Audi Sport has pulled the wraps off the new RS5, and this one rewrites the rulebook. It replaces both the old RS4 and RS5, arrives as a sedan and Avant, and for the first time wears a plug-in hybrid badge. This is not mild electrification. It’s a full-blown performance hybrid with numbers big enough to rattle the segment.
Under the hood sits a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6, evolved from the previous RS4/RS5 unit. On its own, it delivers 503 hp and 600 Nm of torque. An electric motor integrated into the eight-speed automatic transmission adds another 174 hp and 460 Nm. Combined output stands at a formidable 630 hp and 825 Nm.
That puts it well ahead of the base BMW M3 and even the BMW M3 Competition xDrive. Audi claims 0–100 km/h in 3.6 seconds. There’s also a boost function that unleashes maximum output for 10 seconds at a time. Practical family car, meet launch-control party trick.
Real Electric Range, Not Just a Token
The RS5 packs a 22 kWh net battery mounted under the boot floor. It supports AC charging up to 11 kW and promises up to 80 km of electric-only range. That’s a meaningful number in daily use, and far beyond what performance hybrids like the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance offered in earlier iterations.
In theory, you could commute silently during the week and still have 630 hp waiting for you on Sunday morning. That dual personality is clearly the brief here.
Quattro, Evolved
Audi hasn’t ignored handling. The Quattro all-wheel-drive system gets a new center differential designed to sharpen turn-in and reduce traditional Audi understeer. At the rear, Dynamic Torque Control uses an electromechanical torque-vectoring transaxle to distribute power between the rear wheels in milliseconds.
There’s even an RS Torque Rear mode. Translation: drift mode. For a brand once stereotyped for nose-heavy handling, this is a deliberate statement.
Braking hardware is equally serious. Standard steel discs measure 420 mm at the front and 400 mm at the rear. Optional carbon ceramics increase that to 440 mm and 410 mm, respectively, trimming around 30 kg in the process.
The Weight Question
Here’s the part that will divide opinion. The new RS5 sedan weighs 2,355 kg with the driver. The Avant adds 15 kg more. That’s roughly 550 kg heavier than the old RS4 Avant and significantly more than rivals like the BMW M5though it undercuts that car slightly in absolute terms.
In fact, the RS5 now outweighs certain versions of the Ford F-150 SuperCab. For enthusiasts who equate performance with lightness, that’s a hard pill to swallow.
Still, electrification comes at a cost. Bigger batteries, added hardware, and reinforced structures all add mass. The question is whether the chassis tuning and torque vectoring can mask it on the road.
Aggressive Design, Unified Identity
Visually, the RS5 leans into its role as Audi’s compact performance flagship. It’s around 90 mm wider than the standard A5, wears a darker honeycomb grille, and features distinctive lighting signatures with checkered-flag detailing. At the rear, a sculpted diffuser and large matte oval exhaust tips complete the look.
It certainly looks every bit the modern RS car. Now the spotlight turns to how it drives. If Audi has managed to blend electrified muscle with genuine agility, the RS5 could signal a new chapter for performance sedans and wagons. If not, critics will point to the scales and ask uncomfortable questions.
Either way, the era of lightweight turbo-only RS cars is officially over.
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