Audi RS5 Avant and saloon spied testing: 500bhp of V6 hybrid power expected
The next Audi RS5 is set to take the place of the RS4 Avant and RS5 Sportback, as Audi’s hot petrol-powered exec
The next Audi RS5 has been spied testing in both saloon and Avant guises ahead of an expected 2025 reveal, sporting all the Audi Sport calling cards including aggressive front and rear bumpers, big box arches and crucially, exhaust pipes.
Yes, the RS5 represents the very tip of Audi’s twin-prong powertrain attack, with odd-numbered cars going internal combustion and even-numbered cars being dedicated EVs. As such, the A5 and S5 take the place of the A4 and S4, meaning the RS5 will take the place of the Audi RS4 Avant and RS5 Sportback.
While the internal combustion is very much the focus for the RS5, this doesn’t mean electrification won’t have a role. In fact, the Audi RS5 is expected to be a full-on plug-in hybrid – witness the twin ‘fuel’ flaps, one on each side of the test mules. It’s predicted to feature with a battery and an electric motor to augment the familiar 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6, which alone in the 1750kg Audi RS4 produced 444bhp.
Power and performance should be suitably spectacular, enough to cancel out the inevitable added weight of a PHEV system by comparison to the 503bhp BMW M3 and M3 Touring. For context, if the RS5 gains 300kg in weight, it’ll need somewhere in the region of 520bhp to match the old RS4’s power-to-weight ratio.
Exactly how that power is metered out is yet to be revealed, though we suspect a single electric motor will feature between the engine and gearbox, like on the Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid. Incidentally, that car also features an electrified version of this engine, for a 536bhp total system output.
The RS5 is expected to retain its legendary quattro all-wheel-drive system, ensuring optimal traction and handling in various driving conditions. With advancements in torque vectoring and electronic stability control, we’re hoping for an engaging and responsive machine.
The styling looks very Audi RS, with those anabolic extremities and elements borrowed even from the extreme RS6 GT, like those arch vents. The RS5 obviously shares a strong family look with the new A5, but the blistered rear arches, particularly on the Avant model, give it real purpose and intent. Strange for an RS is the fact the oval exhausts are not positioned at the far sides of the rear end, rather they’re more centralised like those on the BMW M3.
At the front Audi’s ‘single-frame’ grille appears present and correct, albeit with new diamond-like mesh. Flanking it are significantly-sized vent apertures for cooling and the air curtains. As with the standard A5 expect LED matrix headlights and Audi’s second generation OLED rear lighting.
On the inside, expect the heavily digitised interior of the Audi A5 and S5 to get a sporting edge, with plenty of RS5 badges, a special wheel and sporty seats, with the whole cabin lavished in stylised stitching.
As for its market positioning? Well, the RS5 is poised to capitalise perhaps where the Mercedes-AMG C63 has gone wrong, with more cylinders than the controversial four-pot Mercedes, but with the added performance benefits and versatility that hybridisation affords to hold above the M3. Quite whether it’ll beat the M3 dynamically, especially the recently announced M3 CS Touring, remains to be seen. History tells us that’s unlikely, but we hope to find out later this year when the RS5 is fully revealed.
