Audi Sport has just lobbed a very large and very angry-looking grenade into the fast estate and saloon segment. Meet the new Audi RS 5 Avant – a 630bhp (officially up to 639PS) plug-in hybrid that doesn’t just flirt with electrification, it bends it to its will using brute force.
For the first time in an RS production car, Audi has paired a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 with a 130kW electric motor integrated into an eight-speed transmission. The result? A combined 470kW and 825Nm of torque, good for 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds in something that still has a boot big enough for a Labrador and a weekend away.
But the numbers only tell half the story. This is Audi Sport’s first high-performance PHEV and it’s brought some serious hardware to the party. The V6 alone produces 510PS, running a modified Miller cycle and variable-geometry turbos for sharper throttle response and up to 20 per cent greater efficiency under load.
The electric motor adds 177PS and a hefty 460Nm of torque, while a 25.9kWh battery (22kWh net) allows genuine all-electric running when you’re not out terrorising the neighbourhood.
Charging? Up to 11kW AC, meaning a full top-up in around 2.5 hours. In RS Sport and RS Torque Rear modes, the system keeps up to 90 per cent charge in reserve to ensure maximum electric shove and full torque vectoring performance whenever you ask for it.
Oh yeah, we haven’t even scraped the surface of the torque vectoring system yet. The RS 5 debuts a world-first electro-mechanical rear torque vectoring set-up, capable of shifting torque between the rear wheels in just 15 milliseconds. It works in tandem with a new preloaded centre differential and Audi’s latest quattro with Dynamic Torque Control. Translation: colossal traction, sharper turn-in and, in RS Torque Rear mode, properly adjustable oversteer on closed courses.
A little caveat has to go here that says “on private roads and with an official stunt driver behind the wheel”.
Despite tipping the scales at a massive 2.3 tonnes (?!), Audi claims the Avant feels anything but the monstrously heavy beast that figure would suggest. A 10 per cent stiffer body, new five-link suspension front and rear, twin-valve adaptive dampers and optional 440mm ceramic brakes (with ceramics at the rear, a segment first) mean it’s engineered to turn and stop properly. Top speed rises to 177mph with the optional Audi Sport package.
Visually, it’s classic RS muscle – only angrier than the Germanic styling has ever been. Flared arches, 90mm wider tracks, a honeycomb grille, oval tailpipes and 21-inch forged wheels give it the right stance. Inside, triple screens, RS-specific displays and a boost button on the steering wheel remind you this is no ordinary A5.
Currently, there is no official word on UK pricing, but the Avant is slated to go on sale in Germany for a whopping €107,850. Or you can be completely mad and forfeit the fast estate cool points with the €106,200 saloon version.
