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All-New Audi RS5 Coupe Goes on Sale from $70,000

The second-generation Audi RS5 Coupe is finally going on sale as a 2018 model. A lot of changes are happening under the skin, while prices have crept up to $69,900 before the delivery charges.
All-New Audi RS5 Coupe Goes on Sale from $70,000 5 photos
Photo: Audi
All-New Audi RS5 Coupe Goes on Sale from $70,000All-New Audi RS5 Coupe Goes on Sale from $70,000All-New Audi RS5 Coupe Goes on Sale from $70,000All-New Audi RS5 Coupe Goes on Sale from $70,000
Of course, no dealership will ever sell a hot car like this without a markup, while customers are almost always going to add $10,000 in options.

Let's start with the change everybody already knows about, the engine. Audi dropped the 4.2-liter V8 in favor of a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6. It's good for the same 444-hp, but torque has gone up significantly - 443 bs 317 lb-ft. It arrives as low as 1,900rpm, while the old engine peaked at 4,000rpm.

Weight is also down by 132 lbs, and thanks to the magic of launch control, the 0 to 60 sprint takes only 3.7 seconds, 0.8 less than before. If you order the Dynamic Plus package ($6,000), Audi will also allow you to reach 174 miles per hour. Buying this gives you carbon ceramic brakes that are an inch larger and lighter too.

That engine is connected to Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission, as the DCT would handle the torque. The system normally sends 60 percent of the torque rearward but will shift anywhere between 70 percent to the back or 85 percent to the front. The car uses a quattro sports rear differential that actively splits torque between the rear wheels as well.

Compared to the standard S5, the RS5 sits 0.28 of an inch lower to the ground on regular suspension. The Dynamic package will set you back $3,350 but adds adaptive dampers, as well as the RS exhausts with butterfly valves inside the oval-shaped tips. We don't see how you can buy the car without it!

The turbo engine also makes the RS5 quieter on longer trips and more economical too, averaging 26 mpg highway compared to 23 in the old car.

Another must-have option is the Virtual Cockpit priced at $2,600, Nappa leather upholstery for $1,500, a $950 Bang & Olufsen sound system, and the $3,300 Driver Assistance package that includes a head-up display and adaptive cruise control.
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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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