Audi RS5 II

Based on the second-generation Audi A5 Coupe, the all-new RS5 wants to be a serious rival to the likes of BMW's M4 and Mercedes-AMG's C63 Coupe, but what exactly is going on about this new and improved high-performance version of the A5 made by the skunk works of the recently renamed Audi Sport, formerly known as quatttro gmbH?

2018 Audi RS5

2018 Audi RS5

Being based on the all-new A5, the all-new Audi RS5 is even better looking than the previous model judging from its new aerodynamics that makes it as leathery as a leather jacket you worn from last night's bar brawl and the same goes to the interior which is also leathery by Audi standards. This is like putting more muscle to your cream biscuits and the thicker the cream, the more delicious it is and for the RS5, it's got more muscle on the design that will make it barely noticeable on the road.

2018 Audi RS5 interior

2018 Audi RS5 interior

So, when the new RS5 is becoming more muscular on the outside as well as on the inside, has it got more muscle on the performance, you might ask? Er, afraid not because for starters, the glorious 4.2L V8 from the previous model has been thrown away to the garbage bin (man, we're going to miss that noise) and in place, there's the new 2.9 TFSi V6 BiTurbo engine that produces 450PS of power and 600Nm of torque. With the 8-speed tiptronic transmission, which is almost as pointless as your nightly boardroom meeting on overtime, it does 0-100kph in 3.9 seconds with top speed normally limited to 250kph or with a little extra service that will raise the limit to 280kph.

That sounds like quick but by the way it sounds? It's like an average six-cylinder luxury saloon you might say and while it sounds so soothe, it's not as intimidating than the old model's V8 engine that some say that fires a droplet of petrol every time you make gear changes, producing more noise. While we're going to miss that glorious noise of that old-timer, that sound of the V6 twin turbo engine is not worthy enough to win the hearts of some speedo boys and that's just the half of the story.

Audi says that the new RS5 features a much improved dynamics courtesy of its new five-link construction on the front axle, the five-link suspension on the rear, the RS sport suspension plus with Dynamic Ride Control, ceramic brakes, and dynamic steering with RS-specific tuning, but truth be told, it never changed the dynamics of this car, in fact it feels like it' been slightly improved. You can barely feel the difference on how you handle this all-wheel drive mongrel and while it has that all-wheel drive powertrain, which is very nice to drive in any kind of road, you can really feel the understeering every time you turn this car hard on the bends and because it doesn't have that glorious torque vectoring like you get on today's Mercedes E63 or a Ford Focus RS, you're like you're struggling to get it through the corner and this calls for more painkillers when your arms are feeling the aching sensation every time you handle this car very sharply like a pro. Quite an arm-breaking experience, isn't it?

Should you buy it? The new RS5 starts at 80,900 Euros plus on road costs and that's too much to pay than the BMW M4 Coupe, which remains one of the best high-performance luxury coupes to drive today, and expensive aside, what you get is a new RS5 that almost feels like the last time, except it's lost some of its charm due to downsizing terms and despite the added power that will upset the others, it's the handling you should be worrying about as well as your arms because of that understeering despite having quattro on this car.

Photo: Audi AG

Audi RS5 Cabriolet

Now let's move on to the Audi RS5. As told from Top Gear, the RS5 is not a decent alternative to the BMW M3, heavier than the BMW M3, not a successor to the fire-breathing Audi quattro and can be sometimes a terrible rubbish. Now however, Audi has come up with a new variant of the RS5...

2014 Audi RS5 Cabriolet

This is the Audi RS5 Cabriolet. Just like the RS5, it has quattro all-wheel drive that you can still reach incredible angles and rescue it but for the sake of neck-breaking pleasure. Like the RS5, it too has a 4.2 FSi V8 engine that produces 450HP of power. That's about the same power that you'll get on the upcoming C7 Corvette Stingray, if I'm honest. At the starting price of around 88,500 Euros, that's about as cheaper than the latest BMW M6 Cabrio or the Jaguar XKR-S Convertible! Hmmm...

That doesn't seem bad for a car that costs less than the M6 or an XKR-S but on the subject of the RS5, I can also expect some party piece that fires a droplet of exhaust, meaning that this car uses some petrol to make changing gear sound nice. Yes, really, the exhaust note of the RS5's pretty dramatic but this is the cabriolet version. And if by cabriolet, let's called it the ruined version of the RS5 because the weight has only gone up by around 200kg and the height has been lowered by over 20mm. With all the added weight on the RS5 Cabriolet, 0-100kph takes about 4.9 seconds and top speed normally limited to 250kph while being mated with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission, the one with the party piece I was talking about where the world's precious resources has been converted to noise.

In partial terms of driving the RS5 Cabriolet the feeling with the roof open is simple. You can listen to that exhaust note very clearly, which in fact, you can get high on to that noise as long as you want but don't if you are in a very cold place where closing the roof is mandatory. It might be best if you are in the world's best driving roads where you can freely open the roof, forget about the radio, and enjoy what's in store in the open road. This is about as cheeky as Chummy but in the corners, expect catastrophic understeer. It's got the power but when you're cornering the RS5, it kinda feels like you are going to eat the whole chocolate cake of be sent to the chokey. Ouch. Gosh, I don't wanna be in the chokey. I'd rather just eat the whole chocolate cake and get outta here before facing the most deadly consequence known to little kids many.

