Audi RS5

The Audi Quattro. Sounds good doesn’t it? Whether you’re old enough to remember the likes of Hannu Mikkola and Michéle Mouton rewriting rally history in the early Eighties, or only know the name from Gene Hunt’s back-street chases on TV’s Ashes To Ashes, the Quattro name means one thing – excitement.

Although Audi has been guilty of applying the badge to cars that haven’t necessarily deserved top billing in the past, the arrival of the new RS5 should change that. Aimed squarely at beating the BMW M3, it’s one of the most powerful RS models to date and features the most sophisticated four- wheel-drive system in the business.

Viewed in the metal, the RS5 is a beautiful machine. Wider and longer than its rival, it has amazing road presence and turns heads with ease. The optional £1,735 20-inch wheels fitted to our car fill the wheelarches, while the trademark silver door mirrors and upswept LED daytime running lights add even more drama.

If ever a car demanded attention in your rear view mirror, this is it.

And our machine’s fashionable white paintwork also helped to show the RS5 in the best possible light.

As we’ve come to expect from Audi over the years, the interior is a work of art. The attention to detail is breathtaking, and while the carbon trim that frames the centre console may be a little cheesy, the design, fit and finish are in another league compared to the BMW. It also trumps the Munich machine in terms of space. There’s noticeably more shoulder room on offer, while those confined to the back seats get decent levels of leg and head space. The RS5 also features a folding rear seat that extends the 455-litre boot up to an impressive 829 litres, so this is one go-faster machine that provides practicality as well as incredible performance.

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Where the classic Quattros of the Eighties relied on a turbocharged five-cylinder engine, the RS5 features a harder-hitting, normally aspirated V8 powerplant. Effectively the same unit that appears in the back of the R8 supercar, it develops 444bhp and 430Nm of torque – significantly more than the first Quattro rally cars produced back in the day.

Fire it up and the cabin fills with an unmistakable gurgle that rises to a hard-edged howl when you hit the throttle. What makes the RS5 special is its flexibility. And we’re not only taking about in-gear times here.

The engine and drivetrain work beautifully, regardless of how you drive it. Bumble along at half revs and the car will flatter your every move. Work it harder, and it behaves like a junior R8, flicking between all seven ratios with amazing speed and rewarding commitment with surefooted grip and smooth acceleration. Pay an extra £1,510 and you can have the electronic speed limiter removed, turning the RS5 into a 174mph machine.

During our performance tests, the Audi raced from 0-60mph in only 4.9 seconds –two-tenths shy of the M3 – and posted some equally impressive in-gear performance figures.

However, if there’s one area where the newcomer loses out to its rival, it is the chassis dynamics. Although its four-wheel-drive traction on wet surfaces is peerless, the Audi feels less precise and heavier than the BMW. It also suffers from a firmer, bouncier ride which, even in Comfort mode, is wearing on longer trips. That could be partly a result of the larger, optional alloys fitted to our test car, though,so we’d be interested to try this model on its standard alloy rims.

We’d also advise against shelling out for the optional ceramic brakes. They add £6,385 to the asking price and offer little real-world advantage in braking performance. On the track, they also started to lose their initial bite after only a few hot laps.

At £58,685, the RS5 is an expensive piece of kit. Comparing it like-for-like with the M3 is a tricky task as the specifications differ considerably between our two contenders. For example, the RS5 includes the double-clutch transmission as standard, where BMW charges an additional £2,590 for its set-up. On the other hand, sat-nav, metallic paint and cruise control are standard on the BMW, but not on the Audi – so it really does depend on what you need and expect for your £60,000.

Either way, if you want barnstorming performance allied to superb all- weather traction, the RS5 needs to have a place near the very top of your shortlist.  The question is, does it rate more highly than its Munich rival?

Details

Chart position: 2WHY: Flagship A5 takes on its arch-rival with a V8 from the R8 supercar. It alsofeatures a new four-wheel-drive system and Audi’s legendary interior design.

For an in-depth buyer's guide on the Audi RS5 from Classic and Performance Car click here...