Audi RS5 450hp

2018 Audi RS5 Debuts with Fewer Cylinders, Angrier Styling
Its new twin-turbo V-6 makes 444 horsepower and 443 lb-ft.

With the latest generation of the Audi A5 and S5 coupes already on sale, we’ve been awaiting the arrival of the maximum-horsepower version, and now it’s here: the RS5.

The new RS5 is powered by a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6, making 444 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque, the latter available from 1900 to 5000 rpm. That output is down slightly in horsepower versus the previous RS5’s 450-hp 4.2-liter V-8 but far exceeds its 317 lb-ft of torque. Code-named EA839 and also used in the Porsche Panamera 4S, the new V-6 locates its turbochargers between the cylinder banks and is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. (The last RS5, you may recall, used a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.) The RS5’s standard Quattro all-wheel-drive system has a 40/60 default torque split; Audi’s torque-vectoring rear differential is optional. Audi claims a zero-to-62-mph time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed—with the optional RS Dynamic package—of 174 mph.

The RS5 sits lower than its platform mates on a multilink suspension front and rear. As before, dampers that are diagonally linked hydraulically to reduce body roll and pitch, which Audi calls Dynamic Ride Control, are available, along with variable-ratio Dynamic Steering and carbon-ceramic brakes. Nineteen-inch wheels are standard, with 20-inchers optional.

Outside, the RS5 sports fenders widened by 0.6 inch, a honeycomb-mesh grille flanked by large lower air intakes, available matrix LED headlights (outside the U.S., at least), and a fixed rear wing. A carbon-fiber roof, which can be clear-coated or painted, is optional. There also are three exterior appearance packages, in gloss black, carbon, and matte aluminum.

Inside, Audi’s virtual cockpit TFT instrument cluster has RS-specific graphics and information (including lateral and longitudinal g-forces, torque, and tire pressure), and there are sport seats and a flat-bottom steering wheel. Nappa leather with diamond stitching is available, as is a design package that brings red highlights and microsuede accents to the otherwise all-black interior.

The coupe should reach North America in the latter half of 2017, where it will do battle with the BMW M4, the Cadillac ATS-V coupe, the Lexus RC F, and the Mercedes-AMG C63 coupe. There’s still more to come for the RS5: We also expect it to appear in convertible form, and perhaps as a Sportback, too, as Audi Sport prepares to launch eight new models by the end of 2018.