There’s a conversation happening in high-performance motoring right now, and it goes something like this: can a hybrid really be a proper driver’s car? The purists say no. The engineers say watch this space. And Audi are very much saying yes, with the all new RS 5.
The new RS 5 is Audi Sport’s first-ever plug-in hybrid. Before you reach for the next page, hear this: 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds. 639PS. A top speed of 177mph (with the Sport pack). A world-first electro-mechanical torque vectoring system that redistributes torque between the rear wheels every five milliseconds. This is not a hybrid that apologizes. This is a hybrid that goes hunting.
Audi has serious heritage. Its celebrated Quattro four-wheel drive was born in rally racing in the 1980s, terrorizing stages and rewriting the playbook. The German marque has conquered Le Mans, dominated DTM and now, from 2026, got itself busy in Formula 1 building a works team. The RS badge has always been the distilled essence of this racing pedigree, road-legal and barely contained. The RS 5 carries all of that—and then adds something genuinely new.
Under the bonnet, a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 produces 510PS alone. The electric motor bolts on another 130kW. Together, it whacks out 639PS and 825Nm of torque—enough to embarrass a lot of cars wearing far more exotic badges. But this is also an Audi that will quietly charge overnight and whisk you into the city on electric power the following morning without destroying your neighbor’s sleep. It’s the sort of car that can wear many hats. More on this later.
Where it gets very interesting is what’s happening at the rear. Audi calls it Dynamic Torque Control, and it’s a world-first in a production car. A small but extraordinarily clever electric motor shuffles torque between the left and right rear wheels almost instantaneously. We’re talking 15 milliseconds. Nine tenths quicker than you can blink. The result is a car that turns in with a scalpel’s precision, rotates through corners with composure and, if you choose the right mode, will drift around corners with smooth satisfaction.
Yes, there’s a “drift” mode. Audi calls it RS Torque Rear mode and obviously it should be used only on a closed circuit. A large chunk of torque is generously given to the outside rear wheel, which makes the car feel particularly playful. What’s more, you can record your drifts, too, with the Audi driving experience function. It also gives you track data, like accelerator and brake pedal use, oversteer, understeer and lateral, longitudinal, and overall acceleration. On world-famous racetracks, too, if you want.
The RS sport suspension has twin-valve dampers, which essentially means you can take the RS 5 on the morning commute or go feral on an alpine road, and it will adapt to whichever situation you throw it in accordingly. Wider bodywork than the standard A5 gives it the muscular, planted stance you’d expect, along with matte oval tailpipes for the RS sport exhaust. A checkered-flag daytime running light signature leaves you in no doubt at what you’re looking at.
Inside, it’s every bit the modern Audi. Curved panoramic displays, a 14.5-inch touchscreen, deliciously crafted interiors. Plus, there’s even a “boost button” on the steering wheel which deploys full power for ten seconds flat for overtakes, or simply the theater. If ever there was a tell Audi are now in Formula 1, this might be it. Now you, too, can channel your inner-Hülkenberg.
The competition is fierce, of course. You’ve got the BMW M3 Competition to think about. The Mercedes-AMG C63. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. All significant bruisers. For the RS 5, there’s the Saloon and the Avant to choose from, with European sales opening in Q1 2026 and deliveries expected in the summer. We’re still waiting on details for a US release date to be announced at the time of writing, and if the grapevine is anything to go by, it may not include the Avant but we don’t know. Then again, when has that ever stopped you?
