Short Test - 2014 Audi RS5

"You ok boss?"

"Yeah, I good."

Cruising around some B roads, I remarked at how smooth the ride was. This being a performance car, the Audi RS5 I was piloting rode quite comfortably in Comfort mode, though the firmness in the suspension was apparent.

"Switch it to Dynamic mode."

"Ok, sure."

A few seconds later: "Holy %#$!"

Through the bottom of my seat and the steering wheel in my hands, I felt the RS5's personality do a pretty dramatic shift. Everything suddenly felt tense. Gone was the docile steering, the soft (relatively) ride, the purring of the engine in the distance and slurring of the transmission through the gears. The suspension got tighter, the throttle got touchier (the exhaust got notably louder), the steering went extra firm and the transmission dropped a gear as if anticipating a corner. And then I got the nerve to goose the gas. In an instant, the dual clutch transmission dropped to second gear, the revs swung to the far right of the 8200 tachometer and the cabin was positively filled with the glorious sound of a naturally aspirated, direct injected 4.2L V8 clearing its throat and belting out a ferocious battle cry. Or it could've been the sound of Zeus firing off multiple lightning bolts milliseconds apart in Hades' direction. All I know is that the Bob Marley song being piped via Bluetooth through the fantastic sounding Bang and Olufsen audio system suddenly became irrelevant.

Bob Marley being irrelevant doesn't ordinarily happen. Bob Marley being turned down doesn't ordinarily happen.

This wasn't an ordinary occasion.

I'm behind the wheel of a 2014 Audi RS5, the tip of the spear as far as the A5 lineup is concerned. Gone is the dinky 2.0L turbo four of the base A5, gone is the supercharged 3.0L V6 puppy of the S5 and in their place sits a Quattro GmbH-tuned 4.2L V8, fortified with direct injection, forged pistons, a strengthened aluminum engine block and a screaming 8200 rpm redline. All in, output registers at 450hp and 317lb-ft of torque routed through a seven speed, dual clutch transmission to all four wheels via Audi's signature Quattro all wheel drive system.

Outside, you can tell the more aggressive nature of the RS5 relative to its tamer stablemates by eyeballing the lowered ride height as it sits, hunkered on its massive 20" wheels. The Daytona Gray paint is also an RS5 exclusive and, though a tad plain, goes quite nicely with the silver-finished mesh grille and the forged aluminum, turbine wheels. A positively bonkers front splitter underlines huge intake openings, themselves framing the one-piece grille and topped by Audi's signature LED running lights. Looking at the RS5 from the side, "ready to pounce" would be an accurate descriptor. At the rear, large dual oval exhausts announce the RS5's presence and frame the lower diffuser. Equipped with the Sport Exhaust option, the 4.2L V8 becomes deliciously raucous with every dip of the throttle, opening flaps in the mufflers and enticing you to drop a few gears just to hear the motor's pops and crackles on overrun.

Despite the meager torque figure, the Quattro AWD system makes this car seriously quick. From a standstill, booting the throttle pressing you into the cosseting seat as the RS5 rockets forward with nary a hint of wheelspin. Just all four tires digging into the asphalt like a cheetah in full acceleration. The free revving nature of the engine makes it quite easy to hit the redline before you realize an upshift is necessary. Attacking a tight corner reveals just how nimble this chassis is when equipped with Rear Sport Differential. Just like the Audi S4 I tested last year, the differential can route power between the rear wheels, adding more torque to the outside wheel when cornering to aid in rotating the car. Unlike the S4 however, the RS5's huge tires cling to the road with such alacrity that there was no wheelspin to be had. Just the relentless acceleration through the corner and a planted, confidence-lending feeling. Yes, you have to ignore the initial brain command to back off the throttle once the first hint of understeer shows up but bury the throttle mid-corner and the RS5 rewards you by tucking in its nose and thrusting you through the apex and on to the straight, the V8 on full boil.

