Drivetrain

With its high efficiency and its long top gear, the standard seven-speed S tronic also contributes to the good fuel economy. Drivers can operate the dual-clutch transmission like an automatic in D and S modes, or they can shift themselves using the gear selector lever or the paddles on the steering wheel for particularly sporting driving. The launch control program modulates the engagement of the clutch at the optimal engine speed for pulling away so that the engine’s power is delivered to the road with minimal wheel slip.

The seven-speed S tronic consists of two sub-transmissions, whose clutches actuate different gears. The direct shifts are executed by switching clutches; they take just a few hundredths of a second and so smooth comfortable that the driver barely notices.

Like every Audi RS model, the RS 5 Coupé comes with quattro permanent all-wheel drive. The crown gear center differential at its heart is compact and lightweight. During normal driving, it distributes the power between the front and rear axles with a sporty 60:40 rear bias. It can instantly vary this distribution if necessary, sending up to 70 percent of the torque to the front and as much as 85 percent to the rear.

The crown-gear center differential works together with the torque vectoring system, which acts on all four wheels. If the load on the inside wheel is reduced too much while the car is being driven dynamically, that wheel is braked slightly before it can begin to slip. The RS 5 Coupé remains neutral for an extremely long time at the handling limits; the slight understeer when turning into corners and when accelerating is compensated almost completely.

The ESP stabilization program intervenes later and more gently – if it is even necessary at all.

Audi offers the sport differential as a complementary option that actively distributes the power between the rear wheels via two superposition stages. When turning into or accelerating in a curve, the majority of it flows to the outside wheel and pushes the RS 5 Coupé into the curve, nipping the tendency to oversteer or understeer in the bud. With the sport differential, the RS 5 Coupé drives as if on the proverbial rails.

The equipment and data specified in this document refer to the model range offered in Germany. Subject to change without notice; errors and omissions excepted.