The Audi RS5 Effortlessly Defies Its Curb Weight: Review

With a trick rear end and a slick suspension, the new RS5 is an absolute joy to drive hard.

Photo by: Audi

By: Jeff Glucker

May 28, at 6:01pm ET

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All the early Audi RS5 headlines focused on one thing: the car's gargantuan curb weight. Rightfully so, too, since this one clocks in at more than 1,000 pounds heavier than the outgoing version.

For those of you who prefer to pass judgment until you've heard about actual, in-real-life driving dynamics, I have good news: this latest Audi RS5 is an absolute joy to drive. In fact, the RS5 delivers such a complete package—from styling, tech, and comfort to a blend of everyday usability with serious on-track capability—that I’m still thinking about it week after driving it.

Audi engineers worked overtime ensuring the new RS5 punches far above its (ahem) weight class. Setting me loose in the car on Austrian Alpine roads and a test track facility, with rapidly shifting weather conditions, helped cement this latest RS5 as a stunner of a sports sedan.

Quick Specs	2027 Audi RS5
Powertrain	Twin-Turbocharged 2.9-Liter V6 Plug-in Hybrid
Output	630 Horsepower / 609 Pound-Feet
0-62 MPH	3.6 Seconds
Curb Weight	5,192 Pounds
Base Price	$110,000 (Estimated)

Photo by: Audi

Let’s get the heavy bit done first—the 2026 Audi RS5 weighs nearly 5,200 pounds. That’s more than the current Audi Q7, mind you. How did we get here? Audi decided to embrace the electrified performance-enhancing drug that is a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Under the hood, you’ll find a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V6 engine. On its own, the mill doles out 503 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, sending its grunt out to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Within that gearbox, you’ll find an electric motor good for an extra 174 hp. Captain Planet those powers, and the RS5 serves up 630 hp and 609 lb-ft at your command. Despite its heft, Audi claims a 0-62 mph dash takes just 3.6 seconds. Honestly, it feels quicker than that.

Photo by: Audi

Audi’s real party trick doesn’t simply lie with the powertrain, though, as the chassis is the star of the show. There’s a small electric motor that lives inside the rear end. This is just one element of the Dynamic Torque Control system, which also features an open differential and a planetary gear set.

The RS5 can send as much as 85 percent of available torque out back, and it primarily operates in a rear-biased mode. When the torque hits this rear housing via the drive shaft, the system determines where that power needs to go, resulting in a system that can shift torque quickly and effectively without the need for more traditional brake-based torque vectoring systems.

Hopping behind the wheel, I set the RS5 into Dynamic mode. This is at the behest of the very engineer responsible for tuning the trick rear end. I’ll admit that I’m a bit skeptical since my infantile brain would prefer to jump straight to RS Torque Rear. My skepticism is short-lived as I pilot the RS5 over a short but entertaining technical track known as the ÖAMTC Driving Technique and Experience Center.

Photos by: Audi

This RS5 is downright playful. The rear end will step wide in a progressive, comfortable, and easily controllable manner on corner exit. Still, the RS5 has AWD, which means you can get on the power early and properly rip from one corner to the next. Even as I throw the car into off-camber or crested turns, this four-ringed hero slides a bit, shrugs it off, and we’re away, rocketing down the next straight section of track.

I simply do not feel the curb weight listed on the spec sheet. Part of that is owed to the dark magic happening in the rear. Another part comes courtesy of the twin-valve suspension dampers. When you allow one part of the suspension system to focus on rebound and another to handle compression, you wind up with a machine destined to deliver smiling faces.

Photo by: Audi

Beyond the test track, my driving route included slow speeds through delightful Austrian countryside towns, twisting alpine routes, and a dash of highway for a good mix. Along the way, I quite literally drove through shining, warm sun, a smattering of rain, and two separate snowstorms.

Normally, that’s a less-than-ideal day when you’re on a set of 285-section-width high-performance summer tires. The RS5 shrugged it all off, while I remained confident and comfortable in the cabin. Those optional Pirellis are part of the available Audi Sport Package. Opting for that kit unlocks a 177 mph top speed (vs 155), carbon-ceramic brakes, a revised front fascia, unique interior trim bits, and black-painted rear exhaust outlets.

For further personalization, Audi will also offer an expanded range of interior and exterior color options through the Audi Exclusive package. You can spec gold wheels, contrasting stitching, and other touches to really personalize your RS5. Personally, I say the Bedford Green paint looks rather fetching.

Photos by: Audi

Even without spec’ing more style to the car, Audi has done a fine job making this RS5 look ‘the business.’ Only the hood is shared with the standard A5; everything else gets the Audi Sport treatment. My favorite bit on the outside has to be the aggressive fender work, especially the front pair with the heat extractors.

Out back, I’m sure reviews on the exhaust design will be mixed. In person, though, the effect works to give the car much more visual drama. Sadly, the most dramatic-looking version of the RS5 is the one we do not get: the Avant. Yes, I begged Audi to let me have a go in the handful of wagons on display. No, I was not allowed to do so.

But there’s a glimmer of hope for you longroof fans. Speaking with Audi CEO Gernot Döllner, he said that although the RS5 Avant will not be available here at launch, the brand remains open to assessing customer demand. Additionally, Döllner says US dealers are indeed asking for the car.

So if you love a good sporty wagon, and you have the cash to put one in your driveway, start waving your money around at your local Audi dealer.

Audi RS5 Verdict

Photo by: Audi

Audi has performed a magic trick with the 2027 RS5. On paper, the car should not drive as well as it does. Sure, there’s also sorts of mechanical and electric wizardry at play, but physics is physics. A heavy Audi sedan should plow like Homer Simpson in a jacked-up red pickup, yet the RS5 dances through corners as if it had two fewer doors and weighed 1,500 pounds less.

What do you think?

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This car makes the perfect case for the good that plugin-hybrid tech can do in a performance setting. That ‘good’ will cost you, as we’re estimating a starting price between $110,000 and $120,000, mind you.

But that money gets you a vehicle eager to put a smile on your face, be it when you’re ripping tires apart on a race track or sitting in stop-and-go traffic running the car in its pure EV mode. Thus saving you a few bucks at the fuel pump, which you can then put toward more tires for more track days.