A5/S5/RS5 [Spyshots] 2018 Audi RS5 Coupé Test Mule Spied

[JHF]

The first Audi RS5 Coupe was, at the time it came out in 2010, an attractive proposition in its segment because it managed to blend comfort and performance in a daily-driver package. However, the two-door coupe based on the Audi RS4 didn’t age that well, not even by VAG standards. For the second iteration, the RS5 is going to try and make ends meet in the face of its more modern competitors.

As it’s often the case with a new contender in the high-performance compact executive segment, Audi will try its best to make the next-generation RS5 Coupe as good as possible. In terms of out-and-out performance, the new kid on the block will have to prove itself against the BMW M4 and its 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-6, as well as the Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe and its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine.

The belly of the beast is home to a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 powerplant, which is expected to produce more than 450 horsepower. The strong point of the 2018 Audi RS5 Coupe, however, can't be found under the hood. Instead, the four-ringed automaker will bet it all on a go-faster version of quattro AWD and the MLB Evo platform. The latter is fundamental in this application because it is a stiffer vehicle architecture than the one it replaces and, in the case of the A5 Coupe, it sheds curb weight by as much as 132.3 pounds (60 kg).

It will be sad to see the 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 go, but downsizing is a priority these days, even for high-performance sportsters such as the RS5, M4, and C63. On the plus side, the 2018 Audi RS5 Coupe will look like a million bucks thanks to a wider stance and more aggressive styling than the A5 Coupe on which it is based on. Inside, however, the all-new RS5 won’t surprise you.

Interior highlights of the 2018 Audi RS5 Coupe will include a flat-bottom steering wheel, Virtual Cockpit digital instrument cluster, touch-sensitive climate control, body-hugging seats, lots of carbon fiber bits and bobs on the door cards and the dashboard, wireless charging box in the center armrest, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring function, the whole nine yards.

Not much is known about the launch date of the next-gen RS5, but the 2017 Geneva Motor Show is a bet I’m willing to take. The 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit Motor City is another venue where the RS5 could step in the limelight. An RS5 Cabriolet is slated to follow a year or two after that.

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/2018-audi-rs5-coupe-test-mule-spied-in-audi-s5-coupe-overalls-108492.html#

 

[marley71]

I'd been looking forward to seeing the A5 without chrome trim, blacked out like this example, now I'm not so sure. These luxury barges as performance cars are getting less and less convincing. M2 or smaller vehicles are where it's at. When you have performance SUVs that can defy the laws of physics you tend to seek something more sublime. Makes you long for Lotus, Caterham, and the like.

 

[JHF]

http://www.autobild.de/bilder/audi-rs-5-2017-vorschau-9114345.html#bild1

 

[tristatez28lt1]

A couple more RS5 renders:

 

[Rainer271]

 

[Rainer271]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[tristatez28lt1]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[donkeykong]

What ever happened to the RS4, haven't seen a spy shot in a while now.

 

[John Galt]

Would be a nice car if not the fwd platform and proportions. I don't undersand them. They have a good rwd platform(new panamera), but audi keeps building the fwd platform based cars....

 

[tristatez28lt1]

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/...-with-450-hp-600-nm-twin-turbo-v6-115149.html

Did you guys know that there's a regular Panamera model already? It's got the 3.0-liter V6 out of an Audi S5, minus a few hp. So it's only fair that the quattro people get something back, something in the form of a twin-turbo 2.9-liter with around 450 horsepower, which will power the RS5.

Downsizing is nothing new for Audi, a company that has been playing with both turbos and Porsche tech since the days of the RS2. Because of the monster that is the Mercedes-AMG C63 S Coupe, we can't really get excited about the RS5's potential for speed, even though it should match or exceed what the RS7 can do.

Here we have the latest spy photos from the Arctic Circle, where the mid-luxury RS coupe is still undergoing winter testing. We expect this one to be one of the major debuts at the Frankfurt Motor Show this year, and there could still be a few surprises lurking under the camouflage.

For example, when they made the TT RS, the Germans changed the look of the front air intakes to an entirely new design. We see signs of that happening again here.

Other than the big wheels, lower stance and upgraded front air intakes, not much has changed. Around the back, there's a dual exhaust system, but the side skirts and rear diffuser are infuriatingly subtle.

The exact output of the car is already known: 450 PS, exactly like the outgoing RS4/RS5, which had a 4.2-liter V8. Despite losing about 1.3 liters of displacement, the performance model will benefit from a massive 600 Nm (442.5 lb-ft) wave of torque, not only 50% higher than before but also arriving way down in the rev range.

We suspect that with launch control, the official 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time will be between 3.5 and 3.7 seconds, with the top speed limited to either 250 or 280 km/h, depending on options. Together with the RS4 wagon, this could be the first of many Audis that use this engine, the list including a 5-door RS5 Sportback, the RS Q5 and maybe even the R8.

 

[domleo999]

Isn't it weird how the RS version of this car receives a 2.9, while the S version receives a 3.0

 

[tristatez28lt1]

Isn't it weird how the RS version of this car receives a 2.9, while the S version receives a 3.0

Same thing for the Panamera. The Panamera has a 3L, the Panamera S has a 2.9L

 

[Silverjash]

A couple more RS5 renders:

So it’s finally in the dealerships in America. The new RS5 was the car I was waiting to purchase but couldn’t wait any longer. I was driving an Audi when I bought my new E-class and considering I paid the same price as the new RS5, I’m just too spoiled by it now. There’s absolutely no way after seeing the interior of the RS5 could I leave my Coupe’s interior to sit among all that plastic. 444hp has got to be amazing but I gotta admit, no car has come around me that I haven’t either left behind or unsettled any knowledge that I couldn’t. That torque makes my 329hp feel like 400. Now I do love the exterior of RS5 but it’s a lotta plastic there too. There’s one thing we Audi owners know breaks first is the plastic. Sure there’s plastic in my Mercedes but you have to look for it. It’s just not as obvious.