FIRST DRIVE: 2027 AUDI RS5 GETS MORE POWER, TECH, WEIGHT

Audi RS-badged all-wheel drive sedans are not supposed to do this, but here I am on a racetrack in Marrakesh, Morocco hanging the 2027 RS5 sedan’s tail out in controllable power oversteer while negotiating a left-hand sweeper. I’m no driving hero, but after a few laps of this, I’m kinda feeling like one. Adding to this delightfully sphincter-clenching sensation is the fact that head honcho Rolf Michl, Managing Director of Audi Sport, is riding shotgun, calling up increasingly more aggressive drive modes as I circle the track. He says, “I see you smiling. This is good.”

Michl and his small team responsible for this sixth-generation RS sedan are a bunch of excited kids at this exclusive first drive for the new RS5 Sedan (and Avant wagon we won’t be getting), showing off their new creation over which they have lovingly toiled for several years. And the 2027 RS5 certainly is a milestone for the high-performance arm of Audi as it is RS’s first plug-in hybrid. It also marks a big swing (literally) away from previous RS car’s clinical point-and-shoot demeanour. Credit for the 2027 RS5’s newfound engaging personality goes to a slick electromechanical rear-drive unit dubbed Dynamic Torque Control.

What powers the 2027 Audi RS5?

The 2027 RS5 is also the most powerful combustion engine Audi production car to date. The previous generation RS5 had a 2.9L turbocharged V6 that mustered 444 hp and 442 lb-ft. This new one ups the ante to 630 horses and 608 lb-ft of torque via an all-new 2.9L twin-turbo V6 (Lambda 1 compliant) working in conjunction with an electric motor that lives within the 8-speed auto. A centre-mounted torsen differential can send up to 85% of torque to the rear, and from there the Dynamic Torque Control unit does its fab thing. It houses an 8kW electric motor whose sole duty is to instantly apportion torque from side to side – up to 1,475 lb-ft when factoring in the unit’s planetary gear multiplication. Yeah, that’s a lot of tire-smoking, power-oversteering grunt if you want it, but crucially Dynamic Torque Control gives the RS5 a decidedly authentic rear-drive feel.

Of course there’s weight gain; the RS5’s 2,350 kg is up 550 kg over the old model. The 22-kWh battery pack and associated electrification gubbins are good for about 400 kg – the rest attributed to the car being bigger and having more equipment.

All these big horsepower numbers and fascinating techno do-dads wouldn’t mean squat if the result was just a ballistic and bloated hi-po plug-in hybrid (no disrespect BMW M5). But that is not the case with the 2027 Audi RS5. Sure, it was fun tossing the RS5 around a racetrack, but the real tell was a day of driving the sedan through Morocco’s stunning Atlas Mountains over a route of challenging winding roads, both smooth surfaced and badly pockmarked. The RS team has managed to meld all these mechanical and electronic bits into a holistic, cohesive driving experience that feels natural, engaging and confidence inspiring. And fun. Or as one of the RS team said, “This is the funniest car we’ve ever built.” Fun, funny, whatever. The ’27 RS5 will make you smile.

There’s nary a whiff of understeer when slicing up these roads, which for an RS sedan is a veritable revelation. With a quicker 13:1 steering ratio (up from 15:1 in the S5) the RS5 eagerly turns in, bites, rotates and powers out of a bend with an unerring and satisfying rear-drive push. The rear-mounted battery pack goes a long way in giving the RS5 a favourable 51/49 front to rear weight balance. It also delivers 80 km of pure electric driving.

The hybrid drivetrain also gives the RS5 instant throttle response. And yes, this car is fast. One hundred kilometers per hour arrives in 3.6 seconds – besting the previous model’s 3.9 seconds. Drive modes include Comfort, Dynamic, Balanced, RS Torque Rear, RS Sport and RS Individual where drivers can tailor their own dynamic cocktail. On these mountain roads the best mix had the steering and drive system in aggressive Dynamic, and the suspension (RS-tuned dual-valve dampers) in Comfort, keeping the wheels in better contact with the rough surfaces. For the racetrack RS Sport is the most precise. In the more tail-happy RS Torque Rear mode, the front wheels are still getting some power. All the cars here were fitted with optional carbon ceramic brakes.

When not exploring its performance envelope, the RS5 makes for a convincing luxury conveyance. Comfort mode delivers a firmly compliant and quiet ride even on these 21-inch wheels, and the interior gets all the luxury trappings – ventilated/massaging front sport seats, quilted leather, killer audio, available passenger side screen, etc. Audi’s handsome new interior architecture debuted last year in the A5/S5, featuring a 11.9-inch driver’s display and 14.5-inch central display.

The Audi RS5 is no shrinking violet either. The new A5/S5 is a handsome piece to begin with but add 40 mm fender bulges at each corner and you have some salacious curvature going on. A Kardashian would be proud. Or maybe envious. The car’s large grille and gaping air intakes add to the sense of occasion, and I would definitely spec this Bedford Green and the interesting “camouflage” carbon fibre trim.

We can’t overlook the RS5’s practicality either. Audi is loath to use the word hatchback or even Sportback to describe the RS5, but hey, if it quacks like a duck then I’m celebrating the big hatch and capacious cargo hold that can swallow my upright bass or a trip to Home Depot. An optional trailer hitch can handle an e-bike rack or up to 1,900 kg towing capacity.

Final thoughts

Like it or not, the natural evolution of the mega-performance luxury car goes like this: more power, more tech, more weight and more money. The new plug-in hybrid Audi RS5 follows the script, yet from behind the wheel it doesn’t feel like you’re in a tech-driven gladiatorial battle against physics. And as noted earlier, this car looks as badass as it goes. However, we’ll be waiting a while to experience this impressive RS5 as North American deliveries won’t start until 2027. Worth the wait, I’d say.

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2026-03-02T23:13:26Z