announces itself. Under high load the flaps in the exhaust open for a fuller sound, and the standard Audi drive select system lets the driver decide when those flaps open and close — on the standard RS exhaust as well as the optional RS Sport exhaust with black tailpipe trims. The intake side has been optimised too: polished stainless-steel pipes let the air flow inward without hindrance. Behind the engine, the eight-speed Tiptronic is standard, with optimised shift times and a gear-set and shift-element layout that keeps drag torque low and efficiency high. Its tall count of ratios frequently lets the engine run near its ideal load point: the lower gears are short and sporty, the upper ones long to cut revs and fuel use. The driver chooses between D and S and can change gear manually through the RS shift paddles on the wheel, with every command transmitted electrically, by wire. The dynamic starting function manages standing starts with optimum traction — though it asks that ESC sport mode be active and the selector be in S.

Quattro grip, RS-tuned chassis

Permanent Quattro all-wheel drive remains a unique selling point in this class, and its asymmetrically dynamic setup makes a big contribution to the RS 5 Coupé’s blend of sportiness and stability. In normal driving it sends slightly more power rearward: the purely mechanical centre differential routes 60 percent of torque to the rear axle and 40 percent to the front. Should one axle slip, most of the drive is redirected to the other in an instant — up to 85 percent forward or up to 70 percent rearward. Those high locking figures give a clearly defined torque split and precise interaction with the control systems. The optional Sport differential, tuned specifically for RS, sharpens the response further when cornering and accelerating by actively distributing torque between the rear wheels; in this latest generation it weighs around a kilogram (2.2 lb) less than before.

Wheel-selective torque control completes the Quattro’s work. When you corner quickly it applies precisely calculated brake interventions at the unloaded inside wheels before they begin to spin; the resulting difference in propulsive force nudges the car into the curve, improving agility, precision and stability at once. The engineers gave the Electronic Stabilisation Control and anti-slip control RS-specific tuning. Beyond the normal mode there is a sport mode in which ESC intervenes later, adding driving pleasure and allowing controlled drifts on low-friction surfaces. Hold the button for more than three seconds and ESC switches off entirely.

The axle concept is built to soak up longitudinal and transverse forces. Up front there’s a revised five-link construction; at the rear, a five-link suspension replaces the trapezoidal-link setup of the previous car, which benefits both the sporty handling and, more surprisingly, comfort. On the standard RS sport suspension the RS 5 Coupé sits 7 mm (0.3 in) lower than the base model. Audi Sport also offers the RS sport suspension plus with Dynamic Ride Control (DRC), which pairs steel springs with three-stage adjustable dampers linked to one another through diagonal oil lines and a central valve. When you corner hard, the valves regulate oil flow in the damper of the spring-deflected outside front wheel, increasing support and reducing pitch and roll. The result is a car that feels more closely tied to the road. A new damper generation with an integrated control valve makes the spread between the Audi drive select modes far more noticeable, and the standard dynamic handling system lets you shape your own experience: it influences engine and steering characteristics and adapts the shift curve, exhaust flaps and further optional modules across the four modes — auto, comfort, dynamic and individual.

Alongside the further-developed electromechanical power steering, Audi offers optional dynamic steering with RS-specific tuning. A superposition gear varies the ratio by up to 100 percent according to speed and the selected drive select mode, and at the cornering limit the system countersteers with tiny impulses to boost both dynamism and safety. In the dynamic setting the superposition stiffens to support a sportier driving style. Standard wheels are 19-inch lightweight forged items on 265/35 tyres; on request, 20-inch wheels in various designs are available, including an especially light fully milled wheel on 275/30 rubber. Behind them sit powerful RS steel brakes with perforated composite discs measuring 375 mm (14.8 in) at the front and 330 mm (13.0 in) at the rear. Their six-piston calipers carry RS logos and are painted black, or red on request. Audi can also fit the front axle with high-performance ceramic brakes — six-piston calipers and perforated 400 mm (15.7 in) discs.

Lighter, stiffer, roomier

Like the rest of the A5 family, the new RS 5 Coupé benefits from a drastic diet. It weighs 1,655 kg (3,648.7 lb), 60 kg (132.3 lb) less than before, and its body is among the lightest in the segment — 15 kg (33.1 lb) lighter than the previous model’s thanks to geometrical lightweight construction and an intelligent material mix. The module cross member under the instrument panel, for instance, is made from extruded aluminium profiles and sheet, and the front cross member is an extruded profile. The front strut domes are highly integrated cast aluminium parts, 8 kg (17.6 lb) lighter than welded multi-piece steel equivalents — and they afford a very stiff connection between the upper links and the body for the best possible steering response.

