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Body and Exterior Design
The 2013 Audi RS 5 Coupe has a muscular road stance, with distinctive lines,
powerfully taut surfaces, and expressive front end and a distinctive rear end.
Its body is wide and low, the front end is long, the C-pillars flow harmoniously
into the powerfully arched shoulder line.
The new, sharper design lends the two-door model an even flatter and wider
appearance when viewed from the front. The top corners of the single-frame grill
are beveled. Its honeycomb grid is finished in high-gloss anthracite gray and
features an RS 5 badge. The frame sports a matt aluminum-look finish. The hood
is contoured with sharper edges. The large air inlets with their deeply sculpted
edges are divided by struts and also covered with honeycomb grilles. The bumper
tapers downward into a splitter, reminiscent of a race car.
The most striking of the new design elements at the front of the vehicle are the
wedge-shaped headlights with their wave-shaped bottom edge. Xenon plus
headlights are standard. The LED daytime running lights, which consume a minimum
of energy, encircle the headlights and turn signals as a narrow, visually
homogenous clasp. Audi also offers the adaptive light system with dynamic
cornering light and turning light.
The front and rear fenders of the Audi RS 5 are flared. The harsh edges above
the wheel wells are a gentle reminder of one of the brand's icons, the
Ur-quattro of 1980. The side sills sport muscular caps. The trim strips around
the windows and the side mirror housings have a matt aluminum-look finish.
Audi offers the RS 5 Coupe in a choice of eight colors - one solid finish, five
metallic or pearl-effect finishes and two crystal-effect finishes. They are Ibis
White, Silver (new), Suzuka Gray, Misano Red, Sepang Blue, Daytona Gray, Phantom
Black, Prism Silver and Panther Black. Two new styling packages are available.
One includes bolt-on parts in black, the other features matt aluminum-look
accents. Audi also offers a carbon design package for the engine compartment.
The high-performance coupe's tinted taillights are also new. The rear lights
form a visually homogeneous curve, the turn signal is a line along the upper
edge and the brake light is in between. The large elliptical tailpipes of the
dual exhaust system open onto a redesigned bumper covered with a honeycomb
grille. A diffuser is integrated into the bumper. The spoiler in the rear hatch
extends electronically at 75 mph (120 km/h).
The underbody is lined with plastic panels. It integrates air vents and airfoils
for the brakes, the seven-speed S tronic and center differential. At highway
speeds, the complete aerodynamic package generates downforce to further enhance
stability. The cD value is 0.32; the front surface area measures 2.18 m2 (23.47
sq ft). The Audi RS 5 Coupe is 4,649 millimeters (183.03 in) long, 1,860
millimeters (73.23 in) wide and 1,366 millimeters (53.78 in) tall. Its front
fenders are made of aluminum for improved axial load distribution, and a strut
brace lends the front section of the car additional stiffness.
Interior Design
The most striking new feature in the interior of the RS 5 Coupe is the leather
three-spoke, multifunction steering wheel. Its thick ring is covered in
perforated leather and flattened at the bottom. The new buttons and rollers are
now even more intuitive. The console on the center tunnel has also been
reorganized. The terminal for the optional MMI navigation plus saw the number of
hard keys for menu functions reduced from eight to six, and the volume control
now includes a skip function for moving to the next song.
The ignition key and the steering column stalks have also been updated. Buttons
can now be used to activate the optional seat heating and ventilation systems
directly, and the air conditioning's displays are illuminated in white. Audi
drive select is now controlled via a single button, and a single tap of the
selector lever is all it takes to switch to the S mode of the seven-speed S tronic.
The sport seats have large side bolsters, integrated headrests and embossed RS 5
logos. They are power adjustable and include a four-way lumbar support and an
extendable thigh rest. They are covered with a combination of leather and
Alcantara, with black or moon silver Fine Nappa leather available as an option.
Audi also offers manually adjustable bucket seats and deluxe climate-controlled
seats featuring a ventilation function and covered in perforated leather.
The instruments have black gauges and white lettering with distinctive scaling.
