Flashback Friday: Audi Dramatically Restyles 2021 RS5
It channels much of the magic that made Audi's original Quattro, so venerated. Meet the updated RS5 V6.
Improving Audi's best V6 driver's car
The RS5 has always been a rather special car for Audi enthusiasts. It combines the handsome proportions of Audi's A5 coupe, with an array of trick RS-bits. More powerful engines. Active differentials. Purposeful bodywork. These are all elements that enhance the A5 and turn it into an RS5. And for the 2021 model year, Audi has done it again: restyling the RS5 and making it even better to look at.
Taking weight, off the top
Its wider fenders have always been an integral feature of RS5, gifting it a more purposeful stance. But the really big news is a composite roof option. This color-contrasting roof not only adds to the aesthetic appeal, it also lowers the RS5's center of gravity. How? By being 6.6lb lighter than the aluminum roof. That might not sound like much, but any weight saving at the RS5's highest point, has a notable influence of its dynamic balance.
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Redesigned front-end
Audi has given the 2021 model year RS5 coupe a great deal more rear-view mirror presence, by adding a new grille design. The single-frame grille is more on-trend with Audi's latest design language and features a hexagon mesh pattern. Not all the grille slots are active cooling paths, with some being blocked-off, to improve aerodynamics. The new RS5 coupe has a drag index of only 0.32 and its shapelier front bumper perfectly balances the look of that larger grille surface.
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It is even wider than before
The new RS5 has Matrix-enabled taillights, which mean you get more effectively sequence-pulsing turn-signal indicators, alerting other road users of your intentions. Again, the defined RS5 stance is clearly evident and for the 2021 model year car, Audi has managed to make it 0.6-inches wider at each side, thanks to even more elaborately flared fenders. Those bulging wheel arches and fenders, draw their inspiration from the original Audi performance car, the brand's seminal ur-Quattro, launched back in 1984.
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A potent V6
Although the original RS5 was V8-powered and naturally aspirated, the latest version has two fewer cylinders, but benefits from turbocharging. Mounted above the RS5's front-axle, is Audi's sophisticated 2.9-liter V6 engine. With two turbochargers, one boosting each bank of three cylinders, the RS5 has a peak power output of 444hp.
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Six-cylinder with all the tech you could imagine
The RS5's two turbochargers are capable of delivering a maximum boost pressure of 1.5-bar and mechanical drag on the peripheral systems is low. For example, the V6 engine's oil pump is active, and only builds and sustains the required level of pressure, instead of running at surplus capacity, all of the time. The crankshaft rotates on low-friction roller bearings and trick valve-timing adjusts the camshaft profile. At peak throttle demand, the 2.9-liter V6's valve lift can increase from 0.2 - to 0.4-inches.
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Loves to carve along mountain roads
Dynamic dampers keep the RS5 balanced and agile to driver inputs, even on challenging roads. The entire mechanical package is engineered to harmonize. Although the turbocharged V6 engine is very powerful, the Quattro all-wheel-drive system and eight-speed automatic transmission, assist in harnessing its performance. The end result is an immersive driving experience.
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Exotic brake rotor material - on request
At 3763lb, the RS5 coupe is not a light car. But Audi has ensured that its braking performance always remains true, giving the driver total confidence, no matter what the cornering gradient profile is. Carbon-fiber ceramic rotors are an option for the front-axle braking system, actuated by six-piston calipers. These composite rotors measure a massive 15.7-inches in size, yet they reduce unsprung weight by 14.3lb, delivering more powerful braking and lower rotational component mass.
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