Style, speed and sophistication converge as never before in the updated Audi RS5.
What is it?
Since the late noughties, Audi’s sedans and coupés have embodied the classic Coke-bottle shape from the 1960s and ’70s which, along with elegant interiors, made their styling almost timeless. The formula was so good, in fact, that Audi has only tweaked and twiddled it through the ensuing years.
How much is it?
Both the coupé and four-door sportback start at $150,900 before on-road costs or any options.
What's it like inside?
The interior has a lot to live up to, then, and it doesn’t disappoint. Quilted leather seats, piano black and carbon-fibre-look finishes, a dimpled-leather D-shaped steering wheel, stainless steel pedals, and abundant soft-touch surfaces all exude class, cohesiveness, attention to detail and uncompromising build quality.
Gone is the last-generation menu navigation dial on the centre console to make way for full touchscreen functionality, while Audi’s ‘virtual cockpit’ now comprises a single big screen behind the steering wheel and a head-up display. Tech niceties include a lumbar support with a massage function, G-force meter, wireless phone charging and a Bang & Olufsen sound system.
While the coupé’s rear seats aren’t practical, the front-seat bases could be a kinder to the occupants’ backsides, and ticking options sends the price skyward, that’s as far as the nitpicking goes. It even has a decent boot.
What's it like on the outside?
The RS5 must be close to the best-looking sedan Audi has ever made. Nearly every hint of chrome has been dispensed with. The grille is black, and a carbon-fibre roof, black Audi badge and black wheels are $4900, $700 and $400 respectively.
An $11,200 ‘carbon and black’ styling package adds more darkness on the front and rear spoilers, rear diffusers and side mirrors. It might be overkill on another car, but the RS5 pulls it off in spectacular fashion, especially when gussied up in the no-cost-option Sonoma Green paint (as pictured) that’s reminiscent of Ford’s gorgeous limited-edition Bullitt Mustang.
What's it like to drive?
In its regular driving mode the RS5 offers a comfortable and quiet ride on suburban roads and can act every bit the luxury car. Selecting ‘sport’ with the RS drive mode button (pleasingly now on the steering wheel) makes such a difference you’d almost swear it was a different car. The ride firms up, the gear changes become savage, the throttle response is manic, and the exhaust note has some added theatre. Prodding the accelerator unleashes the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6’s torrent of power and torque, which propel the big coupé to 100km/h in a squeak under four seconds.
But it’s the handling that really sets the RS5 apart. Enormous low-profile tyres, all-wheel-drive, (optional) adaptive dampers and a good deal of tech working behind the scenes glue the RS5 to the tarmac and communicate road feel to the steering wheel in perfect detail. Massive ceramic brakes – which admittedly come with a massive $13,600 price tag – tame the prodigious momentum and make winding roads an absolute joy.
Final thoughts
The Audi RS5 offers a near-flawless recipe of exterior and interior styling, straight-line performance and masterful handling. If you have $150K-plus to blow on a car, you won’t regret blowing it on an Audi RS5.
Pros: Stunning inside and out; growly engine; go-kart handling
Cons: Desirable options jack up the price