Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
It's time to party!
You're probably thinking: I can see that. But that's not what I mean.
What I mean is that Audi has made Quattros for 30 years...
...that's the party, which they celebrate with this RS5...
... which has an entirely new Quattro system built in it.
And of course this is a car that can make us very enthusiastic.
S5, I've driven a Cabrio and a Coupe, which have a V8 in it.
This one also has a V8...
... but it's still not the same block like the one the S5 has....
... or the one the RS4 had, or the Audi R8.
It's a new block, 4/5 of what you find in the R8, V10.
And it has impressive numbers...
... and has a maximum of 450 hp.
Yes, that's more than the M3.
The maximum torque is 430 newtonmeters...
... but that isn't available until you get to 4000 rpm...
... and that lasts until 6000 rpm.
That kind of tells us that has quite a high-revving block.
And it's not really weak, but not extremely powerful, either.
It really needs its rotations.
Luckily, it is equipped with a DSG box...
... so you don't need to hassle with the clutch...
...so you can change gears with the paddles behind the wheels.
It has 7 gears and when it's in its 7th, you think...
... this must be extremely economical.
Yes, says Audi, more economical than the competition...
...and uses only 10.8 liters per 100 km on average.
Yesterday however, the tank was empty after an hour and 15 minutes.
So those numbers are pretty theoretical.
And only works if you drive calmly and leave it in its D...
... and shift it to it's 7th gear.
But when you're driving yourself you never make it to that gear...
... especially on a racing-track.
Audi was nice enough to arrange an Ascari for us.
And we could do what we want for a long time.
And that gives you the chance to really get to know a car.
We had a discussion with the people at Audi...
... about the advanced 4-wheel drive system and Torque Vectoring...
... that allows you to send more power to the outside rear wheel.
You can kind of compare it to a tank...
... pushing itself around the corner, so to speak.
It's a brilliant system.
And for a long time you are not bothered by understeer...
... but neither do you get oversteer.
Am I very disappointed?
No, because we drove it over these amazing mountain roads...
.. near the Ascari track...
... and the RS5 was really excellent there,
You just have a lot of reserves...
... and that way you can really go for it.
It is actually quite dangerous...
... because you feel sort of invulnerable..
... but as others have proven, that doesn't make you immortal.
Its interior is not very exciting...
... it's typically Audi, everything makes sense and is well-made.
For the RS5 they have special RS5 chairs...
.. and the buttons are a special silver edition.
... which is only the case with RS models.
The steering wheel is round again these days...
... they don't have those flattened things anymore.
Apparently we have enough space for our knees in this Formula 1 racer.
How does it compare to the competition?
Who are they?
The Lexus ISF, but that car doesn't really get to play along...
.. as it's not good enough.
...BMW M3, Mercedes C63.
They also have a V8, but both have rear wheel drive.
The concept of the M3, you could say is more fleet-footed.
It has a more high-revving engine.
The C63 is just a car with an oversized engine block.
... in a car that may be a bit too small.
But this one is less sporty than the other two.
It is just as fast and has a comparable price.
Only with the M3 and C63 you have the option to oversteer...
... smoke your tires, drift..
... and with the RS5 that isn't possible.
I gave Audi that advice yesterday, over dinner.
I said: why don't you build a big button...
... so you can place the balance of the power of the car further backwards.
If you've started to feel doubtful...
... and think: that RS5 could be a bit boring...
... that really isn't true.
It's really fast.
On the race-track I am not sure if it would be my choice.
But on the public road it really is a brilliant car.
And I must say that if I had 112.000 euro...
... then I would really consider it.
The M3 is great, the C63 is too...
...but this is the most beautiful one.
If someone would build me a button so that I could drift at times...
... then I think that I would be sold.
I have a new one. It's a bit more sporty.
Especially for the track.
So I'm going to make another round.
Translation: Eva van der Harst