$157,700 pricetag for Audi RS5 Sportback
BY TUNG NGUYEN | 24th Sep 2018
AUDI Australia’s first five-door RS5 Sportback will blast into local showrooms in February next year from $157,700 before on-road costs, the same price as its Coupe sibling that has crept up from $156,600 but is now offered with the Technik package as standard.
Speaking to GoAuto, Audi Australia corporate communications manager Shaun Cleary said the German car-maker was “very confident” the RS5 Sportback would mirror the standard range and outsell the Coupe body style, but added, “we’ll have to wait and see”.
“We’re really positive about RS5 Sportback, which is why we were really keen to get a strong price for it,” he said. “We know RS5 Coupe pricing has been well received and we’re really stoked with the pricing of RS5 Sportback.
“Obviously, it is a huge opportunity because it does have that classic GT styling and design, but it has the versatility you don’t have with a coupe.
“But it is different again to the RS4 Avant, so we see it will draw in a new type of customer because there is no direct competitor, both within our range and from other brands as well.”
The RS5 Sportback’s closest rivals are the 331kW/550Nm BMW M3 Pure and 375kW/700Nm Mercedes-AMG C63 S sedans, priced at $129,529 and $156,840 respectively.
Powered by the same twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 engine as the rest of the mid-size Audi RS range, the RS5 Sportback punches out peak 331kW of power from 5700-6700rpm and maximum 600Nm of torque from 1900-5000rpm.
Sending drive to all four wheels via an eight-speed torque converter automatic, the RS5 Sportback will accelerate from zero to 100km/h in just 3.9 seconds – matching the RS5 Coupe, but 0.2s quicker than the mechanically related RS4 Avant.
Equipment largely carries over from the RS5 Coupe to the Sportback, although the five-door version gains an electric tailgate.
Other standard gear includes 20-inch wheels, adaptive dampers, sport differential, heated and massaging front pews, panoramic sunroof (a no-cost delete option), flat-bottomed sports steering wheel with paddle shifters, sports exhaust, Audi’s Virtual Cockpit all-digital instrumentation, and 8.3-inch infotainment system with satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, Wi-Fi hotspot and digital radio.
Boot space is also up 15 litres in the RS5 Sportback to 480L.
Safety equipment extends to six airbags, autonomous emergency braking, tyre pressuring monitoring, adaptive cruise control, surround-view monitors, rear cross-traffic alert, reversing camera, blind-spot monitoring and lane-keep assist.
Audi’s Technik package – which was a $3900 option on the RS5 Coupe – bundles a head-up display, matrix LED headlights and wireless smartphone charging, now as standard across all RS5 body styles.
However, the RS4 Avant, a wagon version that uses the same drivetrain, does not receive the Technik package as standard, but is priced $4800 downstream at $152,900.