The driver information system integrates a lap timer for circuit times and an
oil temperature gauge. Both it and the MMI monitor display a special RS 5
welcome screen when the car is started.
The fascia at the instrument cluster and the center console are now in
high-gloss black. Decorative inlays are available in carbon, Aluminum Race,
Piano black finish, brushed matt aluminum or dark stainless steel mesh. Carbon
fiber-reinforced polymer fascia is standard.
The color black dominates the interior, with a Moon Silver headlining available
as an option. Typical of all RS vehicles, the door openers are two narrow bars.
Aluminum inlays adorn the door sill trims. They, like the steering wheel, the
tachometer and the gear selector lever, are decorated with RS logos.
The power window controls and the switches for the power seats are subtly framed
with chrome. The pedals, the footrest, the air vents, the shift paddles on the
steering wheel, the MMI buttons and other controls shine in an aluminum-look
finish. The Audi exclusive program also include numerous options for further
personalizing the RS 5.
Engine
The Audi RS 5 Coupe is equipped with a high-revving, normally aspirated V8
displacing 4,163 cc. The 4.2 FSI delivers 450 hp (331 kW) at 8,250 rpm, with the
peak torque of 317 lb-ft (430 Nm) available between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm.
Direct response, eager revving and a rich, melodious sound - the V8 with direct
fuel injection and aluminum crankcase is a thoroughbred sport engine.
The long-stroke engine (bore x lift 84.5 x 92.8 mm [3.33 x 3.65 in]) can breathe
freely thanks to intensive refinements to the intake and exhaust system with the
two throttles valves. Valves in the two large tailpipes open at high load and
engine speed or at the push of a button in Audi drive select for a richer sound.
In Dynamic mode, double-clutching provides an audio backdrop to downshifts. Upon
request, Audi will install a particularly distinctive sounding sport exhaust
system with black tailpipe tips that also includes this switching function.
The 4.2 FSI's specific power output is 108.1 hp per liter of displacement.
The powerful V8 consumes just 10.5 liters of fuel per 100 km (22.40 US mpg). The cylinder barrels and the chain drive
have been optimized for minimal friction, and the oil pump is demand-controlled.
Drivetrain
With its high efficiency and its long top gear, the standard seven-speed S
tronic also contributes to the good fuel economy. Drivers can operate the
dual-clutch transmission like an automatic in D and S modes, or they can shift
themselves using the gear selector lever or the paddles on the steering wheel
for particularly sporting driving. The launch control program modulates the
engagement of the clutch at the optimal engine speed for pulling away so that
the engine's power is delivered to the road with minimal wheel slip.
The seven-speed S tronic consists of two sub-transmissions, whose clutches
actuate different gears. The direct shifts are executed by switching clutches;
they take just a few hundredths of a second and so smooth comfortable that the
driver barely notices.
Like every Audi RS model, the RS 5 Coupe comes with quattro permanent all-wheel
drive. The crown gear center differential at its heart is compact and
lightweight. During normal driving, it distributes the power between the front
and rear axles with a sporty 60:40 rear bias. It can instantly vary this
distribution if necessary, sending up to 70 percent of the torque to the front
and as much as 85 percent to the rear.
The crown-gear center differential works together with the torque vectoring
system, which acts on all four wheels. If the load on the inside wheel is
reduced too much while the car is being driven dynamically, that wheel is braked
slightly before it can begin to slip. The RS 5 Coupe remains neutral for an
extremely long time at the handling limits; the slight understeer when turning
into corners and when accelerating is compensated almost completely.
The ESP stabilization program intervenes later and more gently - if it is even
necessary at all.
Audi offers the sport differential as a complementary option that actively
distributes the power between the rear wheels via two superposition stages. When
turning into or accelerating in a curve, the majority of it flows to the outside
wheel and pushes the RS 5 Coupe into the curve, nipping the tendency to oversteer or understeer in the bud. With the sport differential, the RS 5 Coupe
drives as if on the proverbial rails.