Once back to calmer, saner speeds with the Audi Drive Select switched to Comfort, I had a chance to take in the RS5's sumptuous cabin. Bumps are felt but don't make their way through the sports seats to your behind and the exhaust, which was all LeMans racer a few minutes ago, is barely heard in the sumptuous cabin. Audi cockpits are arguably the industry standard when it comes to quality and design and here the RS5 doesn't disappoint. Leather is buttery soft and the seats are at once supportive and comfortable for long distance stints. The steering wheel is grippy and features paddle shifters that fall easily to hand while the gauges are legible and easy to read at a glance.This being a coupe, rear seat room is marginal at best but surprisingly I was able to sit behind myself without too much trouble. Wouldn't want to take a road trip back there though.

With a base price of $69,600.00, the RS5 does battle with the likes of BMW's new M4 and the outgoing Mercedes C63 AMG. To that price, my tester was fitted with the $750 Matte Aluminum Optic package which features the silver finished grille, aluminum painted front splitter and silver finish 20" wheels on summer tires, Sport exhaust system with black outlets for $1000, the $2750 Driver Assist Package that brought adaptive cruise control and dynamic steering and the always-brilliant $4000 Audi MMI navigation package. Other doodads pushed the as-tested price to $79,600 (destination not included).

If you're a fan of naturally aspirated engines, you'd better order your Audi RS5 pronto as this is the last and only place you'll still find the magnificent 4.2L V8 in all its unboosted glory. While Audi's new 4.0L twin-turbo V8 is a marvelous piece with big horsepower and greater efficiency, the 4.2L still has it on the ropes with a sound that is earsplittingly good. The RS5 might be getting on in years but its designed has aged beautifully and still offers enough performance to make that M3/M4 driver in the other lane think twice.


Special thanks to Mr. Khan for his time and support!

Short Test - 2013 Audi S4

"Wow! That was oversteer!"

Just counter-steered and, foot to the floor, heading to the next corner.
 
"Oversteer?"

Corner's coming up! Tap the brakes!
 
"Yeah, pitch it into a corner like this, then nail the throttle at the apex and you can make the rear end step out."

Turn steering right, feel all wheel drive grip, nose pushes slightly mid-corner, floor it, tail swings left.

"Holy....."

We were approaching another tight right hand corner at an alarming rate and in my periphery, I could make out my passenger's tense grip on the oh-sh*t handles. Stomping on the brakes, the 2013 Audi S4 easily shrugged off  the excess speed with little drama and filled the cabin with quite audible pops from the exhaust as the 7-speed Audi S-tronic dual clutch transmission blipped the throttle and initiated rapid-fire downshifts. Once mid-corner, full throttle application was followed by the sophisticated Quattro all wheel drive system shunting torque to the outside rear wheel, inducing oversteer to counter the S4's inherent nose-heavy design. A bit too much I thought. Backing off the power a tad and applying a smidge of countersteer, the S4 righted itself instantly and flung us towards the next bend. I managed a glance over at my wide-eyed and now slightly pale co-pilot.

"Whoa...."

He was now witness to just a peek of what his car can do. The 2013 Audi S4 is not only the most expensive variant of the A4 line (until Audi decides to import the stupid-fast RS4 that is), it is perhaps the best Q-ship impersonation Audi has come up with to date. The S4 manages to straddle the line between executive cruiser and corner stormer with relative ease while being as innocuous and unsuspecting as a regular A4, except to those in the know. That is the character of the S-line of Audi's cars and they form a bridge between regular variants and the M/AMG hunting RS models. Call it the Goldilocks-zone if you prefer.

You'd have to look really hard to spot the S4 out in the open. The now classic Audi grille is front and center but features dark metallic accents on the slats that, along with the LED daytime running lights, exude a slightly meaner look. Subtle badges and other stealth touches such as the quad exhaust pipes peeking under the rear valance, slightly larger front intakes and deeper sill extensions coupled with a 1.2 inch lower ride height and brushed metallic mirror caps hint of the assassin nature of this A4. Then there's the 'V6T' badges on the front fenders which will confuse anyone not familiar with Audi's engine nomenclature. Under the S4's broad hood sits a 3.0 liter supercharged (not turbocharged) and direct-injected, 24 valve, DOHC V6, spitting out an underrated 333hp and 325lb-ft of torque. That torque is available over a broad rpm spread from as low as 2900rpm all the way to a 5300rpm peak.and isrouted through either a standard 6-speed manual or the above-mentioned optional 7-speed dual clutch transmission. Audi's Quattro all wheel drive system puts the power to the road and, in my Prestige tester, is able to direct torque between the rear wheels through a sport differential when cornering to cancel out understeer and give the S4 a more neutral attitude. My tester was also fully kitted out with the 19" wheel option and 255/35 summer tires as well as an adaptive suspension that is managed by Audi Drive Select through the Multi Media Interface (MMI).