Hot-formed components form the high-strength, crash-safe backbone of the occupant cell, reinforcing the transition from front body to interior, the front zone of the roof frame, the B-pillars, the side sills and parts of the floor. They account for 17 percent of the body structure. A carbon roof with visible fibre structure is available as an option too, saving a further 3 kg (6.6 lb). Excellent torsional rigidity underpins the precise driving response and the calm on board — a place where the RS 5 Coupé pulls ahead of its rivals — while switchable engine bearings keep idle comfortable. Passive safety scores well, too: up front, an adaptive occupant restraint system adjusts the effect of the front airbags and seat-belt force limiters to the seating position of driver and passenger and to the type of frontal impact.

Inside, the growth in dimensions, a 15 mm (0.6 in) longer wheelbase and more compact seats free up space. Front shoulder room rises by 26 mm (1.0 in) and rear knee room by 23 mm (0.9 in). A central front armrest with a storage compartment, big door pockets, two cupholders and a new closed stowage box beneath the rotary light switch add to the everyday usefulness. Power belt feeds that extend and retract are standard for driver and passenger. The rear bench seats two, with a storage tray between them and a folding armrest; the backrests fold 40:20:40 using a remote release in the boot. Luggage capacity grows by 10 litres to a best-in-segment 465 litres (16.4 cu ft). The tailgate opens automatically, and with optional sensor control a proximity sensor in the rear bumper reacts to a kicking motion — unlocking and opening the boot once the optionally available advanced key is detected.

The instrument panel’s horizontal architecture gives the high-quality, sportily appointed cabin a real sense of room. Illuminated door sills bearing the RS 5 logo greet you as standard, and LED light guides trace the contours of the doors and centre console in 30 different colours when the optional ambient lighting is specified. The interior is black, and RS sport seats with a rhombus pattern and an embossed RS emblem set the tone. They come in a leather and Alcantara mix with heating and lumbar support, and are optionally available in fine Nappa leather with a honeycomb pattern and contrasting stitching, or in perforated Milano leather.

The flat-bottomed, three-spoke RS multifunction sport leather steering wheel carries buttons for the infotainment and high-gloss black shift paddles with aluminium elements. The rim and the RS-specific shift gate both wear the RS badge. The optional RS design package brings a sporty contrast red to the centre console, armrests, seat belts and floor mats with an RS logo, and covers the wheel, selector lever and knee pads in Alcantara. The Sonoma green design package from Audi exclusive adds matching contrasting stitching — a natural partner for the new exclusive exterior paint.

Cockpit, connect and assistance

As standard the RS 5 Coupé uses large RS-specific analogue instruments for speed — scaled to 320 km/h (198.8 mph) — and revs, with a 7-inch colour driver information system between them. The centre-console MMI display measures 7 inches in basic form, while optional MMI navigation plus steps up to an 8.3-inch screen. The all-digital Audi virtual cockpit is the alternative to the analogue dials; its 12.3-inch TFT display has a resolution of 1,440 x 540 pixels and offers detailed, selectable graphics. As on every RS model, the RS screen puts the rev counter with integrated digital speed readout front and centre, letting the driver arrange torque (in Nm), power (in percent), tyre pressure and temperature (bar/°C) and g-forces around it. The rev counter doubles as a shift indicator: in manual mode green, orange and red segments light sequentially as revs build, and just before the limit the whole scale flashes red. The lap timer, another RS menu function, records up to 99 laps and compares the times. The status of key components — tyre, engine-oil and transmission-fluid temperatures, plus tyre pressure — is shown too, and an optional head-up display projects information onto the windscreen in the driver’s line of sight, with RS-specific content such as a shift light and lap-time and oil-temperature readouts.

You operate the infotainment through the round rotary push-button on the broad, asymmetrically shaped centre console, which can be ordered with a touch-sensitive surface for entering characters and multi-finger gestures. Natural-language voice control recognises plenty of everyday phrases, and the intelligent free-text search returns results after only a few characters. A deluxe automatic climate control system is optionally available, regulating temperature and distribution separately for driver, front passenger and rear passengers, with rear occupants setting their own temperature from a control unit in the rear centre console.

For entertainment, the optionally available MMI navigation plus with MMI touch brings an 8.3-inch monitor at 1,024 x 480 pixels, a DVD drive, 10 GB of flash memory, two card readers, AUX-IN and a USB connection with charging. The Audi connect hardware module is included, linking the car to the internet over LTE. Thanks to the permanently installed Audi connect SIM, the flat-rate data package for the connect services — including Europe-wide roaming — is free for three years, and passengers can browse via the optional Wi-Fi hotspot. The traffic-sign and hazard information services bring the first Car-to-X technologies on board: the car exchanges information with other Audi models almost in real time through the connect SIM. With traffic-sign information, the on-board camera reads speed limits and reports the data over the mobile network to a cloud server, which collects and processes it for other Audi drivers; driver-assistance systems then use it for predictive, efficient cruise control, and the data also feeds updates to the navigation maps. With hazard information, cars warn one another about accidents, broken-down vehicles, slippery surfaces or reduced visibility, analysing parameters from the in-car electronics, rain and light sensors, headlights and wiper operation. A warning goes out as soon as eCall makes an emergency call or an airbag deploys, and the saved information is forwarded to the cloud; warnings then appear in the instrument cluster and are read aloud as voice messages.

