Audi RS5 Coupe Review

Audi RS5 Coupe

Standing in the middle of the Audi RS performance range, how does the RS5 Coupe square up to its Audi siblings and competitors?

Overall Verdict

The Audi RS5 Coupe is a stunning sports car with a top-notch interior. It’s just a shame that it lacks the same enjoyable driving experience as its competitors, namely the Mercedes-AMG C63, Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and BMW M4.

One thing the RS5 Coupe doesn’t lack is outright pace. Powered by a twin turbo V6 engine and quattro all-wheel drive powertrain - that is shared with the Audi RS5 Sportback - the RS5 Coupe is an all-weather grand tourer that is built for high-speed, long-distance driving.

The high-performance sports car combines exhilarating speed with a luxury interior to create a comfortable ambience in the cabin. Premium features include a 3-spoke flat bottomed, leather steering wheel, heated front sports seats and a state-of-the-art infotainment system that all combine to make it one of the best affordable sports cars on the market.

In terms of practicality, the Audi RS5 is relatively decent for its class. With more boot space than close competitors and versatile seat folding capabilities, you won’t struggle to pack a few large suitcases or a couple of golf clubs for a weekend getaway.

With a high-powered engine, it’s inevitable that running costs are going to be through the roof. Even though the RS5 Coupe compares well against the BMW M4 and the Mercedes AMG C63 price-wise, the average joe will be looking at the car's MPG and CO2 emissions in disbelief.

All things considered, the Audi RS5 Coupe is a striking car with four-wheel drive capabilities, a ferocious engine and a classy interior cabin. It’s a true all-rounder, but unfortunately can’t match the outright thrill or enjoyment provided by some of the best small luxury cars like the BMW M4 Coupe or Mercedes AMG C63.

Available Trims

Audi RS5 Coupe

The entry-level RS5 Coupe comes with a whole host of standard features to get excited about. The 19” ‘10-spoke star’ design Audi Sport alloy wheels are ravishing, while the Audi Matrix LED headlights with LED rear lights and dynamic front and rear indicators have the technological prowess to adapt to different situations. The Audi MMI Navigation Plus system gives you the pleasure of both an MMI central touchscreen and Audi’s very own Virtual Cockpit system. You can enjoy all this innovative tech from the comfort of your RS Super Sport heated front seats,embroidered in Fine Nappa leather with contrast honeycomb stitching. Tasty.  

Audi RS5 Coupe Carbon Black

The mid-tier Carbon Black trim is very enticing. Its glossy carbon black styling pack. The front spoiler, front side flaps, side sill extension and rear diffuser are all bestowed in gloss black. This includes the Audi rings, logos and radiator grille that displays them. You’ll also receive larger 20” ‘5-segment-spoke Evo style’ Audi Sportalloy wheels in - yes, you guessed it - glossy black.

Audi RS5 Coupe Vorsprung

The Vorsprung trim is the mac-daddy of the RS5 Coupe range. In addition to the RS5 Coupe spec, the Vorsprung offers matrix LED headlights with Audi laser light that has twice the reach of conventional LED high beams. Sticking to the theme of LED lights, the interior cabin also gets an extended, multi-coloured LED interior lighting pack to go alongside the slick panoramic sunroof. You’ll also have access to Audi’s driver assistance ‘Tour Pack’, which offers a range of convenient systems like Adaptive Cruise Control, Park Assist and Audi Pre-Sense. If you love banging out the tunes, you’re in for a treat thanks to the integrated Bang & Olufsen 3D Sound System.

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Exterior

You can tell the Audi RS5 apart from its Sportback equivalent by its wider wheel arches and more dominating bumpers.

The wheel arches are 15mm wider than the standard A5 which plays its part in hiding the fatter wheels and twin oval exhaust pipes. Inspect the bonnet and you’ll see a silhouette of symmetrical contours with hypnotical appeal.

Honeycomb seems to be an ever-present theme for the RS5. The front end of the car is dominated by the wide single-frame honeycomb grille, where ventilation slits above it are reminiscent of its ‘big brother’ - the classic 1984 Audi Sport quattro.

