Audi RS5 Avant makes driving special again

SINGAPORE – If you think cars are becoming increasingly commoditised, the new Audi RS5 may change your mind. It is quite a special machine.

It is the first RS model to have a plug-in hybrid system – designed not to save fuel but to increase firepower. As a result, the new car is the most powerful combustion Audi RS in the showroom, with 639hp and 825Nm to send it to 100kmh in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 285kmh.

Its predecessor, with an output of 450hp and 600Nm, had a more modest 3.9-second century sprint and 250kmh top speed.

Before we continue, an introduction. RS is to Audi what M is to BMW, and AMG is to Mercedes-Benz. Cars wearing these badges are wolves in sheep’s clothings, possessing the performance of a sports car, but looking similar to stablemates with more mundane roles.

The RS5 test car is an Avant, or station wagon. Don’t expect massive stowage, though. The car’s boot is fairly small at 361 litres, partly because its hybrid battery is located under its floor.

Actually, the car looks more like a big hatchback, which alludes to crisp handling around corners. Alas, its 2,903mm wheelbase (77mm longer than its predecessor’s) gets a little in the way. Its turning circle is also pretty wide at 12.9m.

But, somehow, it is still an extremely entertaining car at the wheel, with its phenomenal electrically assisted output and intriguing drivetrain. More on this later.

The car is heavy for something that measures 4,896mm long, 1,952mm wide and 1,446mm tall. Tipping the scales at 2,370kg, it is around 50% heftier than a similarly sized Toyota Camry Hybrid. This is contributed partly by its punchy 130kW electric motor and 25.9kWh battery.

Other weight contributors include the car’s all-wheel drive system (which Audi calls quattro), more efficient liquid intercoolers for the 2.9-litre V6 engine’s two turbos (first time applied in an RS5) and electromechanical torque vectoring for the rear wheels (first time applied in an Audi quattro).

Its torque vectoring mechanism apportions torque to each rear wheel in response to cornering forces and fluctuating grip. Making use of a motor that is powered by the hybrid battery, it is supposed to be more responsive than a purely mechanical differential, reacting in one-10th the speed of a blink in the most extreme driving situations.

The new RS5 comes with a wide spectrum of drive modes that exploit the car’s Jekyll-and-Hyde personalities. The Jekyll end includes Comfort and Balanced for a pliant, quiet ride that hardly wakes the engine as long as there is charge remaining in the battery.

Audi says you can drive up to 84km on pure electric mode, but 60km is more realistic in hot and humid Singapore.

The Hyde end is an RS Sport mode which you drive either manually with big and tactile shift paddles, or like an automatic. I find the latter more than adequate, as the car seems to be in the right gear in any given situation, which is satisfying. And for the first time, there is RS Torque Rear mode, which sends 100 per cent of torque to the rear axle should you be in the mood for drifting.

In both modes, the car keeps battery charge at 90% or more for maximum performance.

In between the two ends is Dynamic mode. The car maintains a minimum battery charge of 20% in this mode. Boost function, activated via a red button on the steering boss, lets you access the car’s full power instantly for 10 seconds at a time. Battery charge must be at least 20% for this to work.

While a track day is the only way to see how this car really performs, I can say with some certainty that electric assistance has made the new RS5 thoroughly enjoyable on public roads, its ungainly weight and dimensions notwithstanding.

One upside to its long wheelbase is plenty of rear legroom – usually an alien concept in high-performance cars. Another thing that is uncommon in such vehicles is fuel economy. Operated in a mix of drive modes, the test car averages 11 litres/100km. It is nowhere near Audi’s declared 4.4 litres/100km, but still very respectable for a sports car of its calibre.

However, the car is not niggle-free. It often slows to a stop with an audible clunk resembling shift shock and its front parking beepers don’t always work. But overall, it is a likeable car. Besides its stirring powertrain, it has, like most modern Audi cars, possibly the best door handles and multi-function steering wheel in the business.

Take it for a quick spin. If it doesn’t make your heart beat a little faster, its price might.

Audi RS5 Avant 2.9 TFSI quattro

Price: From $723,999 with certificate of entitlement (COE), before applicable discounts
Engine: 2,894cc 24-valve twin-turbocharged V6 paired with 130kW electric motor and 25.9kWh battery
Transmission: Eight-speed Tiptronic with paddle shift
Power: 639hp
Torque: 825Nm
0-100kmh: 3.6 seconds
Top speed: 285kmh 
Fuel/power consumption: 4.4 litres/18.6kWh per 100km
Charging capacity: 11kW AC
Range: 1,091km
Agent: Audi Singapore
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Comparable considerations

BMW M3 Competition Touring ($659,888 with COE)

The M3 Touring is not a plug-in hybrid and is considerably lighter than the RS5 Avant. Powered by a three-litre inline-six paired with an eight-speed autobox, the all-wheel drive M3 matches the Audi in the century sprint with a timing of 3.6 seconds. Its top speed of 250kmh can be raised to 280kmh with a cost option. It is slightly smaller than the RS5, but has a noticeably bigger boot.

Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid Executive (from $605,688 without COE)

This Porsche saloon does not quite belong to the same genre as the Audi RS5, but it is in the same price range. The plug-in hybrid Panamera E-Hybrid has 464hp and 650Nm from the same engine as the Audi (both brands belong to the Volkswagen Group). It hits 100kmh in 4.2 seconds, and a top speed of 280kmh. It is a bigger vehicle, measuring 5.2m long and endowed with a 3.1m wheelbase, which translates to a lot more space than in the RS5.