2011 Audi RS5 | Road Test

Lets face it, Audi ain’t the speed demons dream machine, neither has it been the protagonist of the Fast & Furious series, nor has it been on the cover of a Need For Speed game. They are seen as premium people carriers with family values. As hard as it may seem to believe, Audi is the most successful auto manufacturer at 24 Hr Le Mans in recent times winning 9 overall championships since 1999 with the R8, R10 TDI & the R 15 TDI. But does racing pedigree translate to production sports cars? Well, the RS4 enjoyed some limelight and then came the formidable R8 with it’s almost comical, in-your-face styling and road gripping entertainment that would rock your socks off, killing virtually every supercar by measure of the buck. Now, Audi is back with the 2011 Audi RS5 and we drove it fast and slow on deserted roads, through population for show and we think it’s a piece of work. Good or bad? Read on for an insight into our drive…

STYLE EYE

Unlike the built-from-scratch R8 sportscar, Audi’s incarnation of speed is essentially a 4.65mts long and 1.86mts wide A5 coupe adorned with a large honey comb grille, satin finish front air dam and side view mirrors, dual oval exhausts and 5-spoke 20” “Rotor” design wheels. An extra AED 500 gets you that Titanium finish on the wheels. Our test car looked plenty good in Misano Pearl Red. Audi also offers the 2011 RS5 in black, grey, blue, white and silver. Overall, the M3 and CTS-V display a greater sense of aggression but the RS5 with its wide squatting low-slung body and sinister anonymity holds its own.

The interiors are very intimate, by the ergonomics of it, from the snug fit seats to the reach of the steering wheel and buttons on the centre console. The 2-tone aggressively bolstered sports seats do a great job of wrapping your shoulders and bottom while you steer around that tight corner and are sedan comfortable…almost! Although getting in and out is hassle. The rounded gear lever looks planted in a manual shift gate which makes one tempted to jump in and drive. There is not much else that sets it apart from the Audi next door, besides the red stitching on the steering wheel which was wrapped in perforated leather and the gear lever. Do note the sculpted light weight aluminium body panels are like the sensual but sensitive curves of a lady; treat them with respect by steering away from tight parking spots; they are prone to easy denting.ENGINE & PERFORMANCE

Like the Hammer is to Thor, Anger is to Hulk, the 2011 Audi RS5’s story centres around the 4.2-litre FSI V8. It is shared with many other Audi models, but none have seen this sort of output – 450 horses at a meteoric 8,250 rpm, (50 rpm shy of the M3 at peak power) and with 107 bhp/litre of specific output, a salute is guaranteed from engineers in Europe, Japan and USA. 430Nm of peak toque seems less prodigious compared to the blown motors but the acceleration numbers speak for themselves. 5.0 seconds to a 100 km/h was the closest we ever got to the claimed 4.6. We had the needle pointed at 6000 revs the many times we engaged Launch control. I doubt if it could have been bettered. Passing acceleration specifically 60 to 120 km/h comes in less than 5 seconds.

On the other end of the performance spectrum, I’d like to say no car shows obedience to the stop sign better. The 2011 Audi RS5 literally stops on the dime. In fact it has the best performing brakes in all cars we’ve tested and anyone who knows of the 18” brake rotors will make sense of that. But don’t confuse this for brake feel, which is not particularly linear.

Besides numbers, the part of the 2011 Audi RS5 that will strike a chord with anyone is it’s exhaust note. It’s a synthesized sweet symphony. The deep boom emitted with throttle blips on down shift, is org*smic. The range projected based on 64-litre tank capacity and claimed fuel economy is 592km. We can’t vouch for that but the car runs far for a sports car before you need to hit life support a.k.a. petrol station. In case you’re the sorts that observe earth hour, you would be happy to know the RS5 emits a very average 252g/km, and that’s not hurting the environment too much.RIDE & HANDLING

The RS5 comes with 3 different drive settings that can be adjusted with a touch of a button on the centre console or via the MMI, namely Comfort, Auto & Dynamic. Each making progressive modulations to the steering assistance, throttle response and suspension settings. You can switch from being lazy and comfortable to being frantic and bone rupturing. If you ignore the slightly disconnected steering feel, you will find that the RS5 steers well through random directional changes and holds its composure through long sweeping corners. The driver is easily informed of its handling limits, (which are M3 good) by the understeer that gently trickles in; common to most AWD cars. Fortunately the ride quality is suspicious soft for car that wears an RS badge and it won’t kill you to drive this for a few hundred kms, when needed.

FEATURES & PRACTICALITY

The 2 rear seats are barely usable unlike the relatively spacious, ventilated front seats. The dual zone a/c system works without worry. Optional is the 505 watt 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system with inbult 10GB hard drive, 2 sd car slots, USB port and aux-in. The B&O on the A8 we tested earlier looked and sounded better. Boot space is decent at 455litres with the seats up and that should satisfy your shopper and traveler needs. Any sporting daddies will find use for the standard fitted isofix seat mounting on front passenger and rear seats. One niggle…the panoramic roof can’t be slid open, just tilted. (What is the point?).

PRICING & WARRANTY

The base price of AED 350,000 is not cheap and the price as tested was AED 400,000. Prepare to spend your summers driving, rather than vacationing. It is fractionally more expensive than it’s peers. But you get an well engineered car with an air of sophistication that is traditionally German.VERDICT

Truth is, in the company of the elite Speed Olympians the 2011 Audi RS5 loses out to the CTS-V Coupe and C 63 Coupe at the drag strip, to the M3 for steering feel and track antics, and to the Lexus IS-F for being pricey. But who says you can’t have fun in all-wheel drive sports coupe with an automatic transmission! The RS5 is brilliantly packaged by Audi, scoring an A-  in everything its good at i.e. looks, drivability and noise and a B+ for everything it ain’t, i.e. popularity and price. Good Speed, Audi!

Specifications:

Body type: Sports coupe
Seating Capacity: 2+2
Engine: 4.2-litre FSI V8
Max power (bhp @ rpm): 450bhp @ 8,250 rpm
Max torque (Nm @ rpm): 430Nm @ 4,000 – 6,000 rpm
Transmission: 7-speed S tronic
Drivetrain layout: Front engine; quattro a.k.a all wheel drive
Weight: 1725kg

Performance:

0 to 100 km/h: 4.6 seconds (claimed)
0 to 100 km/h: 5 seconds (tested)
0 to 60 km/h: 2.4 seconds (tested)
100 to 0 km/h: 2.6 seconds (tested)
60 to 120 km/h: 4.5 seconds (tested)
80 to 120 km/h: 3.2 seconds (tested)
Top speed: 250 km/h / 280 km/h w/ performance pack (claimed)

Fuel Economy:

City: 14.9l/100km (claimed)
Highway: 8.5l/100km (claimed)
Mixed: 10.8l/100km (claimed)

Price:

Base price : AED 350,000
Price as tested: Dhs. 400,000

Competition:

BMW M3, Merc C 63 AMG Coupe, Lexus IS-F and Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

Tags: Audi, Audi RS5, Sports coupe