It certainly doesn’t look out of place when lined up next to alternatives such as the Mercedes AMG C63 and the BMW M4 which is partly down to the standard aluminium styling pack that features distinctive matt aluminium details throughout including the iconic four rings that command the front end.

Driving Experience

Pitted against similarly priced rivals, the Audi RS5 Coupe lags behind in terms of outright performance. Saying that, there’s no doubting that the Audi RS5 will put a huge grin on your face once you stretch its legs.

Engine

Compared to it’s more subdued family members, the Audi RS5 Coupe boasts a monstrous high-powered engine.

Available in one petrol output, the 2.9-litre (444bhp) TFSI quattro 8-speed tiptronic automatic gearbox certainly has some bite. The RS5’s motor gets an additional turbocharger which gives it the oomph to overpower the S5’s 3 litres despite being a smaller unit.

The RS5 also shares its V6 petrol engine with the highly regarded Porsche Panamera 4S. The engine feels much more involved in lower revs compared to the previous V8-powered unit the RS5 used to store.

Performance

Rev the V6 engine hard, and you’ll benefit from the RS5’s peak performance. Thanks to Audi’s quattro four-wheel drive system, the rejuvenated Coupe has the ability to go from 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds. Despite reaching an impressive top speed of 155mph, the RS5 never feels as nippy as the Alfa Romeo Guilia Quadrifoglio, BMW M4 or Mercedes AMG C63.

The 8-speed automatic gearbox behaves well when you’re driving at low speeds, but there’s a delayed response when you ask it to burst into life. Despite the delay, the RS5 Coupe is up there with some of the best automatic cars around!

Handling

Once you get the RS5 Coupe on a straight stretch of road, you’ll unleash its true capabilities. It’s quick and responsive and even manages twisty roads with no major issues.

The four-wheel drive system ensures that the RS5 Coupe is always in control despite the unpredictable weather conditions thanks to its tremendous grip.

Put the car into Dynamic mode on the Audi Drive Select system and the RS5 turns into a different beast. The automatic gearbox responds faster, holds onto gears for longer as well as letting everyone know it's a true sports car with its growling engine noise from the optional sports exhaust. However, the novelty wears off pretty quick when the drone noise drowns out the music.

In Dynamic mode, steering becomes even heavier than the already weighted Comfort mode. This makes 3-point turning on a busy street an absolute mission and getting out of a busy supermarket car park an even bigger chore. All the RS5 Coupe’s competitors steer with more conviction thanks to their rear-wheel drive powertrain, but on a lovely summer's day, the traction you get out of corners from Audi’s quattro system is unbeatable.

Suspension

The entry-level RS5 Coupe comes with RS Sport suspension as standard. It does a great job of adjusting to different road conditions by harnessing power through its dynamic handling.

If you pay an additional £2000 (standard on Vorsprung trim), you’ll receive the RS Sport Suspension with Dynamic Ride Control adaptive dampers. This gives you the option of switching between either Auto, Comfort or Dynamic mode. Comfort is a softer, more relaxing choice, while Dynamic is a lot stiffer and firmer which makes it the golden ticket for the racetrack. Auto mode provides favoured equilibrium between comfort and body control. 

Audi RS5 Coupe Interior

The Audi RS5 Coupe’s interior is as bougie as you’d expect. The minimalist design is reminiscent of a Scandinavian apartment - assured and classy.

Styling

As the most exclusive model in the established Audi A5 range, you’d expect the Audi RS5 Coupe to be lavished in luxury - and it is. There’s a lovely blend of soft-touch plastics, plush leather dotted around the cabin and no in-your-face badges to worry about.

You’ll feel a new lease of life once you wrap your hands around the flat-bottomed, high multi-functioning perforated leather steering wheel which, of course, comes with plenty of adjustment and a smart RS badge.

On the topic of adjustment, those soft Nappa leather seats with contrasting honeycomb stitching have it in abundance. You can ramp things up a notch by activating the pneumatic massage function and heated elements which really is the icing on this very tasty cake.

