I’m frustrated. The Arizona desert roads Audi picked for me to drive its track-bred coupe on were picturesque and open, but I found nary a sharp corner to attack. So, I’ve called in a favor and borrowed a Nardo Gray 2018 Audi RS 5 for some extra drive time. Now I'm in search of twisty roads near Bartlett Dam.

Judas Priest’s “Turbo Lover” comes on Hair Nation just as I approach my quarry. I gun it and the twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6 sounds a deep, resonant note as it rockets the car forward. The road begins to snake left and right, and the engine and 8-speed automatic chomp at the bit as I exit each turn. I find myself agreeing with Rob Halford: no matter how good the naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V-8 in the last RS 5 was, I’m now a turbo lover. Moreover, I can finally feel what this sport coupe does in its natural environment.

2018 Audi RS 5, U.S. media drive, February, 2018

2018 Audi RS 5, U.S. media drive, February, 2018

I’m not disappointed. The cornering is almost supernaturally flat. The 275/30R20 Hankook Ventus S1 Evo2 tires grip the pavement with tenacity. The car rotates willingly through those tight corners thanks in part to a sport differential that can send all of the available power to the outside wheel. And the electric-assist power steering is quick and precise, though I wish it told me more about what’s going on where the rubber meets the road.

That fun-to-drive character is the first thing you need to know about the 2018 Audi RS 5. We’ve already reviewed the RS 5 from our first drive in the tiny European country of Andorra, but I learned a few more things about Audi’s powerful and sinister sport coupe in our second dance with the car. Those insights follow.

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

It’s Nürburgring-bred and it has the equipment to prove it

The RS 5 is a high-performance sport coupe that competes with the likes of the BMW M4, Mercedes-AMG C63, Cadillac ATS-V, and Lexus RC F, and it makes no apologies to any of them. That’s because Audi Sport engineers subject the car to 10,000 miles on the Nürburgring, 5,000 miles during development, and another 5,000 miles of durability testing of the finished product.

Audi A5-line product manager Anthony Garbis likens one mile on the Nürburgring to nine miles on the road. A lot of serious rubber, braking, cooling, and aerodynamics are needed to handle that kind of punishment, and the RS 5 has the hardware. The alloy wheels are large at 19x9 inches but they are forged and weigh only 22.5 pounds each. The 20s add another 5 pounds apiece, but they look even better and come with 10 mm wider tires. Buyers get a choice of summer tires from Hankook, Continental, or Pirelli, and they are all wide and square, either 265/35R19s or 275/30R20s.

The base brakes consist of ventilated 14.8- and 13.0-inch rotors with six-piston front calipers and sliding rear calipers. Audi also offers 15.7-inch carbon ceramic front rotors for those who want even more braking performance.

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I found that the carbon ceramics create a high pedal that caused me to stop short and quick before I acclimated. The standard iron brakes withstood the punishment of my spirited backroads run, but the pedal was considerably softer. The carbon ceramics would be my choice for track days.

For cooling, the RS 5 has two extra radiators on the passenger’s side, one for the engine and one for the for the 8-speed automatic transmission. Both of these are fed air through the big duct that flanks the grille on the passenger side. The exhaust gases are cooled with a more effective air-to-water intercooler instead of the typical air-to-air intercooler, and it gets air through the duct on the driver’s side. A standard radiator is located front and center, and it receives a full blast of air from a wider and flatter grille than the one found on the S5. In front of the main radiator is a uniquely placed radiator that lies parallel to the ground; it provides engine oil cooling and helps seal off the underside of the car. Audi says it accounts for 6.6 pounds of downforce at 62 mph.

Speaking of aerodynamics, the front fenders are 0.6 inch wider to accommodate the wider track (an additional 0.43 inch up front, 0.8 inch out back) and wider tires, and the underside of the car is covered with panels from the nose to the transmission to improve aero, while the rear diffuser also smooths out air back there. A rear lip spoiler helps create 25 pounds of downforce at 124 mph. That’s not a lot, and there is no active spoiler, but I found that the RS 5 does feel stable at speed…don’t ask me how. All this adds up to coefficient of drag of 0.32.

The top speed is 155 mph in base form and 174 mph with the Dynamic Plus package, which includes the carbon ceramic brakes, a carbon fiber engine cover, and a tire-pressure monitoring system that also indicates tire temperature.

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

It has a Porsche engine with an Audi twist

The Porsche-developed twin-turbo 2.9-liter V-6 is based on Audi’s single-turbo 3.0-liter V-6, but Audi has tweaked it to make more power than the version in the Porsche Panamera S. It uses a different crankshaft and a lower compression ratio. Output is 444 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque compared to 440 horses and 405 lb-ft in the Porsche. Both engines breathe in the same 21.6 psi of turbo boost, but different ECU mapping helps the Audi version create that additional twist.