Four modes are available here. Dynamic mode stiffens the dampers, quickens throttle response, opens up the exhaust for wonderful pops and burbles, and increases weighting on the electronic steering. The 7-speed dual clutch transmission also quickens shifting in almost bolt-rifle fashion, holds gears to redline and blips the throttle on downshifts. Comfort mode dials everything back to a level that transforms the S4 into a docile machine doing its best undercover disguise. The suspension is still a tad firm but supple enough that bumps picked up by the aggressive wheel/tire package don't filter into the cabin and the 7 speed shifts imperceptibly and smoothly. Auto mode will monitor the driver's piloting and adjust the systems to suit his style accordingly while Individual allows the driver to mix and match the different system settings and store them for use. While most cars offer similar systems that aim to change their character, not many alter personality the way the S4 does. Switching from Comfort to Dynamic mode at speed, I could literally feel the car tightening up around me. The suspension got noticeably firmer, allowing the S4 to corner flatter while the sport differential did its best to keep the car neutral. The steering rack also quickened its ratio and went from fingertip-light to sports car heavy (although information from the road surface was pretty lacking) and the transmission went psychic, anticipating the next gear need while holding on to the selected gear to achieve the best Saturn V-like launch from corner exit. Seriously, the paddles on the steering wheel that allow manual control of the gearbox were superfluous. I tried them once, but the transmission was so well tuned to my driving that I never touched them again after. I'm a huge fan of manual transmissions and though a 6-speed manual is standard fare, I'd have to think long and hard about passing up on this excellent dual clutch transmission. It's that good.

Inside, the cabin is typical Audi-gorgeous, if a bit German-cold in ambiance. Sumptuous black leather and suede covered the seating areas and the dashboard was premium feeling to the touch. Everywhere the fingers went, the materials were rich and high quality. The flat-bottomed steering wheel was properly racy and the driver's dials featured highly visible gray faces with red accents. The seats were very supportive and heavily bolstered, holding me in place during some pretty violent maneuvering and, from other sources, were comfortable during long distance road trips. The S4 was also plenty roomy in the back, far roomier than it's predecessor and space was abundant enough for two people on long trips, though three might be a squeeze. The controls on the center console house the MMI interface and it was pretty straightforward in operation though some functions such as the radio settings are buried deep within sub-menus. A rotating knob between the front seats allows navigation through the various menus while hard buttons surrounding the knob offer quick selections of main functions on the large screen. The screen itself has clear graphics and, equipped with navigation, displays impressive Google Earth imagery. Standard features include Bluetooth wireless music streaming and voice calls, an excellent Bang and Olufsen 14 speaker, 505 watt sound system, HD radio and a WiFi hotspot capability.

Base price for the S4 is $48,000 but my Prestige tester starts at $54,000 ($55,400 with the dual clutch transmission factored in). With options such as adaptive suspension, 19" wheels, the Driver Assist package (which includes Dynamic steering and adaptive cruise control) and the sport differential, my tester topped out and just over $60k. Comparisons can be drawn with the BMW 335i xDrive, Mercedes C350 4Matic and Acura TL SH-AWD but in my opinion, the BMW is its closest competitor. I've yet to drive a 335i equipped with xDrive (and it's no less a rocket ship) but I've no doubt the S4 would best it or at least give it a bloody nose when given the beans. For the executive pilot who relishes the art of driving quickly while being swamped in luxury and remaining anonymous, the S4 suits rather nicely. 

Special thanks to Mr. Riaz Khan for helping to facilitate this review!