German luxury car manufacturer Audi has announced the launch of the Audi RS 5 Sportback in India. Unlike earlier when the car was being offered in a 2-door Coupe version, this time the RS 5 has arrived on our shores in a more practical 4-door Sportback form. It is the most expensive member of the A4 family which also includes cars like the S5 Sportback and the A4 Sedan. The RS 5 Sportback is being brought to India via the CBU route and is priced at Rs. 1.04 Crore ex-showroom (Introductory). The new car also gets a refreshed design and more tech and features than before.
LOOKS
The front of the new RS 5 Sportback is dominated by the new single-frame which encases the glossy black RS honeycomb grille which is specific for the RS models. The car also gets Matrix LED headlamps with dynamic turn indicators and new LED DRLs. On the profile the flared wheel arches come with 19 inch 10-spoke alloy wheels. The RS bumpers, body coloured exterior mirror housings and the frameless doors add their bit to the aesthetics of this Sportback. On the rear, the car gets LED combination lamps with dynamic turn signals and the surface mounted spoiler. The car is available in 8 colour options – nardo gray, turbo blue, tango red, mythos black, glacier white, navarra blue, sonoma green, daytona grey.
INTERIORS
Black and rock gray take centre stage in the Alcantara/leather interiors of the Audi RS 5 Sportback, which are further enhanced with decorative aluminium inlays. The 3-spoke multifunction plus leather steering wheel comes with shift paddles. The pedals and footrest are embellished with stainless steel and RS scuff plates adorn the running boards. The front sports seats get adjustable lumbar support with massage function and the driver’s seat has a memory for the adjustment settings. The Sportback also gets features like 3-zone climate control, panoramic sunroof and ambient lighting.
The Audi virtual cockpit Plus informs the driver about everything from the torque output of the engine to the G-Forces acting on the car. Then there is the MMI Navigation Plus with MMI touch which features acoustic feedback and is positioned with a slight bias towards the driver. With its intuitive and simple smartphone-like user interface, the system displays information like navigation maps and directions, engine, and transmission temperatures, apart from other things. The 180 W Audi sound system comes with 10 speakers and Bluetooth interface.
ENGINE
The RS 5 Sportback runs on a 2.9 litre V6 TFSI Petrol engine that churns out 450 hp with 600 Nm of torque. The engine catapults the car from 0-100 km/h in a just 3.9 seconds and it reached a top speed of 250 km/h. The driver can choose between 2 RS modes through the steering wheel, which calibrates the power curve of the engine, shifting of the transmission and steering sensitivity. According to Audi, the RS sports suspension has been tuned to compliment the performance of the engine and has been honed to offer dynamic handling on the road. The quattro permanent all-wheel drive, with self-locking center differential, optimises power delivery between the front and rear axles according to the driving conditions, thus providing ideal traction in virtually all scenarios. The RS steel brakes with RS black brake callipers promise good bite on the car.
SAFETY & CONVENIENCE
The Audi RS 5 Sportback features an auto-dimming interior frameless rear-view mirror while the exterior mirrors are power-adjustable and feature memory, heating, power-folding and auto dimming on both sides. Hold assist kicks in preventing roll back when idling, which helps whilst driving in stop and go traffic. The car gets as many as 6 airbags that include side airbags in front along with the curtain airbag system
The RS 5 Sportback will take on the recently launched Mercedes-AMG E 53 in the performance car market. It is already company’s 5th launch in the year which has been badly affected by the pandemic. And according to the company there’s more to come in 2021 itself. The brands previous launch in India was the E-tron which was brought in both SUV and Sportback versions and became the company’s first electric offering on the market. Earlier this year Audi had also launched the S5 Sportback in the market. It runs on a 3.0-litre, twin-turbo TFSI petrol engine that delivers 354 hp and 500 Nm and is mated to an 8-speed tiptronic gearbox that sends power to all four wheels. Also imported, the car is priced from Rs. 79.06 lakhs (ex-showroom).