New Audi RS 5 REVEALED with 630bhp – and half a tonne of bloat

The new Audi RS 5 is revealed as a replacement for the old RS 4, with a 630bhp PHEV powertrain and priced from £90k.

Thanks to Audi’s confusing backwards and forwards on badging, we get what should be the new Audi RS 4, but is actually the new Audi RS 5, with a new PHEV powertrain with 630 bhp and hefty increase in weight, thanks to the PHEV – around half a tonne extra to carry around.

This time around, the RS 5 comes not just as an Avant but as a saloon too (although it’s really a Hatch), with prices starting at around £90k for the saloon and £92k for the Avant.

The new PHEV powertrain gets an extensively updated version of the 2.9-litre turbo V6 from the RS 4, with an electric motor and 25.9kWh battery pack for a meaty 630bhp, with the engine delivering 503bhp of that output through an eight-speed tiptronic ‘box via a new centre diff and electric diff at the back able to feed power to each side individually.

It all adds up to a 0-62mph of 3.6 seconds, just 0.5s quicker than the old RS 4, thanks to the PHEV bloat, with the promise of a 52-mile EV range.

The body is much stiffer than the A5 and 90mm wider too, with only the bonnet, door skins and tailgate carried over, and under the skin there’s a coil spring setup with dual valve dampers, 420mm front discs and a ceramic brake option.

In terms of how the RS 5 looks, it’s fair to say it’s a bit in yer face, with a whopping great mesh grille, huge wheelarches, 20″ alloys, drainpipe-sized twin tailpipes, big (there’s a lot of ‘big’) rear diffuser and optional stuff with the Sports Package adding carbon fibre bits.

Inside, it’s not a million miles away from the A5 and its screenage, but with RS graphics, splashes of carbon fibre, sports seats and a ‘Boost’ button on the steering wheel for maximum instant performance.