Tech

Audi’s standard MMI infotainment system offers an impressive insight into the technological prowess of the German brand. With the Audi RS5 Coupe you’ll get a crisp 8.3-inch centre-piece atop the dashboard that can be controlled by a slick rotary dial positioned on the centre console between the front seats.

Audi’s very own 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit is also available at no extra cost and replaces the out-dated conventional dials with a digital instrument cluster that shows you information on speed and revs as well as being the focal point for your sat-nav adventures. You will have to splash out for the highly-rated Audi Tech Pack though.

The fun doesn’t stop there. Audi’s Smartphone Interface connects your smartphone to your Audi RS5 and transfers the content from your phone onto the 8.3-inch MMI screen. Another perk includes a 36-month subscription to ‘Audi Connect’ which links your Audi to the internet, giving you access to entertainment or any burning desires that need answered.

Practicality

Some of the best luxury cars lack the practicality required to be a viable family option. Although it’s not the ideal family wagon, the Audi RS5 Coupe has four seats and enough boot space for plenty of school bags.

Dimensions

4,723mm L x 1,866mm W x 1,372 mm H

Boot Size

The Audi RS5 Coupe has the capacity to carry 450 litres of luggage quite comfortably in the boot. It’s bigger and easier to load than the boots in the BMW M4 and Mercedes AMG C63 and the rear seats fold in a three-way split (40:20:40) to offer more boot space.

Passenger Room

There’s a decent amount of leg and headroom upfront thanks to the flexible, sliding seats and arching roofline.

Jump into the rear seats of the Audi RS5 and it’s a different story. Despite there being an adequate amount of legroom, don’t be surprised to feel the roof stroking your head if you’re over six foot. There’s even less headroom if you opt for the panoramic roof (standard on Vorsprung) due to the reduced ceiling.

Safety Features

The Audi A4 - on which the RS5 is based - was awarded a full five star rating by independent safety experts Euro NCAP.

Standard safety features include Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Blind Spot Monitoring, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control as well as Audi’s Parking System Plus which offers a number of convenient features to make your life a little easier.

Break the bank for the Vorsprung model and you’ll receive Audi’s incredibly futuristic ‘Heads-Up Display’ which projects warning messages or driving related information onto the windscreen in the drivers direct field of vision. A 360 degree camera and adaptive cruise control are other nifty features that only the Vorsprung can provide.

Running Costs

Despite the fact that the Audi RS5 Coupe will siphon money out of your wallet like nobody’s business, it fares relatively well when compared to its fellow German rivals.

MPG

Although fuel economy is much more impressive than the V8 engine on the previous Audi RS5, the twin turbo V6 RS5 Coupe still lags behind the competition. It’s capable of returning around 30 mpg which is actually alright considering it’s a high-powered sports car.

CO2 Emissions

CO2 emissions aren’t going to win you any environmental awards either. The Audi RS5 Coupe emits a calamitous 208g/km which puts it in the top 37% benefit-in-kind rate (BIK) company car tax bracket.

Insurance Group

The RS5 Coupe sits in insurance group 44. Again, this is similar to German competitors. The M4 is in group 42, and the C-Class C63 AMG is in group 47. 

Reliability

Reports on Audi reliability can be quite mixed, with the manufacturer placing 34th out of 40 manufacturers on the Reliability Index. Although there is not much on the RS5 Coupe specifically we know that some owners have encountered problems in their first year of ownership.

Warranty

The usual three-year/60,000-mile and three years’ roadside assistance Audi Warranty comes as standard on the Audi RS5 Coupe. Unfortunately Audi's fellow German rivals BMW also provide a better warranty - offering three years with no mileage limit, as does Mercedes, with their UK warranty of 4 years, 50,000 miles. 

Servicing

Audi has two servicing schedules. The ‘flexible’ service regime is best for high mileage drivers and will mean you only need to service every 18,000 miles.

The ‘fixed’ service schedule is for people who stick mostly to town and city driving and requires an annual checkup/once every 9,000 miles.