Three kids, a Saint Bernard dog, luxury home in the French Alps and an Audi RS Avant. That was your reviewer’s life plan as a daydreaming uni student, but circumstance – namely becoming a journalist and not a surgeon/crypto trader – suitably scuppered the chances.
It makes driving the new Audi RS5 Avant a blessing and curse. There are regrets of what might have been had I earned a decent salary, but then, holy heck, how good is your job when piloting a 470kW/825Nm uber-wagon along Targa Tasmania roads before a racetrack chaser?
This was our first sample of Audi’s venerable new RS5 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) on Aussie soil, following Tom Baker’s earlier international drive. “Wicked fast and fun” were his core takeaways; unsurprising with the retained but revised 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol plus new electrification boost, upping power and torque by almost 40 per cent.
Alas, also on the up are weight and price. The RS5 is available only as a PHEV with liftback Sedan or Avant wagon body (the RS4 and RS6 are no longer offered), priced from $179,900 and $182,900 respectively, before on-roads.
That’s a $12k – $18k leap over old, and pricier now than a non-plug-in BMW M3 manual ($169,600), but less than a Mercedes-AMG C63 S PHEV ($193,100).
Tasty Euro company, but can our RS5 quattro – the first Audi RS PHEV – lay claim to being the greatest high-performance mid-size car in the world?
Well, if you rate lightness, the news ain’t good. The car’s high-voltage 25.9kWh battery, electric motor and all the associated high-tech gubbins means 2497kg (Sedan) and 2517kg (Avant) on the scales.
Comically high numbers for a mid-size performance car. A BMW M3 sedan manual is 1780kg, and the M3 Touring auto 1925kg. The Bimmer may be a rear-drive self-shifter free of electric propulsion, but that’s a 717kg (!) difference. Or the weight of an entire Caterham Seven.
So despite the hefty leap in kilowatts and newton metres, the RS5’s obesity crisis means 0-100km/h acceleration drops only a smidge, from 3.9s to 3.6s. Then again, that’s performance aplenty, isn’t it?
And guess what? Audi couldn’t have made this RS5 without the plug-in bit. Strict Euro emissions and Let’s Ban Combustion! government policies wouldn’t tolerate it. So we should take the positives of tastier performance and very practical EV-only ranges of 78km (Sedan) and 76km (Avant).
You can read our full RS5 specification story here, but allow me some reporting from the coal face. Seriously, folks, why are you buying performance SUVs? Audi’s design may stick to a tried and tested formula, but good grief these cars have muscular elegance and presence.
The RS5 looks fresher than a Benz C63, and less ugly-of-snout than an M3.
Normally I’d default to the wagon, but the wide-girth sedan (40mm fatter than before) with subtle boot spoiler also looks superb, plus has the very practical hatch-like boot lid. Exhaust exits on both kick subtlety into next week.
The mega central twin ovals seriously signal intent, then peek inside and you’ll see variable flaps for tailored notes, pops and crackles from the RS Sport system, which sounds mega from outside, but too baffled from the cabin, sadly.
Darkened Matrix LED headlights angle towards a gaping black honeycomb grille and air intakes in the RS bumper; then red calipers clinch mega 420mm front brake discs (400mm at rear) behind 21-inch Audi Sport alloys. These are wrapped in Pirelli P Zero rubber.
A heads up: your tyre bills won’t be pleasant if you get keen in this 2.5-tonne brute, and even less so if you engage drift mode.
A bit more bespoke? Watch our video of the test car specc’d with $4400 Audi Sport Package, which brings RS bumpers and a top speed jump to 285km/h. This is the only way into possibly the best colour too – Bedford Green – while inside are brass-coloured seat belts, green contrast stitching, and microfibre (suede-like) steering wheel.
Our car also had a Carbon Camouflage Matte styling package ($9300): an option only to be picked if you enjoy extra attention. Chopped carbon bumper bits, side sills, mirror caps and diffuser arrive (plus lip spoiler for Sedan), with more carbon off-cuts in the cabin inlays.
How is the RS5’s interior?
The cockpit is screen heavy. Too screen heavy.
Audi used to do a blissful blend of smart layout, beautiful switchgear and just enough tech (check out a 2013 Audi RS4 or 2014 Audi TT), but the RS5’s trio of screens (Audi’s “Digital Stage”) running the length of the dashboard feels more gaming monitor than purist sporting car.
They’re crystal clear and function well, and overall it’s a special, sumptuous cabin. There’s a panoramic roof with switchable transparency, Nappa leather with perforated honeycomb, while RS Sport bucket seats are power, heated, ventilated and massage, and damn comfy to boot.
The steering wheel is squared off, pleasingly unfussy, and has encouraging red buttons for RS drive modes and Boost: an F1-like push-to-pass giving 10 seconds of maximum acceleration.
Bang & Olufsen 3D audio is as thumping as the RS5’s performance, while safety kit’s comprehensive, and includes a front dash cam (helps record track sessions) and 360-degree camera.
Two rear chairs are heated, while in the back there’s good headroom, but it’s a bit tight for leg and toe room.
