Audi RS5 Sportback, same performance but with greater comfort

It is not usual for premium brands to offer several body options across their most sporty and exclusive models; normally there is only one body configuration for those models. Audi wants to set itself apart from its competitors in this respect, and for that reason it will offer the new Audi RS5 also with a Sportback body, which can also be seen from today until April 9 at the New York Motor Show.

The new Audi RS5 Sportback offers one more option and becomes more versatile for its future owners, providing an option that was not previously available: for the first time in its history, the Audi RS5 will be available with a five-door body. In this way it sets itself apart from the competition: looking at its German rivals, the BMW M4 and the Mercedes-AMG C 63 are only available with a three-door coupé body.

Aesthetically, apart from the two extra doors, the Audi RS5 Sportback has some differences compared with the Coupé version, such as a longer wheelbase and wheel arches widened by 15 mm thanks to the quattro blisters. Otherwise, the sporty image of the new Audi RS5 remains unchanged, with short overhangs, the bonnet with a power dome and the wavy shape of the waistline.

Inside we find the sobriety and quality that Audi brings to its models, blended with the sportiness that characterises all its RS models. In this Audi RS5 Sportback there is enough space for five people to travel comfortably, with the difference that access to the rear seats is now much easier. Its boot, exactly one metre long, offers a generous space thanks to its 480-litre capacity, expandable to 1,300 litres if the rear seats are folded in a 40:20:40 configuration.

Mechanically, as with its standard equipment, there are no changes simply because of this body style. Under the bonnet we still find the 2,900 cc twin-turbo TFSI V6, which delivers a power of 450 CV and a torque of 600 Nm, available between 1,900 and 5,500 rpm. All this power is transmitted through the well-known quattro permanent all-wheel-drive system with centre differential, via the 8-speed Triptonic gearbox, specially tuned for sporty driving.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the new Audi RS5 Sportback is presented at the New York Motor Show and, at least for now, it has been announced that it will be available for the American and Canadian markets from the second half of 2018, at a price that has not been revealed. In Europe we will have to wait for confirmation of availability, as well as its price, although we have as a reference the €100,960 it costs as a starting price in Spain.