Audi has delivered a five-door version of the RS 5 to Australian showrooms, and in doing so returned to a formula not utilised since the B7-generation RS 4 sedan in 2008. At $157,700 (plus on-road costs), the RS 5 Sportback is line-ball with the existing coupe on price and $4800 more than the latest, more traditional RS 4 Avant wagon. Underbody similarities aside, the five-door Sportback offers its very own character traits.
Getting a performance vehicle past the Master of Finance in your household can require a sales pitch of the highest order, especially if the person in question has an aversion to 280km/h rocketships.
Futile attempts might take in a model’s safety features, its breadth of capability or, for the uninitiated, follow the theory that excessive power will get the family out of a sticky situation.
However, each can become moot points when the subject is a flame-throwing, sinewy beast riding on 22-inch wheels.
Thankfully, overt styling or boy racer allure is not applicable to Audi’s new RS 5 Sportback. The latest instalment in Audi’s A4/A5-based RS performance family, joining the existing RS 5 Coupe and RS 4 Avant, the Sportback screams racecar in the same way a Holden Commodore VXR road car might.
Using the A5/S5 Sportback as donor cars, a ‘power dome’ bulge now takes pride of place on the bonnet and the wheel-arches have been extended by 15mm, complementing large air intakes, a gaping front grille and additional design features at the front and two bulbous exhaust outlets and a diffuser at the rear.
Sixty kilograms heavier than the RS 5 Coupe, at 1840kg overall, the Sportback’s wheelbase and length are stretched 59mm.
Beneath its understated exterior lies supercar-bothering equipment shared with the RS 4 and RS 5 coupe. Not least, a Porsche-sourced 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 good for 313kW/600Nm, mated to an eight-speed automatic.
The performance kit doesn’t stop there, extending to a quattro sport rear differential, RS sports exhaust system and Dynamic Ride Control with adaptive dampers.
Like the RS 5 Coupe, the RS 5 Sportback rides on RS-tuned five-link suspension at both ends, which is 7mm lower than the S5 Sportback.
For those in a position to afford its $157,700 (plus on-road costs) price tag, with a significant other to answer to, the RS 5 Sportback does in fact boast a sophisticated five-star safety repertoire, a svelte, tech-laden interior, and space for five occupants.
Yes, the RS 4 Avant promises a similar brief, but the RS 5 Sportback is faster in a straight line (3.9 seconds versus 4.1 seconds), and it juggles family duties while still adhering to the ‘gran turismo’ brief.
At least, that could be the argument for certain prospective buyers. Audi’s research shows 90 per cent of the car’s ownership base will be male, many of them presumably single.
It can only help the ownership cause when the Audi RS 5 Sportback’s interior presents as such. It is an exercise in design, swathed in stitched leather that is broken up by brushed aluminium and carbon-fibre highlights. The execution is first-rate, too, with quality shut lines and a general feel of solidity.
Audi’s virtual cockpit display bristles from within the driver instrument cluster, teaming with a centrally-mounted colour screen. Both offer access to the Bang and Olufsen 3D sound system, digital radio and sat-nav. There’s also wireless phone charging.
The RS 5 Sportback offers ample space for front seat passengers, and enough room for little ones in the second row, or as we discovered, adults on shorter journeys. Both rows are accommodated with face-level air vents along with USB outlets.
Seat comfort is strong across both pews, straddling a fine line between long-journey amenity and support for the occasional backroad blast.
One point of contention for little ones and adults alike are the high-set window lines and broad front seat backs, which tend to obscure the side and forward outlooks. Further complicating the problem, the rear window only slides about halfway down the frame before being stopped.
The Audi RS 5 Sportback’s liftback design liberates 480 litres worth of boot space, which extends to 1300 litres with the split-folding seats stowed.
The Audi RS 5 Sportback might appear smart and understated, but there’s little hiding what’s on offer upon thumbing the starter button. The 2.9-litre six yelps to life before settling into a more meaningful idle.
There is no such trouble when doddling around town. The engine feels linear in off-the-line pick-up and effortless in its response, devoid of turbo lag or hesitation.
A large part of that trait is owed to the new eight-speed ‘tiptronic’ automatic, which foregoes Audi’s ubiquitous dual-clutch technology for a much more user-friendly torque converter arrangement.
The result is smooth transitions away from stop signs and in and out of car parks, but equally, instant and progressive thrust under power. At highway speeds, the tachometer isn’t even nudging 2000rpm.
Elsewhere, the RS 5 Sportback’s ride isn’t what you’d call pillowy soft, but it is compliant enough to regional Australia’s varying network of roads.
Pitter-patter bumps are relayed accordingly through the car’s 20-inch wheels and chassis during our backroad blast from Bathurst to Canberra, however, the RS 5 shakes off larger hits without thudding or crashing inside the cabin.
Road noise is another consideration on coarse-chip bitumen, but otherwise, the weighting of the steering and key controls is such that you could be behind the wheel of a base model A5.
That is, until you turn the car to Dynamic mode, and really being to key into the performance on offer. In this setting, the adaptive dampers stiffen, the steering takes on more weighting, and the engine is stirred with a serious spike in response, ditto the eight-speed auto.
There is also more noise from the exhaust system, which is now raspier and partial to the odd pop and crackle than in regular drive modes.
What’s incredible about the Audi RS 5 Sportback in this setting is the efficacy with which it tackles tangled bitumen. The all-wheel drive system and electronic aids are simply unflustered when pushed, and even when partially exploited, they allow a degree of movement on the road before chiming in benignly, without inhibiting progress.
Placing the RS 5 Sportback’s large footprint (4782mm by 1846mm) is a cinch, too, thanks to direct and accurate steering. Wresting its weight is likewise less burdensome than you might expect, especially when the dampers are in their sportiest, unapologetically firmest, setting.
Some time on Bathurst’s backroads reveals the Audi’s front biased weight distribution isn’t infallible. But it can be driven around with a slow entry, fast exit mentality that makes the most of the car’s active sport differential.
The Dynamic versions of the suspension and exhaust modes could be considered too focussed for many, too. We found the Individual setting best, with dampers and exhaust switched to normal mode, but the full stick for everything else.
That versatility, in part, helps sum up the RS 5 Sportback. It is a tailorable car for all occasions, and its presence (or lack thereof) is central to its appeal.
How much does the 2019 Audi RS 5 Sportback cost?
Price: $157,700 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo petrol V6
Output: 313kW/600Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 250g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP