If you’ve been waiting for the new Audi RS 5 coupe to hit your dealer, your wait will soon be over. The car was released for sale earlier this month, and now Audi tells us that buying one will set you back a minimum of $69,795, including the mandatory $895 destination charge.
In addition to stunning good looks, that money buys you a 4.2-liter V-8, rated at 450 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. Shifting is exclusively handled by a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox, and power is sent to all four wheels via Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive. In RS 5 form, the system uses a center differential that can quickly bias power from front to rear. Under certain conditions, up to 85-percent of available torque can be sent to the rear wheels, or up to 70-percent to the front.
2013 Audi RS 5 – image: Audi
The RS 5’s drivetrain is good enough to produce a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds, on the way to a governed top speed of 174 miles per hour. While the standard hardware includes metal brake rotors, carbon ceramic rotors are an available option for those not concerned with details such as replacement cost.
2013 Audi RS 5 – image: Audi
While the base RS 5 starts at a higher price than the BMW M3 (in our eyes, its primary rival), adding a few options to the BMW will quickly close the price gap. The Audi also offers up the advantage of quattro AWD, something not available at any price on BMW’s M3. We’re not ready to call one better than the other until we have a chance to drive the new RS 5, but it certainly looks like we have a dogfight on our hands.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
