Audi RS5 review

Audi Sport has seemingly spent a long time studying rivals and concluded that the power and aggression of the RS5’s contemporaries doesn’t square with how Audi customers use their cars. As in, they bathe in the comforting security of Quattro, and prioritise point-to-point speed over white-knuckle thrills.

The flipside to the RS5’s less thrilling demeanour is that it’ll be a much easier car to manage in bad weather. And much less wearing in everyday life; it’s astonishingly good over long distances to the point its red-striped badging feels a bit out of place. You could argue an A5 with a big diesel engine will do much of the same thing for much less money, of course. And now BMW sells the M4 with xDrive, and the new C63 has 4Matic, the RS5's AWD USP is gone. The next model will have to try an awful lot better in a very talented market. 

What does it cost to run?

The RS5 claims 31.4mpg and 206g/km of CO2 emissions. Figures you probably won’t reach if you’re driving it as quickly as it sometimes encourages, but it’ll go a decent way between refills. Prices start at £74,525, and at that money there's so much tempting other metal to consider. Even with the demise of the Lexus RCF and the Jaguar F-Type sprouting grey hairs and wrinkles, there's the new BMW M4, Mercedes-AMG C63 and Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio to consider. Or if you want a heavy, cramped 2+2 with silent but violent urgency, why not try a Porsche Taycan? Amazingly, it's actually more exciting to drive than the Audi. 

Oh, and if you're still convinced this is the car for you (seriously) then you'll be pleased to hear you're in such a minority that it's one of the rarest Audis on UK roads. Only the A7 and R8 sell fewer units per year than the RS5.