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2018 Audi RS5 Is Now a Shooting Brake, Cabriolet and Sportback

People say that Audi has lost its mojo with the RS5 in Geneva, and we can see why. Even though many years have passed since the original came out with that mighty 4.2-liter FSI, the 2018 model hasn't got any more power.
2018 Audi RS5 Is Now a Shooting Brake, Cabriolet and Sportback 4 photos
Photo: X-Tomi Design
2018 Audi RS5 Is Now a Shooting Brake, Cabriolet and Sportback2018 Audi RS5 Is Now a Shooting Brake, Cabriolet and Sportback2018 Audi RS5 Is Now a Shooting Brake, Cabriolet and Sportback
We understand their concern, as Audi hasn't broken the mold with the design either. The first RS5 was one of the most subtly elegant cars of its era, Walter de Silva's little masterpiece. But this new model somehow doesn't live up to the promises of Audi's new designer, Marc Lichte.

So let's take a look at some other RS5 body styles that can now be rendered with 100% accuracy. What's your poison?

Ours is the RS5 Shootingbrake - a made-up name, we know. X-Tomi Design always makes a shooting brake rendering when it's possible, and this one doesn't disappoint. Unfortunately, Audi won't add another body style on the off chance that its customers prefer it over the regular coupe.

Honestly, the 3-door shooting brake could have been the thing that saves the RS5 because nobody else makes a car like this. BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Porsche - they all have performance cars with a regular coupe shape.

And it's not like the Germans don't know what we want because Audi made two TT Shooting Brake concepts, one for each of the past two generations. Alternatively, most of these major automakers also offer a convertible and a longer wheelbase shooting brake model.

By our calculations, the RS5 Cabriolet and Sportback will debut at the next North American Auto Show or sooner. The former is a no-brainer, while the second has been indirectly confirmed by Audi USA officials.

We like how X-Tomi rendered all the cars in red with the same wheels, making it very easy to compare them. Red is a popular car for a new car this year. Civic Type R, Ferrari 812 Supersport, Hyundai i30 Wagon, Kia Stinger, Picanto, Opel Insignia, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, Porsche 911 GT3, Jaguar I-Pace - they all made their Geneva debuts in that color.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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