However, if you're in the city, the RS5 Cabriolet is not the kind of car you would use on a day-to-day basis because as you going around in the streets, people are starting to get you noticed that you are going to the wrong party in the wrong clothes. Say you are wearing your everyday work clothes and then you're entering your party only to find out that it's a costume party and you don't even have a costume. Also worse that you are bumping yourself at the frat house where you'll meet up with a bunch of trash-talking males boozing around for a couple of minutes and then sharing their experiences about bullying, skipping school, and other stuff that most idiots do in their university life. If you are driving this car while you are heading to the prom or to the opening gala hosted by your boss, it feels like you think you are Sir Chief...Oh wait, I'm not a Sir Chief, I'm an oxymoron driving an Audi! Ugh, there goes the pigsa in my back...

In essence then the RS5 Cabriolet is the kind of car that feels like there's something on your back and that "something" on your back is just an average pigsa, waiting to be squished...

Photo: AUDI AG

RS5 Pikes Peak Version!

2012 Audi RS5 Pikes Peak Version

So, the recently facelifted Audi RS5's joining the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this August 12 (13 if you're in Asia), right? It's even got the Audi Sport livery as a tribute for the legendary Audi quattro. That livery's been used on the Audi TT before but hey, it's all in the family for Audi...

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/08/audi-sport-liveried-rs5-pictured-and.html

How can the wrong RS5 feels so right all along?

Uh, am I singing the song "Catch Me, I'm Falling" OR IS THAT JUST ME? Never mind, the Audi RS5 was added on Forza Motorsport 4 via January Jalopnik Pack. Don't blame them why they put the pre-facelifted version but in such reasons, the Audi RS5 was featured in an episode of Top Gear where it pit against the BMW M3 Competition Package. Sadly though, the Audi RS5 is heavier and despite the 4WD layout, it's nowhere near as good at the corners.

The retractable spoiler made the RS5
look even worse...

The Audi RS5 is not the modern day version of the Audi Quattro, a classic sports car that petrolheads love to drive this classic Audi. What really bothers me that it has some retractable spoiler that the Audi S5 doesn't have. However, what surprised me when if I had turned off the Traction Control, the RS5's Launch Control really puts this sportscar to a perfect launch but when it comes to corners, it's a complete wazzock. When I tuned it to meet its A-class regulation, it has proven to be somewhat quicker than my Aston Martin V12 Vantage, and yet it is superbly quicker than the time Stig set it on Top Gear. Yep, the Audi RS5 raced through the Top Gear Test Track at 1:27.5 but my tuned RS5 just pushed it even further but a little bit uncomfortable at my burning back.

The Audi RS5's interior

As I watched an episode of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson once said that the Audi RS5 uses petrol to make gear-changing sounds nice. I don't know why but at the end, the Audi RS5 is as worthless as the BMW M3 Competition Package. However, when reviewed by Top Gear Magazine, the RS5 gave a 15/20 rating and what they like is that it's comfortable, well-made, exclusive, looks good, and grips well. I like that.

Oooohhh!! Brrrrr!!

How can something so wrong feels so right all along? Catch me, I'm falling over the seduction of the RS5!

Audi RS5

To sum the words from some beer commercial in the Philippines, saying that only men should act like men, the beefed up version of the A5 coupe, known as the RS5, turns ordinary men into real road warriors of the Autobahn. To prove that the new RS5 is the inferno sports car for real men, here are the key points on observing the RS5's circles of hell, which is perfect for men to experience its hell-raising capabilities, from smoke to bourbon:

CASE 1:
The RS5 is powered with the 4.2 FSI V8 natural aspiration engine, which has the power output of 450PS, the torque output of 430 Nm, the top speed of 250km/h, and the time of 4.6 seconds in the 0-100kph run.

CASE 2:
The RS5 is equipped with quattro technology's first lightweight crown-gear center differential. (The differential with the shape of the crown) The crown-gear differential allows the RS5 changes the way it distributes the torque between the front and rear axles, for handling that is surely for real men only.

CASE 3:
The Audi drive select that is equipped on the RS5 allows drivers to choose from three different modes; comfort for fuel-efficient purposes and comfortable driving, auto for sensing the driving conditions, and dynamic for agile driving performance. A fourth mode, available when the MMI option is equipped, allows drivers to customize the way the RS5 behaves.

CASE 4:
The price of the new Audi RS5 is 77,700 Euros (guessing 5.5 million pesos), and its affordable than the Mercedes-Benz SL63/65 AMG.

My thoughts about the RS5:
Real Autobahn sports car only real men should ever try. The exterior is a drool-worthy experience, the interior has the smell of success, and the performance is truly a thriller. I can say that the RS5 is perfectly targeted for grown men who wanted to take a glimpse of this German devil with the burning passion to outperform everyone from its lust, greed, and gluttony over German sports cars with the desire for revenge. Go ahead, make yourselves comfortable, make yourselves manly, and be caught in the RS5's trap.

Source: http://leopauldelr.multiply.com/reviews/item/211