We tested the Audi RS range on the road and on the track: a festival of horsepower!

No, don’t bother, I’ll do it myself: 5,770 CV!. That is the figure obtained by adding up the horsepower of every model you can see in the image, the “herd” of Audi with the “RS” badge that the brand with the four rings penned us into at the Circuito de Navarra on an unforgettable day, in which we were able to confirm that every Audi Sport model is perfectly equipped to meet the demands of track driving. Not to be missed!

Audi Sport GmbH: the most sporting part of Audi

Before we start, the corresponding press conference to remind us that Audi Sport GmbH is not only the brand’s division responsible for developing and producing the RS range models and the Audi R8, but is also in charge of the brand’s motorsport programme, as well as two other business areas: vehicle personalisation through the Audi exclusive programme, and the merchandise sold through Audi collection.

Yes, we too are eager to get to the action, but a little history never hurts. I promise not to keep you long… and you know you can always skip ahead to the next point. The fact is that, in case you didn’t know, the name Audi Sport GmbH was adopted in 2016; previously this Audi subsidiary was called quattro GmbH, and it began building high-performance cars in 1983. Today, Audi Sport GmbH, based in Neckarsulm, employs more than 1,300 people.

As for the RS range, motoring enthusiasts and the brand’s followers know well where it all began: with the Audi RS 2 Avant of 1994. A car that the writer of these lines was lucky enough to test at the time, and of which I still keep an unforgettable memory. Back then nobody had dared to propose a vehicle with five seats and a large boot, with performance and dynamic behaviour capable of putting any sports car to shame; and I mean it. The RS 2 Avant not only created a new segment, it also marked the start of a new era.

Today, the Audi Sport model range is the broadest in its history, with 14 body styles including saloons, estates, compacts, coupés and even SUVs; petrol engines with 5, 6, 8 and 10 cylinders; a 100% electric model (and more will follow); outputs between 400 and 620 CV…

The best way not to get lost is to start with the introductions. Here is the complete Audi RS range, ordered by engine and output, where it is clearly visible which models share an engine. By clicking on each model you can access more complete and detailed information about each one, and even the road test we carried out at the time, as in the case of the RS 6 Avant or the R8.

• Audi RS 3 Sedan and Sportback: 2.5 TFSI engine with 400 CV
• Audi RS Q3 and RS Q3 Sportback: 2.5 TFSI engine with 400 CV
• Audi TT RS Coupé: 2.5 TFSI with 400 CV
• Audi RS 4 Avant: 3.0 TFSI V6 engine with 450 CV
• Audi RS 5 Coupé and RS 5 Sportback: 3.0 TFSI V6 engine with 450 CV
• Audi RS 6 Avant: 4.0 TFSI V8 engine with 600 CV
• Audi RS 7 Sportback: 4.0 TFSI V8 engine with 600 CV
• Audi RS Q8: 4.0 TFSI V8 engine with 600 CV
• Audi R8 and R8 Spyder: 10-cylinder FSI V10 engine with 570 or 620 CV
• Audi RS e-tron GT: Two electric motors, 598 CV (646 CV in boost mode)

Let’s carry on, but we’re still not driving. Now it’s time to look a little deeper into the technology that makes these cars so special, and suitable both for everyday use and for heading to your favourite circuit. But first, I’ll let you in on a small secret: you too can drive the Audi RS range on the track, including the Audi R8 or the RS e-tron GT, by signing up for one of the Audi driving experience courses.

The technology of the RS models: high-level engineering

Except for the Audi R8, all Audi Sport models with the RS designation are derived from cars that have “standard” variants. But the transformation into an RS model goes much further than a simple specific chassis tune, fitting large wheels with wide tyres, and adding muscle with widened wheel arches and other body elements. The Audi RS models have their own character, given by each model’s engine, quattro all-wheel drive and a running gear with the most advanced technology.

Engines: 5, 6, 8 or 10 cylinders… and two electric motors for the RS e-tron GT

As for the engines, there is little left to discover at this point. The award-winning five-cylinder 2.5 TFSI is unique in its kind, ideal for compact cars such as the RS 3 and RS Q3 or the TT RS, with an unmistakable sound and always paired with the S tronic dual-clutch gearbox. For the RS 4 and RS 5, the 2.9-litre V6 TFSI achieves a specific output of more than 155 CV per litre of displacement, notable for the compactness allowed by the design with two turbochargers inside the V formed by the cylinders. The 4.0 TFSI V8 fitted to the RS 6 Avant, RS 7 and RS Q8 reaches 600 CV and allows these models to carry the DGT’s CERO label, thanks to mild-hybrid technology; they also feature a cylinder deactivation system to improve consumption. Both the Audi RS models with V6 and V8 engines come with an 8-speed Tiptronic gearbox.

