Car magazine gets the skinny on the Audi RS5
Although it's certainly no secret, Car magazine is reporting that Audi engineers are hard at work developing the uber-5. Set to go head-to-head with its Teutonic rivals the M3 and C63; the new RS5 is expected to pack a 450 HP punch when it hits the market in the first half of 2008.The 4.2-liter V8 currently employed in the RS4 will find a home under the hood of the "5," but with the addition of two small, quick spooling turbos. Max horsepower will obviously see a bump, but the real news is that the projected torque figures are likely to breach the 500 lb.-ft. mark.
Naturally, Quattro will be employed to send all that power to the ground, and with a reworking of the drivetrain, weight distribution is expected to come in around 55:45. Rolling stock will be comprised of 19-inches on all four corners, framing carbon ceramic brakes pulled from the R8. It's also expected that Audi will borrow some of the TT's tech and use magnetic dampers to limit roll.
With its rear-bias power delivery and neutral handling characteristics, the death match between the RS5's cross-country rivals is on. And with a price tag of about £50-large, well-to-do pistonheads will have a
[Source: Car]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
AMcA 12:05PM (5/12/2007)
Everytime I look at an A5, I can't help being reminded of a mid-60's American midsize coupe. There's just something about the proportions that say "'66 Malibu" to me.
Spoils the whole German luxo-coupe presentation.
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F451 12:13PM (5/12/2007)
Audi just keeps keeping better and better! And the German V8s are sounding sweeter and sweeter. Given a decade ago I would never consider an Audi—Audi has surely come a long way.
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JayP 12:31PM (5/12/2007)
quattro = drivetrain
Quattro = 80's Audi coupe with AWD
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ruggels 12:54PM (5/12/2007)
silly me, i thought quattro was the short hand for "quattro GmbH" - being anal about capitalization is exciting and entertaining as well!
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hashiryu 12:55PM (5/12/2007)
Quattro GmbH = Audi's performance division (a la AMG/ M-sport)
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charlie 1:26PM (5/12/2007)
they're good on paper... and then they start falling apart.
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sd 1:39PM (5/12/2007)
AMcA I agree with you.. it has muscle car proportions. The C pillar and the front fender flare all play into the effect. This car looks a lot like the new Camaro.
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Brad 1:45PM (5/12/2007)
#2
I totally agree, the mid 90's Audi's were quite boring and 'spartan', but holy moly the new Audi's are VERY nice and 'exciting'. The A3 is a pretty cool car, the A4 is very nice, A6 is also very cool, the A8 is very nice, the R8 is very exciting, the A5 fits a spot in the lineup. And the S4/5/6/8 and RS cars absolutely amazing in my opinion. I'm definitely a fan of Audi over BMW for every car EXCEPT for the M5/M6 and the 750. And I'd take Audi over Mercedes for everything but the high end CL/CLS, S.
So between Audi/BMW/BENZ I'd take:
Small car: A3
Small sedan: A4 or BMW 335i (the TT Diesel)
Medium Sedan: A6
Large Sedan: S550
Performance
Small sedan: RS4 until the M3 comes out then we'll see
Medium sedan: M5 (RS6 is sweet but the M5 is simply amazing)
Large: The S63 even though it's quite a bit pricier
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Yup! 1:56PM (5/12/2007)
450 Horsepower HUH?! Audi is always the worst performer in the class of AMG & M. This car will be no exception. This car will struggle to keep the 0-60 times under 5 seconds. Over priced for the real world performance. The base Z51 Corvette will eat all these cars up for at least $20,000 less.
Slighty off topic : The new M3 has a 420 hp v8 the has the same 0-60 time as the perviouse V6 had- 4.8 sec. The point I'm tring to get at is : Did the M3 really need a V8? No it didn't. 420hp and 0-60 in 4.8 seconds is week!
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ruggels 2:32PM (5/12/2007)
"Audi is always the worst performer in the class of AMG & M."
Um... Have you ever driven an RS4 and current gen M3? on a freeway, on a back road, at a 1/4 mile strip, anywhere? The RS4 hand's the M3 it's ass in every scenario sans ability to kick out the rear end.
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yin 2:36PM (5/12/2007)
#9
I think you totally mis-understand German cars and their purpose. These are luxury sport sedans/coupe. They are suppose to be your daily drive and more. A Corvette has NO luxury...it is like Lotus...pure sport/performance car.
German cars= comfortable + fast
Muscule cars= FAST
Luxury comes at the expense of SPEED.
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yin 2:39PM (5/12/2007)
#9,
Just to add one more example. We all know that $30k Sti and Evo is faster than any BMW and Audi at that price, but why people still buy 3 series and Audi?
Get the point?
