2023 Audi RS 5 Consumer Reviews
Pricing
Base (Most Popular) - $78,995 MSRP
Edmunds suggests you pay
$72,1111
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2023 RS 5, so we've included reviews for other years of the RS 5 since its last redesign.
Better than M4 and C63
Rick, 03/07/2019
2019 Audi RS 5 quattro 2dr Coupe AWD (2.9L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
92 of 93 people found this review helpful
I have now had this car for a year and give you an accurate real world review, not the stupid reviews that every car magazine will give you Pros: Very fast Comfortable when not in dynamic mode. All wheel drive is amazing I like the stealth mode of Audi RS cars. Most people don’t know what they are and I like that. Plenty of room even in the back seat. Can fit 4 adults as long as the ones in the back are shorter than say 5’8” Good mpg when not racing it. I can get 30mpg on highway cruising to work around 70mph Interior is amazing and infotainment is great Exhaust sound doesn’t wear you out Brakes are rock solid Cons: Dynamic mode is rough on the roads in St Louis. Could have more aggressive sound but it’s a V6 and I’m SICK of people always saying but it’s not a V8 and doesn’t sound good. EVERYONE knows a V8 sounds better. Stop beating a dead horse with this. I knew this when I bought the car. If you have ever owned a car that has loud exhaust, you will admit there are times when it can get a little old when just cruising around (rarely but does happen) Absolutely no aftermarket performance parts are available in the US yet Transmission can be a little slow to downshift even in dynamic mode Now for my complaints with other reviews: Magazines want to compare this to the M4 and C63 which are RWD and they all say but it doesn’t have the fun factor blah blah blah. I’m 40. I don’t need to do a burn out around every corner and maybe when driven at 10/10 on a track, those might beat the RS5. When driven at ANYTHING less than that and on any street in America, the RS5 is safer and will destroy those cars and more especially from a launch with the AWD. I have raced a hellcat and embarrassed it. People buy Audis partly for the stealth aspect of them. There are a lot of people that don’t need to be flashy and loud all the time. What this car does is murder the competition without making a big deal about it. Audi buyers don’t have to have all eyes on them and say “look at me!” Like every BMW driver. Finally, if you want a sports coupe that is fast, solid, safe and not flashy, the RS5 is your car. If you want to live on a race track only, get the M4. If you want to have an awesome exhaust note and buy new tires every month from your daily burnouts, get the C63
Great everyday performance car
McGregor, 12/20/2019
2019 Audi RS 5 quattro 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.9L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
26 of 27 people found this review helpful
I traded my 2017 S6 in for the RS5 Sportback as I wanted something more sporty. The S6 was great but a little two big and unwieldy for sporty driving. Overall I am happy with the RS5. It is a good size, looks fantastic and has excellent performance and handling. The AWD makes it a year round daily drive in the Northeast, something the M4/C63/Giulia Quadrifolglio do not offer at least for now. The AWD is not the only feature that makes it more practical as a daily; the hatchback (sorry, sportback) makes it easy to load and unload large items. Also the ride comfort is significantly more tolerable than the competitors. With 19" wheels the ride is just as comfortable as an A4. I went with the base 19" wheels for a few reasons; cost, better ride, less weight, better looks (subjective), less likelihood of a /bent wheel, and better traction when equipped with winter tires. The ride/handling tradeoff is perfect with the 19s and Dynamic Package (DRC suspension). I leave the suspension is auto as it is not as bouncy as comfort but not as stiff as dynamic. The drivetrain is great as well but the engine could use a bit more character. It pulls hard and there is good power everywhere. Turbo lag is not bad but you do feel it for a split second when flooring it. The engine sound is not terrible but it is one of the few negative points about the driving experience. The C63 sounds much better, while the M4 sounds only slightly better. The 8 speed automatic is a great transmission. It upshifts and downshifts quickly and smoothly in comfort and auto while dynamic makes the shifts even quicker and more forceful.Having said that a dual clutch transmission would be even better and make the car more special as everyone seems to be using the same ZF 8 speed automatic now. Coincidentally Porsche uses this same engine in the Macan turbo with a dual clutch (PDK) so it's a shame Audi doesn't do the same. Gas mileage is unsurprisingly poor but the worst part is the range. With the small gas tank I am getting around 240 miles per tankful which is awful. The car desperately needs a larger tank. The interior quality and design are excellent as you would expect from