Let me start off by saying that I apologize for the long post but I felt like I needed to be thorough in my review in order to give the car justice. There are so many aspects that are impressive that I still couldn't get to all of it, but I'll only touch on a few points that may help other potential buyers get some questions answered.
I picked up my RS5 last week just in time for the long weekend that came up. I decided to take the RS5 out of town instead of keeping it in the garage because I won't get another opportunity to put this many miles on it in a long time. I was headed up to Richmond VA which is renown for having some terrible roads so it would be a perfect test for the suspension.
For starter, we all know this is a beautiful car. There aren't many cars on the road that can claim to be better looking. This car is a real head turner. From the moment I picked it up from the dealer, the amount of attention this car received is unbelievable. Even though the Sepang color with the grill that comes with the Alu-optics package does stand out, I believe it gives the car an aggressive character befitting the RS badge.
I can't count how many people stopped to ask "Yo wtf is that?". The vast majority of people had no clue what it is. There aren't many redesigned 5s on the road so this added even more to the mystery. People going out of their way to take pictures of the car and such was a real surprise.
The people who knew what it was were even more impressed because they said pictures don't do the car justice. Additionally, they were grateful for having gotten a chance to see one in person. "Oh sh!t that's the RS5" and "Yo WTF is that?" were the phrases I heard all weekend. I did have a guy chase me in a CLS63 to ask how I liked it and if he should buy his son who just got his license one. My answer was an obvious NO.
I thought the attention would bother me but I actually enjoyed it. Mainly because it was a testament to the fact that I indeed bought something very unique.
This is a great Grand Tourer. My individual settings on the car have everything in comfort except the crown diff which is set to auto. In comfort mode this is the smoothest most docile vehicle I've owned. Shifts are completely seamless and arrive very low in the RPM range (right at 2k). The car had plenty of torque to keep a decent acceleration even that low in the RPM range. The way the car engages the clutch is something to applaud. You can tell this is a true manual because when you let off the brake, the car takes a fraction of a second to slip the clutch and engage the gear. It happens so quickly though that the car doesn't roll back, then it does it so smoothly that it just creeps forward like a typical automatic does. Most drivers (and definitely your passengers) will not be aware of this, but if you pay attention you'll notice it. And of course the car pops quickly in neutral when at a full stop.
I may be wrong because it's been a little bit since I owned my S5, but the interior of this car is quieter than the S5 was. At highway speeds, with a little music on, I couldn't hear any road noises whatsoever. Even when going over the hideous section of I-85, I couldn't hear anything from outside. I don't remember the S5 being this quiet. There was no discernible road noises either. And this wasn't with the music on full blast, this was at just a moderate listening volume. The exhaust was completely quiet as well and couldn't be heard while cruising at highway speed. This of course is in comfort mode. Put the car in Dynamic mode and you can hear a very deep and unmistakable growl behind you in any gear and at any speed.
In comfort mode, with cruise set to 78, the RS5 seems to average 24mpg. I reset the computer to be exact and it settled at 24.2mpg over a fairly long distance. For a 4.2l V8 that can bellow at 8200 RPMs, this was most impressive. I didn't buy the car for its gas consumption but it was still a plus to see this.
The seats are the typical Audi comfortable seats. They support you well enough in all the right places to not give you any back pains, or discomfort, over long distances. The suspension is firm, but not in an uncomfortable way but in an authoritative way (if that makes sense). What I mean is when the car goes over bumps and such, you can indeed feel the bumps in the suspension but it's not harsh. The suspension absorbs the bumps and the car isn't unsettled by them. There is no floating around obviously. To be frank, this isn't overly done. My touareg has the air suspension with a sport mode. The suspension in the RS5 isn't any harsher than the touareg in sport mode. Where the Touareg would absorb the bump and be slightly unsettled depending on the bump, the RS5 isn't unsettled one bit. If you're familiar with Richmond's annoying ass cobblestones, you'll know this is about as bad as it gets. The RS5 was still drivable over these streets. This suspension combined with the silky smooth transmission, docile engine, and soft (yet beefy) steering makes this one of the most comfortable cars I've ever driven. Which is even more impressive coming from a car wearing the RS badge.
