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2018 Audi RS5 Coupe Test Mule Spied in Audi S5 Coupe Overalls

The first Audi RS5 Coupe was, at the time it came out in 2010, an attractive proposition in its segment because it managed to blend comfort and performance in a daily-driver package. However, the two-door coupe based on the Audi RS4 didn’t age that well, not even by VAG standards. For the second iteration, the RS5 is going to try and make ends meet in the face of its more modern competitors.
2018 Audi RS5 Coupe test mule camouflaged as Audi S5 Coupe 10 photos
Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
2018 Audi RS5 Coupe test mule camouflaged as Audi S5 Coupe2018 Audi RS5 Coupe test mule camouflaged as Audi S5 Coupe2018 Audi RS5 Coupe test mule camouflaged as Audi S5 Coupe2018 Audi RS5 Coupe test mule camouflaged as Audi S5 Coupe2018 Audi RS5 Coupe test mule camouflaged as Audi S5 Coupe2018 Audi RS5 Coupe test mule camouflaged as Audi S5 Coupe2018 Audi RS5 Coupe test mule camouflaged as Audi S5 Coupe2018 Audi RS5 Coupe test mule camouflaged as Audi S5 Coupe2018 Audi RS5 Coupe test mule camouflaged as Audi S5 Coupe
As it’s often the case with a new contender in the high-performance compact executive segment, Audi will try its best to make the next-generation RS5 Coupe as good as possible. In terms of out-and-out performance, the new kid on the block will have to prove itself against the BMW M4 and its 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-6, as well as the Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe and its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine.

The belly of the beast is home to a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 powerplant, which is expected to produce more than 450 horsepower. The strong point of the 2018 Audi RS5 Coupe, however, can't be found under the hood. Instead, the four-ringed automaker will bet it all on a go-faster version of quattro AWD and the MLB Evo platform. The latter is fundamental in this application because it is a stiffer vehicle architecture than the one it replaces and, in the case of the A5 Coupe, it sheds curb weight by as much as 132.3 pounds (60 kg).

It will be sad to see the 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 go, but downsizing is a priority these days, even for high-performance sportsters such as the RS5, M4, and C63. On the plus side, the 2018 Audi RS5 Coupe will look like a million bucks thanks to a wider stance and more aggressive styling than the A5 Coupe on which it is based on. Inside, however, the all-new RS5 won’t surprise you.

Interior highlights of the 2018 Audi RS5 Coupe will include a flat-bottom steering wheel, Virtual Cockpit digital instrument cluster, touch-sensitive climate control, body-hugging seats, lots of carbon fiber bits and bobs on the door cards and the dashboard, wireless charging box in the center armrest, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring function, the whole nine yards.

Not much is known about the launch date of the next-gen RS5, but the 2017 Geneva Motor Show is a bet I’m willing to take. The 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit Motor City is another venue where the RS5 could step in the limelight. An RS5 Cabriolet is slated to follow a year or two after that.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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