Audi. Fit and finish is perfect and the material quality is outstanding. The seats are comfortable all day. The massage feature is a bit lame as it uses deflating/inflating air bladders instead of actual motors like it the A8. Instead they should offer comfort seats for people that want really comfortable seats with real massage. The virtual cockpit is cool but I would be fine with a traditional gauge cluster. The infotainment/nav screen is just stuck on the dash, not integrated like newer designs, and it doesn't even retract. I wish the moon roof was optional. It adds weight and comes with a retractable perforated screen that blocks most but not all of the sun. Plus when open the glass roof retracts outside of the car. I would have paid $1000 to delete the moon roof. Audi: make the moon roof an option. Another gripe about the interior is the glaring lack of storage compartments. There is very little space to store small items. Another storage issue: the owner's manual get stowed in the hatchback area, and the jack get strapped to the floor of the cargo area instead of in a cubby. Weird. Other than the few minor gripes I still feel it is the best vehicle in it's segment. Yes the others have slightly better track times and acceleration numbers but in the real world the RS5 is right there with them. Throw is wet or slippery roads and you can't even use 1/4 of the performance of the others. Even if the others had AWD I will still take the Audi. The M4 styling looks ridiculous, designed by a Fast and Furious attitude in mind. Plus the ride is harsh. The Alfa can be dismissed due to its abysmal reliability and poor interior quality. The C63 is nice but it rides firms and looks too similar to a C300/C43; not acceptable when paying $80k. Also the MCT transmission shifts very harsh. In summary, if you are looking for a practical everyday performance sedan/hatchback that delivers the goods, and does not beat you up, the RS5 is the only choice.
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Beyond and ultimate driving machine!
William, 09/27/2019
2019 Audi RS 5 quattro 2dr Coupe AWD (2.9L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
I’ve been driving BMWs for 15 years and this was my first Audi! It has surpassed ALL expectation! The seats are extremely comfortable. The drive modes provide a wide range of comfort and performance. If your more into a Lexus type ride, the comfort mode provides that while performance and handling under dynamic makes you feel you’re on the autobahn! I only wish I had bought one years ago!
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RS5 Sportback exceptional at all things
HIGHFLIER, 07/23/2020
2019 Audi RS 5 quattro 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.9L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
Fast, stealth, good handling, all wheel drive, good sounding exhaust, great looks and comfort to boot. With seats down fits 15 bags of mulch in the back, 10' boards with ease and most other items you would need and still able to seat 5 in a pinch and 4 in comfort. Jack of all trades and master of daily driving. On long trips this thing munches up highway relentlessly (and safely). Negatives? Steering could use a bit more feedback and the car is so good it's a bit hard to fling it around and have some extra fun. Some say the exhaust could be louder and I might agree if it were my only car. BUT with a Cobra (and for a time a Viper) I already have cars that are loud, rear wheel drive over steering beasts with manuals... that's just not what this car is for.. best and most accurate descriptive professional review caption that I have seen to date describes it as the "Swiss Army Knife" of automobiles... I concur ! 15000 miles to date BTW so this is not a "I got a brand new toy" review either...
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2019 Audi RS5 Sportback
fastcars, 12/19/2019
2019 Audi RS 5 quattro 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.9L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
its fast and comfortable. seats 4 comfortable and drives great. options can drive the price to nearly 100k so you have to be careful with options. there are other cars at that price point to look at but not all of them have AWD.
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Style and Substance
N F, 08/21/2020
2019 Audi RS 5 quattro 2dr Coupe AWD (2.9L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
This car is absolutely incredible. The selective drive modes take you from track car to family road tripper in a split second. Quattro, which Audi has really perfected in terms of AWD, keeps you feeling in control no matter the conditions (or how hard to push the car). The interior is comfortable and well designed. The only complaint is that as usual, the Audi MMI interface is less intuitive than it should be. Overall fantastic car that’s every bit of fast and responsible as advertised (and maybe more). I’ve driven a 911 Carrera 4S, an Aston-Martin DB9 and a BMW M4 among others, and this is hands down the best performing vehicle I’ve ever owned.