As for the V10 of the Audi R8, in its most powerful version it exceeds 119 CV per litre; remember that it is a naturally aspirated engine, and with only minimal modifications it is practically the same as the one used in competition in the GT3 category. Keep this fact in mind: it revs up to 8,700 rpm, and at that speed the pistons move at almost 27 m/s, figures typical of an F1 engine. In this case the gearbox is again an S tronic dual-clutch. And what can be said about the engine—or rather the engines, one per axle—of the first RS electric car, the RS e-tron GT? Not much, except that the system’s 598 CV becomes 646 CV for a few seconds in boost mode.

quattro all-wheel drive

An Audi RS is inconceivable without quattro all-wheel drive. And, as with the rest of the range, the RS family has tailored solutions for each model. Thus, the compacts, with the five-cylinder engine mounted transversely, use an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch that distributes power between the axles. The new RS 3 debuts the Torque Splitter system (you can read more here), with two multi-plate clutches, one on each rear half-shaft, which takes driving dynamics to another level by offering torque vectoring at the rear wheels; it also offers a specific mode that makes controlled drifting child’s play. The Audi R8 also uses a multi-plate clutch in the quattro versions, together with a mechanical rear limited-slip differential.

The Audi RS models with longitudinal engines, that is, those with V6 and V8 engines, use a quattro drive system with a mechanical limited-slip differential. Under normal conditions the torque split is 40/60, prioritising the rear axle; it can send up to 70% to the front axle, or 85% to the rear. In all cases, the optional quattro sport differential with RS tuning distributes torque between the rear axle wheels in a variable and active manner, further improving dynamic behaviour.

With no mechanical connection between the two axles, the electric quattro drive of the RS e-tron GT has already shown what it is capable of: it can regulate the torque split in a fully variable and continuous way between the axles, from zero to 100%… much faster than any other system: up to five times faster than a mechanical quattro drive, according to Audi. We’ll come back to this, but I’ll tell you now that, after driving it on the track, I believe it.

The running gear: tailor-made

As for the running gear, I just wanted to share a few quick points. For example, the TT RS Coupé and the Audi R8 still use adaptive dampers with Audi magnetic ride technology, which in my opinion has its days numbered. It’s not that it doesn’t work well, but the conventional adaptive dampers used on the rest of the RS range perform just as well… or better.

Other high-technology elements for the running gear of the RS models are the Dynamic Ride Control system for the RS 4 Avant, RS 5, RS 6 and RS 7, which controls body movements by modifying the response of the dampers, which are interconnected diagonally, without the need for electronic systems. For the RS Q8 an electromechanical active anti-roll bar system is used. And there are up to three types of steering: progressive, dynamic (with variable ratio), four-wheel steering (standard on the RS Q8) and dynamic four-wheel steering (optional on the RS 6 and RS 7).

And of course, the whole range can optionally be fitted with carbon-ceramic brake discs as an alternative to the standard ones.

Some curiosities about the Audi RS range

After all this talk, I think there are some facts, features and details about the RS range that, by way of review, may be interesting, beyond the 5,770 CV that, as I told you at the beginning, came together on the asphalt of the Circuito de los Arcos, entirely at our disposal. Here they are:

• The most “affordable” Audi RS is the RS 3 Sportback, priced from 77,840 euros
• The most expensive: the R8 Spyder V10 performance quattro, priced at 247,580 euros
• The most powerful, the V10 FSI of the Audi R8 performance quattro, with 620 CV
• The heaviest: you guessed it! The RS e-tron GT, at 2,347 kg kerb weight
• The electric Gran Turismo has a lower centre of gravity than the R8 itself
• The quickest accelerating: the R8 Coupé V10 performance quattro, which clocks 0 to 100 km/h in 3.1 s
• The highest top speed: again the R8 V10 performance quattro: 331 km/h
• Except for the R8, all RS models with combustion engines are turbocharged
• The RS Q8 can take wheels up to 23 inches, the largest ever seen on a Audi
• The RS 3 is the only one with narrower tyres on the rear axle than on the front
• On the RS 6 Avant, RS 7 and RS Q8, the carbon-ceramic discs save up to 34 kg of weight
• The brake calipers on the RS 6 and RS 7 can have up to ten pistons

Behind the wheel of the Audi RS range on the track

The first thing I’d like to say is that, however much I try to explain it, you won’t get a real idea of the enormous difference in sensations a car can convey when driven on the road compared with “piloting” it on a closed circuit. And I dare to use the word “piloting” because what Audi arranged for us to test its RS range was practically an authentic “all-you-can-drink” of horsepower. Or rather, even better. Imagine it: an instructor from the Audi driving experience school—pilots or former pilots, most of them already good friends after so many years of getting behind the wheel—with groups of three “driver-journalist-pilots”, so that you always follow the instructor for at least one lap in each car. The instructor not only teaches you the tricks of the circuit—which there are, and many—to go fast, but also lets you go as quickly as those of us following him are able… always maintaining the necessary safety margins. And the party begins.

