Pre-Owned RS 5 Beats BMW M4 Press Car Off the Line
Despite old tires, RS 5 hangs with M4 on the hot laps, then leaves it in the dust with Quattro power on a trio of pulls down the track.
Looking for a mid-size coupe for the garage? One with power going to the corners? Then the Audi RS 5 is the only answer. The current version, introduced in 2016, includes a 2.9-liter TFSI twin-turbo V6 with 444 horses and 443 lb-ft of torque hitting the Quattro system through an eight-speed automatic. The result is a machine ready for any track you can throw at it.
Of course, there will always be challengers to the throne, like the BMW M4. Joe Achilles recently pitted one from a press fleet against AUTOID’s Jack Smith’s new-to-him RS 5. Let’s watch the magic happen.
“Today, we are going to be pitching the G82 M4 Competition against Jack’s RS 5 coupe,” said Achilles. “Both these cars share a similar marketplace, but the obvious differences are the RS 5 is a Quattro, and the M4 Competition at the moment is a rear-wheel drive.”
Smith’s RS 5 is completely stock, as is the M4. The Audi, though, still has the tires from the previous owner, whereas the BMW, being a press-fleet car, wears fairly new rubber. Will the older rubber hold the Nardo Gray machine back on the handling portion of the competition?
“Okay. It feels better than I thought [on] the initial turn in,” said Achilles. “Not too much ‘Audi steer.’ Brakes, not much feel there, but they do have bite once you actually give them some fast. Doesn’t feel much slower than the M4 in a straight line. Does control its weight relatively well.”
On the hot lap, the RS 5 crossed the line in 30.22 seconds, held back a bit by understeer and the old tires. And though the M4 beat the Audi with a time of 28.74 seconds, the BMW got squirrely on the hot lap. Audi wins on control.
“It’s a real-life test,” said Achilles. “But unfortunately, we just could not get the power down […] I was just burning up the tires off the line. Second, third gear, still spinning. Nothing.”
That, of course, happened with the M4 Competition. Meanwhile, Smith’s RS 5 left the BMW in the dust not once, not twice, but all three times. The Quattro magic wins again!
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