Equipment and Trim
Deliveries of the updated Audi RS 5 Coupe are scheduled to begin in the middle
of the year across Europe at a base price of 78,200 EUR. Standard equipment includes the parking
system plus, automatic air conditioning, the concert CD radio with eight
speakers, folding rear seats, a load-through hatch with ski bag and a package of
restraint systems comprising six airbags, the integral head restraint system and Isofix anchor points for child safety seats in the back.
The range of options includes such things as the convenience key, panoramic
tilting sunroof, three-zone automatic air conditioning, tinted rear windows and
a power rear window shade. All of the assistance systems from the A5 family are
available in the RS 5 Coupe - the new driver information system with rest
recommendation, Audi side assist, Audi active lane assist and the parking system
plus with reversing camera.
A wide range of multimedia components is also available. The top-of-the-line is
MMI navigation plus, a control and navigation center with a large hard drive, a
DVD drive, a seven-inch color monitor with 3D graphics and whole-word
destination input. HiFi fans can order the Bang & Olufsen sound system, which
drives 14 speakers with an impressive 505 watts of total power.
Another expansion module for MMI navigation plus is the online Bluetooth car
phone, which uses a UMTS module to connect the Audi RS 5 to the Internet. The
keyword here is Audi connect. Passengers can surf the web freely with their
mobile devices via the integrated WLAN hotspot. Audi offers the driver tailored
Internet services ranging from Audi online traffic information to navigation
using images from Google Earth.
Chassis
The chassis of the RS 5 Coupe is the basis for fast and precise turn-in, high
lateral acceleration and supreme stability. Most of the components of the
five-link front suspension and the self-tracking trapezoidal-link rear
suspension are made of aluminum.
The new speed-dependent power steering is an electromechanical system with a
sportily direct steering ratio for highly precise road feel. It can support the
driver with slight steering corrections when braking on a surfaces with
different amounts of grip. The steering system consumes no energy when driving
straight ahead, which contributes to powerful coupe's efficiency.
The taut setup lowers the body by 0.8 in (20 millimeters) compared with the
Audi A5. The bearings are stiffer and the stabilizer bars are thicker. Newly
designed, 9 J x 19 forged aluminum wheels with 265/35-series tires are standard.
20-inch wheels with 275/30-series tires are available as an option. Audi offers
two versions of them, one with a polished titanium-look finish.
The brake system of the RS Coupe features large, internally ventilated wave
discs, with the front discs measuring 365 millimeters (14.37 in) in diameter.
The steel friction rings with their wave-like outer contour are perforated and
connected to the aluminum brake caps via pins. This direct structure reduces
tensions, quickly dissipates the heat and prevents the transmission of
temperature peaks.
The new shape of the friction rings shaves a total of roughly 6.6 lb (three
kilograms) from the unsprung masses.
The calipers are painted high-gloss black; the front calipers have eight pistons
each and sport RS logos. The electronic stabilization program (ESP) includes a
Sport mode and can be switched off entirely. Six-piston calipers and
carbon-fiber ceramic discs measuring 380 millimeters (14.96 in) up front are
optionally available. They are lightweight, practically fade-free, extremely
robust, powerful and durable.
Upon request, Audi equips the RS 5 with a particularly dynamic damping
technology - the sport suspension plus with dynamic ride control (DRC). The
diagonally opposed pairs of shock absorbers are linked by hydraulic lines and a
central valve. During fast cornering, the system boosts the stabilization of the
deflected front outside wheel, for example. The sport suspension plus features a
three-stage, variable damping characteristic.
The Audi drive select driving dynamics system comes standard with the RS 5
Coupe. This system allows the driver to select between three modes - comfort,
auto and dynamic - for the characteristics of the steering, the seven-speed S tronic, the throttle valves and the exhaust sound valves. And if the car is
equipped with an Audi navigation system, there is also a driver-configurable
custom mode.
Optional modules for Audi drive select beside the sport differential and the
damping characteristic in the sport suspension plus are adaptive cruise control
and dynamic steering. The latter uses a superposition gear to vary the steering
ratio by nearly 100 percent as a function of speed and countersteers slightly at
the cornering limit.
Audi RS 5 Coupe: Photo Gallery, Review (1/2) and Specifications