Pretoria News

Audi RS 5 Coupé hugs the tar

Willem.vdputte@inl.co.za

WILLEM VAN DE PUTTE

WHILE the world’s consumers continue to gobble up SUVS it’s reassuring to know that major car manufacturers still have a place for good old-fashioned sedans that hug the road.

One such manufacturer is Audi and in this case the RS 5 Coupé which is a proper coupé with looks to match.

While I get the whole SUV thing and everything associated with them, it’s still a good feeling though to walk outside and cast your eyes on a lowslung car designed for comfortable driving and when the opportunity presents itself fly into and out of corners like there’s no tomorrow.

That would be courtesy of the 2.9 TFSI twin-turbo V6 that’s good for 331kw and a not insubstantial 600Nm of torque that goes to all four wheels via Audi’s permanent Quattro drive and slick gear changes from the eightspeed tiptronic transmission. The burble coming from the RS sport exhaust system’s tailpipes also adds an extra dimension to the overall package.

The car on test was fitted with the optional rear sport differential which distributes the torque actively between the wheels and the larger shift paddles allows quick changes with the flip of your pinky should you wish.

Audi says it will get from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds and even out at 280km/h if you’re prepared to fork out some more cash. I’m not sure whether the extra 30km/h is really worth it considering our road and traffic conditions and personally 250km/h is plenty fast already. It looks fast too with a sloping carbon roof in typical coupé fashion, an “egg-crate” grille with RS emblem, large air inlets and vertical flaps and wide wheel arches filled with 20-inch alloys.

Sliding in behind the flat bottomed multifunction steering wheel the nappa leather RS sport seats wrap comfortably around you providing ample support at speed around corners and extremely comfortable on extended drives.

Fitted with Audi’s 12.3-inch virtual cockpit you can choose between classic, dynamic and sport graphics as well as an RS specific view selected from two individual RS mode buttons on the steering wheel. The test car was fitted with the optional head-up display showing all your RS outputs which is pretty much all you’ll be looking at when you’re out pushing the car’s limits.

Driving the RS 5 Coupé does however put you in a very good mood. From the moment you push the red button it barks into life making its intentions clear. Once everything is warmed up, and you let the horses run you understand why sitting close to the tar is so much more fun than an SUV.

Corners aren’t so much an obstacle but rather a smooth and quick glide around as you gear down and sweep through.

There were a few occasions however when the auto box hesitated with gear selections so I opted for the paddles which also gives you more of a sense of being in control.

Fitted with standard RS sports suspension in Dynamic and Sport the car felt firm but not uncomfortably so while in everyday driving mode it handled pock marked suburban roads and ubiquitous speed bumps on the school run with aplomb.

Steering was direct and effortless. As you would expect there’s a host of safety features such as lane change assist, adaptive cruise control, 360 degree camera and park assist with the optional City Assist Package to name only a few, save to say that the engineers have taken every precaution to keep you safe should things go awry.

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2021-07-31T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-31T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://pretorianews.pressreader.com/article/281848646642336

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