The boot spaces, meanwhile, aren’t huge: 361 litres for the wagon and 331L for the sedan, due to the pesky electric stuff under the floor. A humble VW Golf hatch’s boot trumps both RS5 body styles.
How does the RS5 drive on road?
Our opening thrill ride takes us from Launceston over some of Targa Tasmania’s finest stages.
Yes, I pootled out of town in EV-only mode for research purposes, and it’s expectedly smooth and silent (but dull), while the RS5’s ride proves surprisingly plush on its twin-valve adaptive dampers. Daily driver? Oh, no problem.
Red “RS” button engaged, the road ahead corner-stacked and empty, it’s playtime. There’s no issues in the acceleration department. Traction is mega and there’s no noticeable lag between throttle mash and combustion/electric combo surging us up the road. Love or loathe the electrification, but that immediate EV response is staggering.
I try to ignore the breadth of tech holding us on the road and just enjoy the ride. The steering rack’s rapid, its handling near un-stickable and control out of a corner apex is altogether brain-bending.
There’s a playful nature to the drive – not always common in an Audi quattro – with a torque split up to 85 percent in favour of the rear end thanks to a self-locking centre differential and world-first electro-mechanical torque vectoring rear differential.
There’s serious science involved, but we’re told that the rear diff (which has its own electric motor) can transfer up to 2000Nm inboard or outboard in 15 milliseconds. Ideal, then, for Targa stages, the unit working things out far faster than my driver inputs, and probably Max Verstappen’s too.
From the seat of your pants, there’s a very heavy car with more agility, stability and traction than you’d believe. Okay, it doesn’t dart through turns like a lightweight roadster, but there’s some scything grace to this be-muscled Euro with its clever electric assistance.
Let’s not neglect the V6 twin-turbo gulping down jungle juice. That 2.9-litre enjoys a redline party, and offers a chunky 375kW even without its electric ally. There’s ample brawn to enjoy, but you must drop the windows to hear it properly, but even then it could use a dash more mongrel.
How does the RS5 drive on track?
Tassie’s Symmons Plains Raceway reveals even more of the RS5’s bandwidth. The back straight is long enough to find 200km/h, while the track’s famous hairpin is Australia’s only first gear corner.
So yes, it’s a very tough circuit on brakes, not least anchoring 2.5 tonnes of Audi to a safe cornering speed.
It’s a performance weapon that flatters the driver. It wants you to play, aided by flicking through RS drive modes: individual, sport and “torque rear”. In these modes, the battery is always being charged to ensure you don’t ever lose out on electric shove.
There’s so much instant torque, the RS5 is at its best in second gear out of the hairpin. The electric plugs any gaps as the combustion comes on song, and you can paddle shift through the eight-speed torque converter with reckless abandon: there’s always lumps of torque whatever the revs: it’s just easy to drive quick.
Then the madly advanced quattro system, dynamic torque vectoring, clever damping and who knows how many sensors and computers mop up hints of slip, slide and over-eager acceleration and braking. Yet the car allows a bit of oversteer for grins, then somehow keeps it all tidy under heavy braking if wheels are kept straight.
I’m sure the drift mode would be fun for a while, but we need tyres to get home. And I fear the car’s heft will seriously limit track time if you’re being enthusiastic. The RS5 really does mask its obesity so very well through fast and slow corners, but boy those Pirellis are working with mad forces.
Speaking of which, there’s advanced driving data to enjoy while driving, and to analyse afterwards. Via GPS, the centre screen shows the track’s outline, including pre-determined sectors, and as you’re lapping, green or red times pop up indicating if you’re faster or slower than before.
Afterwards, you can see lap times, maximum speed, max g-forces and full telemetry showing braking points and amount of throttle and brake application over a lap. This can then be overlaid with footage filmed from the front-facing on-board camera. Brilliant stuff.
Other things? The high voltage battery can’t be DC charged, but with AC the peak is 11kW: it’ll need 2.5 hours to fully replenish. The V6, of course, can be used as a generator when you like.
Audi gives a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty with roadside assist, service intervals are annual/15,000km, and the battery’s covered for eight years/160,000km.
A five-year service pack is reasonable at $3630: hopefully some cash left over for extra tyres.
The honest verdict
This test has reaffirmed my belief that an Audi RS Avant remains the most desirable hot wagon in the market.
The great and the good agree: Max Verstappen, David Beckham, Nigel Mansell and even Prince Harry have owned a big bum RS over the decades, and the new RS5 extends the desirability
The looks, performance, tech and luxe all score highly, and those with access to great roads or a great track will be beguiled by this Audi’s immense handling abilities and crackerjack drivetrain.
Purists may weep, and the battery and motors add a stupid amount of weight, but this car seemingly could only exist as a PHEV for emissions reasons.
Kudos to Audi, they’ve accepted that and got on with it. They’ve delivered a truly desirable performance wagon and sedan that could serve as track hero, daily driver, family hauler and eco delight with its 76km EV range.
The new RS5 remains every inch a dream all-rounder.