frenchie_pm

Hi, I'm a Brit in the UK and I own an RS5. I used to have an S5. Love both cars. I wondered how the RS5 is seen in the US. Do the Yanks love it? In the car charts is it high or low? I imagine it's liked because I know how much the Yanks love a good soundtrack from under the hood.

4taz

Yanks don't yet get to drive the RS5. We'll be getting it in the 2013 guise. U.S. car magazines have rated the RS5 way below the M3 and marginally better the the Cadillac CTS-V, which is pretty insulting if you ask me.

Quattrings

Timing is off - It should have been released in the USA two years ago. Whoever drops the $80k now is looking at a 2 year shelf life before the entire A5 range is introduced with hopefully lighter weight and more power. Never understood why Audi released its RS models during the last two years of a models life. That said, B8 RS5 is very nice but compared to the competition it doesn't quite have that "raw edginess" that potential buyers here in the states are looking for in a ultra performance vehicle. Audi waited too long to bring the car to the U.S. and now the competition from other manufacturers has become very strong. The RS5 plays in a field where there are many great options, most which are quicker and more involving (not to mention start at $62k). It should have come to market in 2010, priced slightly higher to M3 but performing at a higher "RS" level, slotting the M3 right between S5 and RS5. Two years ago, the 480bhp Mercedes AMG C Coupe did not exist. It's dissapointing that for 2013 the RS5 continues on, status quo with the same weight level, same horsepower level regardless of new competition. When the B7 RS4 came out, it ripped the competition and was so good it held it's own even after the compeition caught up a couple of years later. The RS5 should have come better prepared and better designed by Audi /Quattro GmbH to do the same. At this point, a turbocharged S6 or S7 are more appealing and have more potential for what I want...

The RS5 could have been EPIC, could have left the competition behind, could have met expectations of what an RS car should be... " Could have" doesn't build desirability or translate to sales though...

ayap

In my opinion, it depends on how much it will cost in the US. Some think it's overpriced. If it's around $90K+, then the current S5 w/ rear sports differential will still be the best bang for the buck at $60K+. For $72K, you can get a nicely loaded M3 Coupe. If the RS5 is priced around $78K, which I doubt, then its not too far from the price range of the M3. Otherwise, it will be seen as overpriced. Most Audi buyers here who can easily afford $90K+ will either go for the more exotic R8 or the CEO type car - the A8 or S8. Here in the US, you can buy a slightly used R8 for $90K.

Here's an R8 that may be cheaper than an RS5 - $89K

http://tinyurl.com/7uj7lhf

gd10

i dont like that people compare the RS5 to the M3 and CTS V. Onces it rains or snows the Audi will blow both away.

Quattrings

True - but in this price range, the RS5 shouldn't need a weather event (or handicap) to lay waste to the competition. Audi knows its competitors are the new AMG C Class Coupe, CTS-V, and M3 which is the market they decided to play in. They could have used "lightweight technology" and made it lighter, they could have given it more power or more torque, but they chose not to. If Quattro is superior (and we know it is) shouldn't the RS be given the powerplant to perform better under ALL conditions. It could have at the minimum been designed to be as quick as the TT-RS.

gd10

i understand your point but I would rather an RS5 and be 1 of barely 1000 in the USA than own a CTS-V or M3 and be 1 of 100,000+...I like rare cars that not everyone can buy plus the interior on the Audi is far far ahead of both bmw and cadillac.

Quattrings

I agree, I just feel that they could have put more into this one.

It's price dependent though. For $10k more than an S5, its great as is. For $20k more than an S5, not so great. For $20k it needs a diet of 200lbs <or> an additional +50bhp to offset it's porky weight. That would make it greater than even the new C Class with the 480bhp AMG Development Package. It's almost as if they developed the RS5 to just barely meet expectations which is why the majority of the tests/reviews out there aren't glowing.


That said, this is what the RS5 is up against (and they START in low 60s)
http://media.caranddriver.com/files/...-amg-jan12.pdf

ayap

For $90K, I'm more inclined to get a second-hand slightly-used 4.2 Audi R8 (which also has Quattro). The R8 will still run faster than the RS5 and outmaneuver it, because it sits lower to the ground. Plus, it has a more exotic supercar look.

gd10

the RS5 will not be $90k... starting at high $70s, loaded it will be $85k at the high end. Figure 20% more then a prestige S5 just like the RS4 was in 2007