Having crossed the 600miles mark on the car this weekend, I got to put it in dynamic mode with the transmission in manual. The moment you switch to dynamic, you realize this is a very different car. The exhaust note immediately changes. Even though I don't have the sport exhaust, there is a very discernible change. It's a deeper throatier sound. I didn't use launch control because I'll wait until 1000miles, but I did a few pulls nonetheless. You will quickly forget that this is a grand tourer at this point. The beefy steering goes from soft to heavy. Not an annoying heavy, but one that tells you it requires both hands. Get on the throttle and all 8 cylinders wake up and this truly becomes a beast. As you floor it, the engine/exhaust note changes and the car surges forward. There is no holding back at this point. At 3500rpms the engine really awakens and the revs build so quickly that you better be ready to shift or here comes the rev limiter to halt your fun. Get the shifting right and you are rewarded with an instant surge forward as the car responds to your command. The shifts are instant. The engine is growling its loudest. The steering's vagueness gone. The car is planted. You are pushed back in your seat while she is building speed so quickly you best let off before you either get a speeding ticket or quickly approach dangerous speeds. There is no mistaking this car is very quick. She pushes you back in your seat and there is no letting off of this sensation at any speed/gear.
I've read the S5 vs RS5 threads before, and frankly I was a bit concerned. But let me set this record straight, only a non RS5 owner will make the mistake to think the RS5 lacks torque. What it does is apply the torque and power it has very efficiently. This car lives to be up in the RPM range. And up there, no other sound can be heard. Get a proper ride in an RS5 and you will quickly see that this is a much faster car. The S5 doesn't give you that slam in your seat sensation that the RS5 gives.
1st, 2nd and 3rd go by so quickly you can't even count them. 4th gear is the 1st real noticeable gear as it's taller. The car is still pulling very hard though it's building speed so quickly. 130mph comes knocking quicker than you would think. Pull on the tiny + behind the steering and watch it continue to pull without letting off. It's such a linear power delivery that you can't help but laugh. At which point you quickly let off because you know this car will continue pulling until its limiter.
As I approached the off-ramp, I looked at the map and it was a nice S turn that I couldn't resist. Got on the brakes very late before turning in, pulled on the minus quickly 3 times as the revs dropped from 7th gear; 6th, 5th, 4th each accompanied by a burst of revs as the computer is matching each gear, turned in and held on. The car's responsiveness and quick change of direction in the S was impressive, but expected of an RS model.
As I approach the end of the exit, the last turn tightened up. Quick dab on the brakes and down to 3rd. Another burst of revs come forth and the backend of the car starts to step out as I exit. I quickly counter and hold the line and throttle as I see the exit. The tail end continues to hold sideways for a brief moment before the front end pulls it back in line.
Red light ahead, but green turning arrow. I guide her to the turning lane and drop her down all the way to 2nd gear. She obeys the request instantly. I slow her down enough and put her in 1st, turn the wheel and floor the throttle. Now the MOST AMAZING thing occurs. Tail end flicks out as she proceeds to do a 180 degree spin. I counter steer and hold it without letting off. Shortly thereafter I feel the front get a hold and yank her back in line and she straightens out in the direction I'm pointing in. Why this was most amazing? This is an AWD vehicle that behaved like a pure RWD car in that instant. I've tried this in my S5 in the past and all it did was get crazy nose heavy. This car manages to get the backend out as desired without a hint of understeer. The opposite in fact as it went in full oversteer requiring me to give it full opposite lock in order to keep it in check. I haven't read on the traction control setting while in dynamic, but what was surprising was that traction control didn't kick in and allowed it to step out like it did. I was fully prepared for it to step in, which caught me slightly off guard when it spun like it did. If you know how to drive and handle a vehicle, this is a car that will be very rewarding when pushed to its limits.
All in all, every aspect of this car is impressive. The technology included leaves you in awe. The comfort when desired is phenomenal. The performance when pushed is mind boggling. The composure in each aspect is to be applauded. This vehicle makes me now see why they always rate the R8 so highly as the best high performance car to be daily driven. The Dr Jerkyll and Mr Hyde behavior of the car really sets it apart in my opinion. If you can afford the RS, go for it even if it's to be driven in comfort mode every day. Because the moment you put it in dynamic, you will realize that it was money well spent.
And now the long wait for 1000miles before I can try launch control.
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