There's something strange about this Audi RS5.
There are multiple strange things to this new RS5, to be completely honest.
First of all, the engine.
In the front, we no longer find a 4.2-litre V8.
Instead, there's a 2.9-litre V6,
which means this engine is smaller, than the engine in the Audi S5.
That's a 3.0-litre, after all.
The S-tronic double clutch gearbox is gone as well, so no quick downshift.
It now has a 8-speed automatic gearbox with a torque converter.
That brings us to the third strange thing; Audi states this car is the 'Gran Turismo-model in the RS-range'.
Wait. Gran Turismo? RS stands for RennSport...
The most sporty cars Audi has to offer. What have they done with this car?
What they've done exactly, is removing this car from a very busy segment.
The BMW M3, the Mercedes-AMG C63, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Q...
All of them want to be the sportiest, the most dynamic, and the sharpest car.
Sure, you can try to get inbetween them...
But Audi has decided to do things differently with this RS5.
And they've done it quite well.
Right now, I'm driving on a very curvy mountain road in Andorra.
It's been a two and a half hour drive, and I'm really glad I got to drive this car instead of a M4,
or an Alfa Romeo Giulia Q, or a C63 AMG.
This really is an amazing travel companion, and that's partly because of the drivetrain.
The 2.9-litre V6 from Porsche really is sublime. It's got two turbo's,
which make the engine produce 600 Nm of torque, between 1.900 and 4.500 RPM.
That means it goes like lightning.
If those turbo's are working, you only have to sneeze to find yourself in another country.
It's really bizarre how quick this engine is, especially in the mid-range.
Then, the 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox.
It changes gear very subtle. It's very smooth and fluent.
It's quite a quiet car, and you can tear up the miles in such a nice way.
But what if you've driven for two and a half hours, and you finally reach that mountain road...
You put everything in Dynamic-mode, but suddenly the drivetrain isn't as convincing as it was before.
The engine remains awesome. It's such a sensational V6.
There's a small amount of turbo lag, a M4-engine is just a tad sharper,
but it isn't annoying at all. It's really quick.
It's got the exact same amount of power as its predecessor; 450 horsepower.
But thanks to those extra Nm's of torque, it's half a second quicker to 100 km/h.
Only 3.9 seconds!
That's quite the achievement, considering it's about 60 horsepower down on a C63 AMG or a Giulia Q.
Even though, it's still in the champions league when it comes to its performance.
0-100 in 3.9 seconds, and a optional top speed of 280 km/h.
Right. When you're on that mountain road, it's the gearbox which causes the struggle.
That's because they've altered the software. This versions shifts gear quicker than any other ZF-gearbox.
But it just isn't quick enough on a road like this.
Right now I'm approaching a hairpin, so you would shift back two or three gears.
But it only changes back now. So where you would normally want to shift back before the corner,
it sometimes shifts at the moment you steer into the corner.
That's something a M-DCT, or a MCT-AMG transmission does a lot better.
And that's too bad.
The same goes for the chassis, because if you put everything in Comfort-mode,
it really becomes a comfortable car. Much more comfortable than a M4 or its predecessor.
Actually, it's more comfortable than anything. The suspension is nice, the car is quiet,
the steering isn't hyper-direct, it really is very nice...
But then you get to those hairpins again, and you engage Dynamic-mode again.
It just isn't the best, and that's partly because of the optional dynamic steering.
It varies the directness of the steering, the level of power steering, and it makes you a little uncertain of what the car will do.
In a car which produces 450 horsepower, that is something you will want to know.
You just won't know the full story in this car.
That said, it's a car which enables the most incompetent driver to go very quickly.
Be sure to get sports differential. That makes sure the power gets distributed individually...
between the left- and right rear wheels.
If you do that, you'll have to handle this RS5 quite typical.
Normally, if you want to exit a corner very quickly, you let the steering wheel return to it's normal position very easily whilst accelerating out.
In this RS5 however, you steer in and put your foot down in the middle of the corner.
Get your steering wheel up again, and let the electronics and the four-wheel drive do their jobs.
You'll literally launch out of the corner.
Everybody can do it as well. The first few times you try it, it really is amazing.
It's so quick. Really sensational...
But then, after about ten of those hairpins, you realize you're not doing this.
The electronics are doing it for you.
Of course, that's very impressive.
It absolutely doesn't mean this is a bad car, but its rear-wheel drive rivals require finesse...
They require driving skills from you, as a driver.
But this RS5... It does it all for you,
even if it has to go at speeds which'll make you sweat.
But the car just doesn't come 'to life'. Sure, there's a dash of oversteer, but it never gets really sensational.
And that's too bad, especially for the following reason.
This RS5 costs €117.500.
That's €35.000 more than a Audi S5.
And to be completely honest, I can't really tell where that €35.000 has gone.
A S5 already is a Gran Turismo, it's got a 3.0-litre V6 as well...
Sure, it's down 100 horsepower, but it's still very quick.
It also has quattro four-wheel drive, optionally with a sports differential as well.
And with that, it kind of makes me feel this isn't a direct competitor to a M4,
or a Giulia Q or a C63 AMG. This feels like an Audi S5 Plus.
And that's really nice, but for an extra €35.000?
I just get the feeling it was supposed to be more than this...