Smarter Not Harder

What the new RS5 gives up in V-8 hysterics, it more than makes up for with well-rounded sophistication.

- Ben Barry

SOMEWHERE IN THE  EASTERN Pyrenees, the essence of Audi’s new RS5 finally emerges. It is a more rounded performance coupe than its spec sheet suggests.

Audi brought us all the way to the sovereign microstate of Andorra, sandwiched between France and Spain, to experience this new coupe. And after a few hours of driving, where free ways morph into sinuous asphalt tributaries, its personality comes alive. The coupe’s price and power line it up as a natural rival to the BMW M4 and Mercedes-AMG C63 coupe, but the RS5 is, in fact, more of a grand tourer that wraps its 450-hp punch in a velvet glove.

It’s a significant attitude adjustment from the previous RS5. That car’s crowning glory was a 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V-8, which rasped to a heady power peak of 8250 rpm and barked through the gears of a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. It begged to be considered a hardcore performance car. But its chassis was neither dynamic nor comfortable,  its steering clumsy. Rivals always had the edge.

The new Rs5’s maturation is partly inherited from the latest A5. It rides on a more sophisticated five-link rear suspension and has a lighter body, which uses more aluminum than before.

Swapping the V-8 for a twin turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6 shed even more weight. The dual-clutch gearbox was replaced with a more conventional ZF eight-speed automatic. Downsizing the engine and going to a traditional slushbox sound like down grades, but the new six actually has the same output, 450 hp, as the previous RS5’s V-8. And it makes 126 lb-ft more torque across a much wider rev range (443 lb-ft from 1900 to 5000 rpm versus the old car’s 317 lb-ft at 4000 rpm).