<span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-uat="{KerningValue:NDU=}">A</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">udi's RS 5 has been an </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">unsung hero since its 2010 debut. Although clothed in an elegantly muscular two-door body shell and stuffed with a pleasingly growly 4.2-litre</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> V8, it has </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">always lived in the shadow of its Mercedes-AMG C63 </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">Coupé and BMW M3/M4 </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">rivals – not to mention its own TT RS and R8 stablemates.</span> <span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">Discontinued in 2015, the RS 5 badge has now been reprised on an all-new model (due to land in the UAE </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">in November), derived from the latest A5 Coupé. The big news is under the bonnet, where the newbie loses a couple of cylinders and 1.3L</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> of engine capacity</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">, but gains a pair of turbos to </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">redress this deficit.</span> <span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">The 2.9L</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> twin-turbo V6 </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">delivers a beefy </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">450hp and 600Nm, which means peak power </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">is unchanged versus the Mk 1 model, but there's an extra 170Nm</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> of torque</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">, which is </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">more</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> vital </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">in real-world performance.</span> <span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">The other key stat is that the latest RS 5 is 60 kilograms lighter</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">, at 1,655kg</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">. Audi claims a 0-to-100kph split of 3.9 seconds and top whack of 280kph with the optional Dynamic Package – </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">handy numbers for its segment.</span> <span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">Visually, the RS 5 stands apart from its more sedate A5 sibling via blistered front and rear wheel arches, a sharp-edged front fascia with gaping air intakes, a subtle lip spoiler on the boot lid</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">, massive oval tailpipes </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">and a purposeful-looking rear diffuser. There are also gloss-black air vents at the outer edges of the head</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> and taillights, but these are</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> purely for show.</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> </span> _______________________ READ MORE: _______________________ <span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">There are lots of options</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">, including</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> a carbon-fibre roof that saves 3kg, various other carbon-fibre bits on the bodywork, 20-inch rims (19-inchers are standard) and</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">LED headlights</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">.</span> <span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">My drive route at the international launch comprises a thrash from Toulouse to </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">minuscule principality </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">Andorra</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">. The first section is </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">freeway, </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">where the RS 5 effortlessly eats up the miles. </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">In the Pyrenees foothills</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">, the roads become </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">more interesting, with more twists than a Hitchcock whodunnit.</span> <span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">The Audi makes brisk progress across the sinuous stretch – even in </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">damp conditions – but </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">doesn't feel as sledgehammer-fast as the raw numbers</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> suggest. It feels safe and sure-footed – </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">the quattro all-wheel-drive system apportions torque to front and rear </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">in a 40:60 ratio – yet </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">doesn't manage to serve up the thrills (and spine-tingling soundtrack) that you</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> get </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">in an M4 or C63</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">. Its eight-speed auto is smooth and quick-shifting</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">, but lacks the </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">urgency of the M4's</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> dual-clutch transmission.</span> <span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">The other </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">chink in the Audi's armour is that ride quality gets distinctly choppy if you slot the DriveSelect system into Dynamic mode. It's far better to leave it in Comfort, unless you're on a billiard-table-smooth racetrack.</span> <span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">On the plus side, the RS 5 serves up a healthy dollop of grunt once you get the engine spinning at more than </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">2,500rpm, and it's </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">more</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> forgiving</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> and </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">less taxing </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">than an M4 or C63</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">. It's more of a grand tourer, </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">albeit a rapid one</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">, and Audi </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">says this is </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">what it's meant to be. It's a handsome looker, too – especially in the eye-catching Sonoma Green paintwork that blends</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15"> in so well with </span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">Andorra's lush surrounds</span><span data-atex-cstyle="$ID/[No character style]" data-atex-track="-15">.</span>
