4ringblog.com » RS5

Unmasked RS5? You be the judge

Andrew — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:34:59 +0000

An interesting post was added a few days ago over at GT Spirit. A post that begs the question - are we looking at an unmasked RS5 test mule?

For those that remember from our previous posts - the RS5 is going to be the newest, hottest Audi coupe taking a 4.2L V8 and tuning it out to around 450HP. For the last few months, we’ve seen the RS5 running around the Nurburgring undergoing serious testing in preparation for its debut this fall. As the months leading up to the debut have carried on, we’ve seen the RS5 with increasingly less and less camo to disguise the huge air intakes, flared wheel arches and rear valence.

Here, we see pictures submitted to GT Spirit showing what looks to be a V8 S5(see badging on the flanks). However, upon closer inspection, the air dam looks to have the honey-comb design at the front, typical of an RS model,compared to the slats of the S5. What also must be noted is the lack of fog lamps, though the rest of the body looks similar to the S5 - the side valences don’t seem to match the RS5 seen tearing up the ‘Ring.

These particular spy shots were taken in Austria atop the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, a lovely ribbon of tarmac that resembles the Stelvio pass as featured on Top Gear. The folks that captured the pictures also managed to capture a video of the supposed RS5 - the engine note definitely sounds V8 to us and reminiscent of the other videos of the RS5 at speed. To check out the video and pics from the full story, hit the jump to GT Spirit and let us know below if you think it’s the real deal or not!

(Source: GT Spirit via RS6.com)

Engine confirmed for upcoming RS5

Andrew — Mon, 18 May 2009 00:42:18 +0000

Beyond the R8 and ’10 S4, the RS5 may be one of the most anticipated 4ringed cars of the last few years. Over the last few months, as the spy shots have increased, as has the speculation on what sort of powerplant quattro GmbH has up their sleeves for their favorite M3 fighter.

Rumors have ranged from a V10 ala the RS6 to a twin-turbo V8 churning out roughly 500 horsepower. However, CAR has the inside scoop and it is neither of those two engines but, in fact, a 4.2L naturally aspirated V8 tuned out to 450HP while being a higher revving motor than the outgoing 4.2L on the B7 RS4. CAR expects this will make the RS4 good for a 0 to 60 sprint in the mid-4 second range keeping in line with the M3’s similar figures.

CAR also goes on to note that Audi will likely implement some weight saving technology to help reduce the overall weight of the vehicle which will in turn also help the driving dynamics of the car. Our guess is you can also expect a possible upgraded version of Audi Drive Select as well as a differential similar to that of the torque vectoring differential found in the new S4. No word on transmissions yet, but we would be surprised if the RS5 didn’t come with the option for the dual clutch 7-speed automatic ‘box found in other Non-U.S. Audis.

It is expected that the European market will see the big coupe go on sale in late 2009 with a possible U.S. on-sale-date around mid-spring 2010. The jury is still out though on whether or not we will receive the RS5 stateside, but, we’re willing to bet that, in a market dominated by the M3 and with Audi’s big marketing push to gain market space, it ’s nearly a sure thing the RS5 will cross the pond in early 2010.

Note: Above picture is of a B7 RS4 engine

(Source: CAR Magazine)

Newest Audi RS5 Spy Photos

Andrew — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 06:02:27 +0000

The highly awaited Audi RS5 coupe sports car made an appearance again at the famous Nurburgring track in Germany. What sets apart these new spied RS5 from the previous one seen last month is the new retractable rear spoiler.

The RS5 is likely very close to its production specs and it is sporting the Spirit Blue paint covered by black tape camouflage. The car also seems to run on 19-inch Audi S-line rims and deep air dams. A 4.2 liter V8 engine is rumored to power the RS5, producing 450 horsepower, while still running on the impressive quattro system.

The Audi fans will have a choice between a 6-speed manual transmission and the new 7-speed DSG box.

Audi RS5 will make its debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September.

[Source: Worldcarfans ]

Black, blue and fast all over: Audi RS5 breaks cover

Andrew — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 02:21:32 +0000

What’s black, blue and fast all over? Well, the test mule Audi RS5 coupe jetting around the Nurburgring as it undergoes some of it’s final testing before its likely unveiling this fall at the Frankfurt Auto Show. As evidenced in these pictures, the RS5 is likely very close to its production specs sporting Spirit Blue paint (hidden by light black camouflage), 19-inch Audi S-line rims and the deep, deep air dams. Those air dams are working hard too - funneling as much as as possible into what’s believed to be a slightly detuned version of the RS6’s turbocharged V10.

In these pics, we can see that quattro GmbH that has left little to the enthusiast’s imagination with the beefy air dam(ala the TT RS), huge disc brakes at the front and wide-as-the-earth RS oval tailpipes as the rear. Looking at the rear diffuser, we’re still not sure if this is the final production diffuser. Also, from these same pics we can see the clear designation of “Recaro” etched into the seats - though these probably won’t be the production but I’m sure we can expect the super-grippy seats that Audi usually provides in higher performance models.

Click here to view the embedded video.

(Photos: Autoblog and AutoExpress )