The new RS5 is powered by a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6, making 444 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque, the latter […]
The new RS5 is powered by a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6, making 444 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque, the latter available from 1900 to 5000 rpm. That output is down slightly in horsepower versus the previous RS5’s 450-hp 4.2-liter V-8 but far exceeds its 317 lb-ft of torque. Code-named EA839 and also used in the Porsche Panamera 4S, the new V-6 locates its turbochargers between the cylinder banks and is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. (The last RS5, you may recall, used a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.) The RS5’s standard Quattro all-wheel-drive system has a 40/60 default torque split; Audi’s torque-vectoring rear differential is optional. Audi claims a zero-to-62-mph time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed—with the optional RS Dynamic package—of 174 mph.
The RS5 sits lower than its platform mates on a multilink suspension front and rear. As before, dampers that are diagonally linked hydraulically to reduce body roll and pitch, which Audi calls Dynamic Ride Control, are available, along with variable-ratio Dynamic Steering and carbon-ceramic brakes. Nineteen-inch wheels are standard, with 20-inchers optional.