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A real beauty in looks and performance.
Rob Gordon, 08/29/2021
updated 08/31/2023
2021 Audi RS 5 2dr Coupe AWD (2.9L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Unless you like a car that looks like an alien from another planet, this is by far the best looking car inside and out among the German cars in its class. Yes, the BMW and MB competitors have slightly better numbers, but at the cost of even bigger engines. Will you really notice a 0.2 second difference? The RS5 acceleration will plaster you into the back of the seat like rocket blast. As for “lack of character” in the engine, that’s very subjective and I find my RS5 very exciting to drive. In comfort mode it is a calm daily driver. In sport/dynamic mode, it is a beast. Great tech too. Update at two years: Although the RS6 Avant and RS7 and the comparable BMW M and Mercedes AMG have even more power, I still prefer the RS5. It has more than enough power (get from 0 to 60 in 3.6) and I still love and prefer the look of this car. Nardo gray with black optics is gorgeous. Still get lots of admiration from folks who see it. Only other car I would pine for is a 911. Car had one rattle coming from the left upper dash where there is a vent, but source was easily found and fixed under warranty. No other reliability issues at two years. Changed OEM tires to Michelin Sport Pilot 4S at 16,000 mikes and noticed significant reduction in road noise and improvement in grip. Tires matter!! Had car completely wrapped in PPF and ceramic coated at purchase so it still looks like new. Expensive but clearly worth it.
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Nightmare RS5
Dave, 05/20/2019
2018 Audi RS 5 quattro 2dr Coupe AWD (2.9L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
7 of 9 people found this review helpful
My 2018 RS5 has been in the shop way to much for turbo waste gate issues that Audi states they dont have a fix for yet. They tell me, just give it throttle within 10 seconds of start up. That's BS, now in shop for temperature sensor for 4 days??? Horrible
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Insanely Quick
Steve, 09/11/2020
2019 Audi RS 5 quattro 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.9L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
Coming from an M4 the RS5 Sportback doesn't disappoint. I think the quoted acceleration times are understated as this is a lower-middle 3 second 0-60 car, and a upper-middle 11 sec 1/4 mile without any tuning if you use the quasi-launch feature. The interior is lush and high end materials are abundant. Besides an older version of the MMI being used it still is responsive, easy to navigate, and better than most others on the road today. I do prefer the dial / touchpad over the forthcoming touchscreen. The best part about this car is that it can become a C63 or an M4 instantly with the touch of a button and is a thrill around the track. Lots a grip (be sure to get the Continental Sport Contact 6 tires and 20' wheels), quick to change direction, and instant acceleration (in Dynamic Mode). Surprisingly very low cabin noise for a sports sedan. Bang and Olufsen Audio system is crisp, but could use a little more bass. Radar sensors can be a bit on the sensitive side however, they can be adjusted for the audio warning. The refreshed 2021 model is all cosmetic and has the latest MMI, but you would be giving up the loved touchpad. The only thing they should have done is move the cupholders rearward as taller cups cannot fit underneath the control panel.
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Sporty Practical High Performer
Mike M, 08/25/2020
updated 03/02/2023
2019 Audi RS 5 quattro 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.9L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I have this car for over a year now and am enjoying it very much. Love the ride, performance and fit and finish.....and it's a real looker too.This car because of its AWD, four doors and hatchback and its stellar performance make it the perfect daily driver for the car enthusiast. The only negative is that the gas tank could be a little bigger so that I wouldn't have to be stopping for gas so often....I am averaging around 300 miles between tankful's. If your used to driving coupes or sedans with traditional ride heights driving this car might take a little getting used to...but once you get adjusted to the lower ride height and feel of the RS5 you will find that it is steps above the driving experience of the traditional auto.
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