The Audi-Porsche-Audi engine, in conjunction with the standard Quattro all-wheel-drive system, rockets the RS 5 from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. Floor it from a stop and the engine wakes up after a hint of turbo lag then vaults the car forward. Use the launch control feature, however, and take-off becomes nigh on violent. To do so, engage the standard Drive Select system’s Dynamic mode, put the transmission in its Sport mode, hold the brake, rev the engine to 2,500 rpm, then unleash the fury. Magnificent.

Fanboys may bemoan the loss of the V-8 growl of the old 4.2, but this V-6 sounds serious, too. An RS exhaust system is standard, and all the test cars at the drive program were equipped with the optional RS Sport exhaust, which has active exhaust flaps. A low, rumbling resonance is the standard note, but engaging Dynamic mode turns the baritone into a base and makes the sound more prominent. It’s not the aural delight that the 4.2 was, but it does sing a really good tune.

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

You’re going to want to play with Individual mode

Audi Drive Select has Comfort, Auto, and Dynamic modes for the steering, suspension, engine/transmission, and exhaust.

The standard suspension is a five-link setup front and rear with fixed dampers, but the vast majority of RS 5 buyers will choose the Dynamic Ride Control system, which offers three levels of damping firmness. These aren’t the typical adjustable dampers. The dampers are cross-linked, front-left to right-rear and front-right to left-rear, with hydraulic lines. Two air tanks, each with 290 psi, push fluid through the lines to both change the valving and create more resistance in the dampers on the side experiencing more force. In a left turn, for example, the right side takes the weight, so the fluid flows to that side to further stiffen those dampers. In this way this system essentially does the same work as active roll bars, keeping the car remarkably flat in corners, especially in Dynamic mode.

I didn’t want to run the suspension in Dynamic mode very often, even on Arizona’s open highways, as the ride becomes overly firm and bouncy. I stuck with Comfort for everything but backroads purposes, and programmed the Individual mode accordingly. I love the Dynamic engine sound, though, as well as the locked in 13.5:1 ratio of the variable-ratio steering (which varies between 10.5 and 25.0:1) in Dynamic mode. The engine and transmission don’t become too high-strung in the Dynamic mode for my taste, but buyers will have to decide that for themselves.

 

It’s equipped like a luxury car

Massaging seats are standard in the RS 5, which is an odd choice for a track-bred car. The motors and mechanisms for massaging seats and the power side bolsters that come with them add weight that is an enemy in a car like this, no matter how pleasant they are to use. But that’s not all. Also on the standard equipment list are a sunroof, three-zone automatic climate control (in a coupe with a small back seat?), satellite radio, blind-spot monitors with rear cross-traffic alerts, and a universal garage door opener.

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

You can bet that almost every buyer will also choose the Navigation package, which adds an 8.3-inch center screen, the Audi MMI Touch control interface, the Audi Virtual Cockpit digital instrument cluster, and Audi Connect Prime & Plus telematics. Also on the options list are nappa leather, Bang & Olufsen 3D sound, and a package with adaptive cruise with Traffic Jam Assist, active lane assist, and a head-up display.

This is one sport coupe that doesn’t mind adding weight in the name of creature comforts. It makes me wonder if there is room for a purist’s model that cuts out the amenities in the name of weight and track performance. The base curb weight is 3,990 pounds. How much could that come down if the niceties were left out?

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

It starts at $70,875

With all those performance and luxury features, the RS 5 is the most expensive of its competitive set, with a starting price of $70,875, including a $975 destination charge. It’s well equipped at that price, but Garbis says the majority of buyers will choose the $2,600 Navigation package, the $3,350 Dynamic package (Dynamic Ride Control dampers, Sport exhaust system with black tips, and red brake calipers), and the $1,500 Black Optic package (20-inch 5-spoke wheels, body color mirrors, and gloss black exterior trim). That brings the total for a typical 2018 Audi RS 5 to $78,325. Add in the cool honeycomb-stitched Fine Nappa Leather package, which should also be quite popular, and the price increases to $79,825. That’s a lot, but this is a lot of car with a lot of equipment.

2018 Audi RS 5

2018 Audi RS 5

Audi claims best-in-class 0-60 mph time but makes no other performance claims

The RS 5’s 3.7-second dash to 60 mph beats all of the competition by at least a tenth of a second, according to estimates gathered by Audi. Despite all those miles on the Nürburgring, however, Audi makes no claims as to a ‘Ring time or a time for any other track, for that matter. Audi also publishes no figures for quarter-mile time, lateral g’s on a skidpad, or braking distance.

Yes, I was able to get a feel for the RS 5’s ability to handle corners. It’s quick to turn in, rotates willingly, grips well, and it’s a blast to drive overall. The twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6 is almost a second quicker than the old 4.2-liter V-8 in the 0-60 mph run, it sounds great, and it suffers from little to no lag. Turbo lover, indeed.

But there’s something missing here, and the only remedy is a racetrack. That will show what this car can do when it’s pushed to its limits. Add in a couple of those rivals and we might be able to see if it can beat them in more than just the 0-60 mph sprint as well. Hey Audi. Can I take this thing over to Arizona Motorsports Park?

Audi provided travel and lodging to Internet Brands Automotive to bring you this firsthand report.