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Andrew 5:27PM (5/12/2007)
agreed, #9 does not understand the concept of a luxury sports sedan.
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Planet X 6:53PM (5/12/2007)
#9 is right. Between the 3 makes you listed. AMG, M & S. The "S" is the bottom performer. It seems like they all missed your point.
I was thinking thinking the same thing about the M3 0-60 figures. Did they really need to throw in an 8 when it has the same 0-60 time as the 6. 4.8 sec.
Dude don't worry about the teenagers ganginng up on you. They have hard-on's for cars they'll never be able to afford
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chris 9:53PM (5/12/2007)
Of course S is below the AMG and M models... because the RS models are what are supposed to compete with them. The S models are simply a top-of-the-line sports model for standard Audis, the RS models are the proper high-performance models that do compete with the M and AMG divisions. The fact that a car like the S6 is even slightly close to the M5 and E63 just shows how much the RS6 will blow them all out of the water when it hits.
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rocco 10:04PM (5/12/2007)
Here is the deal-
quoting car magazines and allegedly objective hard numbers only show you don't know anything about cars in reality.
case in point- the 911 GT3 is a much much better car than the 911 Turbo despite the fact that the turbo is superior in HP, 0-60, and top speed.
and having spent the last week in germany, i drove cls63, e63, a8 w12, S8, m5, m6, s6 avant, rs4, m3, 335i, 1 series, s3, cayman s, and carrera s, db9, s5, and r8.
The M5 is the most overrated thing.
Audi holds their own in performance, offer superior packaging, and have the best AWD system. BMW's have obscenely cheap looking interiors, great rear drive dynamic, and questionable styling. Benz is plain soft, no matter have enormous of a motor they pack in those cars.
Sure a z51 vette could beat it around a track, but not in the hands of 99 percent of the people who will buy these cars. Obscene power is only useful when it gets to the ground. I can't tell you how many LS1's I have dusted off with inferior cars because Billy Bob Midlife Crisis can't figure out not spin his tires. Not to mention the fact that vettes look like pontiac cavaliers inside.
hows that for week (sic)?
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Yeah Right! 10:41PM (5/12/2007)
#16
In your dreams maybe. Before you go on a long winded rant.............make it more believeable. I sure you have to have some pics of that fantasy week long trip of yours lets see some proof.
Assuming I believe you which I don't, you didn't really say anything people don't already know.
Audi- Has the best AWD. WOW Really????
Benz is soft dispite the motor- Yeah, that's what every magazine seems to say.
BMW-Cheap looking interiors- I own a current generation M3... nothing cheap looking about the interior as far as I can tell.
Dude you forgot to say, the same magazines you're getting your info from bashes Benz for their interiors too.
Like I said. You should have kept your rant believable.!
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Kit 10:41PM (5/12/2007)
Realizing that picking at quoted projected numbers is mostly a futile exercise in fictional extrapolation, 450hp sounds awfully low. The same v8 in the rs4 comes in at 420hp. Add some twin forced induction and you manage to pick up a measly 30hp? I would expect a little more oomph than that, especially if the 500lb/ft number is on the mark.
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Duck 11:05PM (5/12/2007)
#9 - The new M3 has a 420 hp v8 the has the same 0-60 time as the perviouse V6 had- 4.8 sec. The point I'm tring to get at is : Did the M3 really need a V8? No it didn't. 420hp and 0-60 in 4.8 seconds is week!
Sir, those are conservative numbers released by the manufacturer. I'm sure the new M3 is capable of a 0-60 sprint that's quicker than "4.8". My Caddy CTS-V is listed at 5.0, but routinely clocks in at 4.6...
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Val 11:16PM (5/12/2007)
Does any of you realize what you are saying when comparing the engine of a corvette and the 4.2 V8?!? "420 is low power for a V8" is by far the STUPIDEST statement i have ever heard. The number of cylinders and shape of the engine block are not the most impotrant factors in determinig horsepower, it is volume, and you should judge for the performance of an egine by taking the hp per liter ratio, not just the hp. As i see it, a corvette has 505 hp from 7 liters, audi V8 makes 420 hp from 4.2 liters, that's 100 hp/liter from a normally aspirated engine, which is about the best you can get in a roadgoing car, with the M5 getting 507 from a 5L V10. And not to forget the torque curve, audi V8 engines are praised for their low-rpm torque and very wide torque band. LS7, while a great engine on its own, gets 72 hp per liter. American muscle has always been about huge displacement engines, european sports engines have always been about high hp per liter ratios. An american will almost always get the american engine and try to convince everybody else that it is the superior engine, europeans will do the same with their engines, to each his/her own... I can only dream that one day we will be able to experience F1 performance in a road legal car - 990 bhp from a 3.0L V10 and 20 000 rpm redline!
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