Audi’s new–halo car has landed on these shores, and this time its thunderously fast family car comes with a plug.
Before purists wail in despair, the new RS5 has adopted a plug-in hybrid format for very good reason: to deliver 630hp these days and still meet various emissions and tax regime requirements mean you need a bit of battery charge.
The new model retains its 2.9-litre V6 engine, though Audi says it has been completely reworked. Added to this is a 130kW electric motor, bringing total output to a hefty 630hp.
The price is not just a second filling flap; it’s also a big leap in weight. That motor is supported by a 22kWh battery pack that delivers up to 80km in EV-only driving.
However, with this hefty pack and the motor – along with the four-wheel drive quattro set-up that’s core to the car’s DNA, you get a stealth supercar weighing in at 2,355kg for the saloon and 2,370kg for the Avant estate.
Asking a 2.4‑tonne car to deliver supercar performance is like entering a tighthead prop in the 100‑metre Olympic final. Yet this magic is what Audi engineers claim to have achieved. A claimed 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds suggests they may have pulled it off.
Part of this, they claim, is down to a new technical highlight: combining its centre differential on the rear axle with a small electric motor that takes just 15 milliseconds to manage up to 2,000Nm of torque difference between the rear wheels. By slowing or accelerating left and right driveshafts independently, you can see how Audi has managed to add a new feature to its drive mode options: drifting. If you can afford the car, then it’s expected you can afford the tyres.
That pendulum effect is likely aided by a reported weight balance of 49:51 front to rear.
Audi is not the first to face the weight-to-pace challenge: BMW similarly struggled with defying the laws of physics for its latest M5, and that car is selling remarkably well, even in high-priced Ireland. Last year BMW sold 73 M5s and another 38 this year, despite prices starting at €150,000.
In comparison the new RS5 seems entirely reasonable, starting at €115,000 for the saloon and €118,900 for the Avant. The German brand reckons the Irish preference for saloons will mean these will account for 60 per cent of RS5 sales, even though the Avant, in our view, is the much better buy.
Regardless, a suite of options will soon push those prices up, but the popularity of the M5 suggests there are buyers out there with this sort of cash to spend on the right cars.
The new RS5 is doing a tour of Audi showrooms this month, but perhaps the highlight is due in Waterford, which is hosting an Audi Heritage Day this Sunday, April 26th, where it will share the tarmac with some historic legends from the four-ringed brand, all of which will weigh in a lot lighter than this heavyweight.