The free Audi MMI connect app adds more, transferring a smartphone’s calendar to the MMI and providing access to music and audiobooks via Aupeo! and Napster as well as over 4,000 internet radio stations; destinations from Google Maps, points of interest and the “Travel” service can be sent from phone to car navigation. The standard Audi connect safety & service package includes remote functions: through the app the driver can check vehicle status, locate where the car is parked, and lock or unlock it, and the package also covers emergency call, online roadside assistance and Audi service request. The Audi smartphone interface integrates iOS and Android phones through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the Audi phone box connects a smartphone to the vehicle antenna for better reception while charging it inductively to the Qi standard. On the audio front, the optional Bang & Olufsen Sound System with 3D sound adds a sense of height using four extra speakers, two in the instrument panel and two in the A-pillars. Its heart is a 755-watt, 16-channel amplifier driving 20 speakers, with two subwoofers behind the rear side-panel trims generating the bass.

With up to 30 driver-assistance systems, the RS 5 Coupé outguns its rivals. Some are standard, and the optional systems can be ordered individually or grouped into the “Parking”, “City” and “Tour” packages. Central to Audi’s next step toward piloted driving is adaptive cruise control (ACC) with stop & go including traffic jam assist. ACC holds a safe distance from the car ahead by accelerating and braking automatically, with five distance stages and acceleration and response adjustable through drive select; it works with the Tiptronic across the full 0 to 250 km/h (155.3 mph) range. Stop & go brakes the car to a standstill and restarts it automatically at the driver’s request, and in slow traffic up to 65 km/h (40.4 mph) traffic jam assist decelerates and accelerates the car autonomously; on well-built roads it can briefly take over steering too. The predictive efficiency assistant reads GPS information from the car’s surroundings and saves fuel with specific driving advice — a feature Audi says is unique in the segment. Collision avoidance assist helps the driver steer around an obstacle, computing a recommended avoidance track from front-camera, ACC and radar data in a fraction of a second. Turn assist, park assist, cross-traffic assist rear, exit warning, camera-based traffic-sign recognition and Audi active lane assist round out the line-up. Standard-fit Audi pre sense city monitors the road at up to 85 km/h (52.8 mph), detects vehicles and pedestrians, and initiates full braking in an emergency, while Audi side assist warns from 15 km/h (9.3 mph) when sensors detect a vehicle in the blind spot or approaching rapidly, lighting an LED in the exterior mirror. A standard speed limiter can be set between 30 and 250 km/h (18.6 to 155.3 mph) — handy in town or through roadworks — and the car issues a break recommendation on early signs of driver inattention.

The RS 5 Coupé arrives with a comprehensive standard specification. That includes LED headlights and LED tail lights, RS sport suspension, 19-inch forged aluminium wheels, the RS exhaust system and the Audi drive select dynamic handling system. Inside, RS sport seats in a leather-Alcantara mix with a rhombus pattern and lumbar support, a flat-bottomed RS multifunction sport leather wheel and stainless-steel pedals set a sporty mood, while climate control, MMI radio plus with a 7-inch colour display, Bluetooth, belt feeds with seat-belt height adjustment and the adjustable speed limiter keep things civilised. The assistance list runs to Audi pre sense city, Audi side assist, parking system plus, multicollision brake assist, and the Audi connect safety & service package including vehicle control.

Vehicle data

Make	Audi
Model	RS 5 Coupé (second generation)
Generation / chassis code	Second generation (chassis code not stated in sources)
Model year(s) covered	2017 (launch year, as described)
Body style	Two-door coupé
Powertrain / engine	2.9 TFSI bi-turbo V6, 2,894 cm³
Power / torque	331 kW (450 hp); 600 Nm (442.5 lb-ft)
Transmission	Eight-speed Tiptronic
Drivetrain	Quattro permanent all-wheel drive (60:40 rear-biased centre differential)
Key performance figures	0–100 km/h 3.9 s; top speed 250 km/h limited (280 km/h with RS dynamic package); NEDC 8.7 L/100 km, 197 g CO2/km
Price (as stated, with currency/market)	Not stated in sources
On-sale / announcement period	2017 launch of the second-generation RS 5 Coupé
Market	Europe (metric figures)
Source notes	auto-mundo.com article plus Audi press material and 2017 UK review (RAC); all sources matched the 2017 second-generation RS 5 Coupé