2013 Audi RS5 Test Drive

On Sale Date: Now

Price: $68,900

Competitors: Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe, BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

Powertrains: 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V-8, 450 hp at 8250 rpm, 317 lb-ft of torque between 4000 and 6000 rpm; seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with paddle shifters, AWD with torque vectoring differential

EPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 16/23 mpg with no gas guzzler tax

What's New: For its first front-engine, rear-drive-biased RS model, Audi decided to build a high-strung thoroughbred with Clydesdale proclivities. Power comes from a 4.2-liter direct-injected, naturally aspirated V-8 making its power near the 8500 rpm redline. A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gets grunt to all four wheels, and enormous motorcycle-style wave-pattern disc brakes clamped by eight-piston calipers do the stopping. Electronically selectable steering rates, shift points, and throttle response afford very driving characteristics to the car.

Outside, only the hood, doors, and roof are untouched compared with the S5. Fender flares all around complement the gaping honeycomb grille. There's new rear fascia with a beefier diffuser and an active spoiler on the decklid. The interior gets a light touch, with piano-black trim, upgraded seats, and a smattering of appropriate badges.

Tech Tidbit: The RS5 is the first car to get Audi's upgraded Google mapping system. Rather than just satellite image overlays and 3D buildings, you can now pull down Street View anywhere in the world, or just your specific destination.

Driving Character: Dress an all-pro tight end in jaunty lederhosen?that's the RS5. The car is menacingly athletic, brawny, and capable of doing damage on a track. Set it in Dynamic mode and the car sets itself up for track duty by fixing the normally variable-ratio steering to about 14:1, adjusting throttle response, obeying shift commands loyally, and opening the exhaust flapper valves, which normally keep it quiet enough for Uncle Sam. Then it's off to the races.

The RS5 is surprisingly well balanced for something weighing 3950 pounds. Sticky tires carve corners confidently and the torque vectoring diff brings the hind end around with almost spooky precision. The ridiculous brakes have a habit of overwhelming the tires on hard stops, but there are worse problems to have. Set in Comfort mode, the RS5 is perfectly docile, no more malicious than a normal S5 or even A5. It's a comfortable high-luxe cruiser for two (well, two and some small dogs in the back).

Favorite Detail: Audi has become a master at designing sport seats that work for everyday driving. The RS5 has beautifully finished leather with just the right amount of bolstering to keep you in place during hard cornering, but not so much that getting in and out is a chore.

Driver's Grievance: Between Comfort and Dynamic driving modes is Active. This reacts to driving inputs by changing car behavior on the fly, and doing so far too slowly. Spirited driving results in unpredictable steering ratios and shifting points. Also, the two center cup holders are different sizes. Why?

The Bottom Line: The 2013 Audi RS5 is fast, handsome, and a lot of fun to drive. But at nearly $70k delivered, it's playing in territory with some pretty heavy performance hitters. Without question, it can play on this field, but the combination of a low-torque, high-revving V-8, considerable heft, and lack of manual transmission puts the Audi in an odd place competitively. Nearly every one of its price and performance contemporaries are turbocharged or supercharged, and make much meatier power from the beginning of the rev-band.

That's not to say the RS5 is slow, it'll do a 4.5-second 0?60 mph sprint. It's just that when you start hitting the twisty bits, the weaknesses peek out. It's very subtle, though, and this may be less a critique of the RS5 and more an acknowledgement of how dynamically good the C63 AMG Coupe and M3 are.

One place the car cannot be faulted is in its cache. This car has style and stature for miles. Audi has done a fine job building a beauty queen into a boxer, and that's okay in our book.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/reviews/drives/2013-audi-rs5-test-drive-11546234?src=rss

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