The Audi RS5 Thread

New Audi RS 5 revealed with 470 kW hybrid power

Boasting 470 kW and 825 N.m, Audi has officially revealed the new RS 5, the first high-performance plug-in hybrid model in the German marque’s RS portfolio.

Marking the beginning of a new era of RS models, Audi has whipped the wraps off the new RS 5, the German marque’s first high-performance plug-in hybrid (PHEV). Said Rolf Michl, Managing Director of Audi Sport, “The RS 5 and its innovative drive concept mark the beginning of a new era for our RS models.”

The RS 5’s PHEV powertrain comprises a 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6 internal combustion engine (ICE) supplemented by a 130 kW/460 N.m electric motor – the latter fed by 22 kWh (net) battery pack. The ICE component of the PHEV setup is endowed with 375 kW – an increase of 44 kW over the previous-generation RS 4/RS 5 – and 600 N.m of torque. (As a reminder, the new A5/RS 5 replaces the A4/RS 4 in Audi’s lineup, with even-numbered models being fully electric.)

Combined, the RS 5’s new-energy powertrain produces headline figures of 470 kW and 825 N.m. Power is delivered to the road via Audi’s quattro all-wheel drivetrain – the latter coupled with an eight-speed automatic transmission paired with a limited-slip centre differential, which distributes torque between the fore and aft axles in either a 70:30 or 15:85 split depending on the driving situation.

 
Watch out, M3 Touring: the 630bhp, *2.3-tonne* Audi RS5 is here, and it’s now a V6 hybrid

Audi plugs electricity into an RS wagon for the first time. Looks… angry

Audi’s RS cars have always looked angry about something or other, so it’s hard to tell whether this new RS5 is upset that it's suddenly put on so much weight, that it has to entertain flailing mortal hands, or that it’s partly powered by electricity.

Because, yes folks, it’s happened: Audi Sport has fitted its first ever plug-in hybrid system inside an RS car, and the result is a supremely vexed 630bhp performance wagon. Watch out, BMW M3 Touring, the original fast estate has returned for an almighty scrap.

Oh, sure, you can spec the new RS5 as a saloon, too, and no, the name still doesn’t make sense to the rest of us raised on fast, small (ish) Audi saloons and estates being called RS4s, but whatever. Six hundred and thirty horsepower is what Marty McFly would call ‘heavy’.

Of course, as we mentioned up top, it is actually really very heavy, Audi quoting 2,355kg for the saloon, and 2,370kg for the wagon. A significant increase over the previous gen (1,790kg), and significantly porkier than that pesky M3 (1,865kg). Needs a healthy engine to power that much bulk along, and luckily there is one.

 
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