I decide to start with the less powerful models, to progressively move up a level. And once again, as always every time I drive it, the five-cylinder Audi engine wins me over. At first it’s surprising how well an SUV like the RS Q3 can go on the track, but when you switch to the TT RS or the RS 3, the drawbacks of this type of body come to light, due to weight and greater height: following the RS 3 with an RS Q3 without losing it requires already being a bit out of shape, which doesn’t particularly amuse me. Even so, chapeau to the RS Q3; without doubt it deserves the letters it carries.

And I’ll take the opportunity not to overlook how well the Torque Splitter works on the RS 3, a system that neither the RS Q3 nor the TT RS has. In “dynamic” mode the setting is perfect and the feeling is one of complete control and dynamism, even if you abuse the throttle. As if by magic, however much you tickle it, it practically eliminates understeer, and you feel the rear hinting at sliding but never escaping. It makes getting the most out of the five-cylinder easier than ever… I daresay the chassis could handle another 50 CV with ease.

And my favourite is…

Moving up to the RS 4 Avant, or any of the RS 5s, doesn’t represent as big a leap in sensations as getting out of those and driving an RS 7 or the RS 6 Avant, which I’ll tell you now is my favourite. The twin-turbo V6 gives plenty of scope, and it’s really very hard to tell whether you’re driving an RS 4 Avant or an RS 5 in either of its two body versions. I tried an RS 5 with ceramic brakes and an RS 4 with steel discs, and there’s no contest: for road driving the ceramic option isn’t essential; but on the track, even the high-performance steel brakes standard on the RS 4 and RS 5 don’t hold up through a day like this, although every three laps at full tilt you take one to cool them down.

About the Audi RS 6 Avant I can only say the same marvels as about the rest of the RS range… but multiplied by two. The same goes for the RS 7 Sportback (they are close cousins), but I’d choose the Avant body. Not only because the car seems beautiful to me, but because of the appeal that the first RS being an Avant has. And also because, remember, an RS is a car you can use every day, and I love the practicality that an estate body provides. But I’m straying from the circuit, let’s get back to it. I dare say there is no other car with 600 CV and the performance offered by the RS 6 Avant that is so easy to drive quickly on a circuit, even for inexperienced hands.

An R8 conveys purer sensations; or perhaps I should say more radical ones. But in the RS 6 you can look down on the driver of the R8, in the literal sense… and figuratively. They’ll have to sweat blood if they want to “escape”… or not lose the slipstream, if the RS 6 is ahead. With the whole technological arsenal (ceramic brakes, anti-roll system, four-wheel dynamic steering, quattro drive with sport differential), the RS 4 would only need roll bars and door harnesses to look more like a racing car. The difference is that when you leave the circuit, you select “comfort” mode on the Audi drive select and could travel wherever you like as if in a luxury saloon. By the way, an interesting fact: fiddling with the digital instrumentation, after three consecutive laps driving fast, the front tyre sensors were showing temperatures of around 140 degrees… We weren’t going slowly.

I have little to say about the RS Q8; being one of the fastest SUVs around the Nürburgring is its best calling card. Only that, again, the exercise of switching from an RS 6 or RS 7 to an RS Q8 brings you back to reality. And yet the RS Q8 has more of a track car than an SUV about it. But believe me, what the development engineers have achieved is very impressive, managing to make an SUV so large, heavy and bulky accept driving at the limit on a circuit as the RS Q8 does.

And we finish with the crown jewels, which I had the chance to face at the Circuito del Jarama during a Audi driving experience day: the Audi R8 and the RS e-tron GT. I refer you to the full test right here below:

But let me tell you one thing: of all the cars I was able to drive during the day, the RS e-tron GT was the one that surprised me most, although my favourite is the RS 6 Avant. It drives differently, and feels very different from the rest of the RS models, as it could not be otherwise. However, its propulsion system, with even more power and torque than the RS 6 (even in boost mode), and the efficiency of the electric all-wheel drive, makes it possible to recover on corner exits and on the straights what it loses when it’s time to brake hard and turn (in other words, managing the inertia). And in the end you find yourself “sweet-talking” the monitor without even trying, to the point that you see it smiling while glancing in the rear-view mirror.

Keep an eye out for the upcoming electric Audi RS models, because let’s not forget that the RS e-tron GT, after all, is a “Gran Turismo”. Can you imagine what the successor to the Audi R8 might be, for example, developed directly as an electric sports car? I can…

Image gallery by model from the Audi RS range