Despite the extra weight and software, the 2027 Audi RS5 still drives like a wicked road car that refuses to feel sterile.
The 2027 Audi RS5 arrives carrying the same burden as every modern fast coupe: too much mass, too much software, and too many promises. The surprise is that Audi hasn’t built a sterile algorithm on wheels. Most of the time, this thing still feels like a properly wicked road car.
That matters because the 2027 Audi RS5 review story is no longer just about power or badge prestige. It is about whether a tech-heavy, electrified 2027 performance coupe can still entertain when the BMW M4 remains brutally effective and the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance has already gone full science experiment.
The New RS5 Has Grown Up, Bulk and All
Audi’s latest RS5 sits on an updated premium platform shared with the newest A5 range, but the headline is under the hood. The old twin-turbo V6 formula has been reworked with mild-hybrid assistance, more aggressive chassis electronics, and a faster-thinking torque-vectoring rear differential. Depending on market, output lands around 510 horsepower and 516 lb-ft, routed through an eight-speed automatic and Quattro all-wheel drive.
Yes, it is heavier. Audi quotes curb weight at roughly 4,300 pounds in well-equipped trim, which puts it noticeably north of a rear-drive BMW M4 Competition coupe at about 3,990 pounds, and still shy of the absurdly portly Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance, which crashes through at roughly 4,650 pounds. If you miss the era when a compact German coupe weighed less than a fishing boat, you are not alone.
Still, numbers matter less than where that weight sits and how the car disguises it. Audi’s engineers have thrown everything at the problem: adaptive dampers, rear-biased Quattro calibration, brake-based yaw tricks, active exhaust mapping, and drive modes that now make a tangible difference instead of just changing gauge colors. Good. At this price, gimmicks are unforgivable.
- Power: about 510 hp
- Torque: about 516 lb-ft
- 0-60 mph: 3.6 seconds claimed
- Top speed: up to 174 mph with the dynamic package
- Transmission: 8-speed automatic
- Drivetrain: Quattro AWD with sport rear differential
On the Road, the Audi RS5 First Drive Delivers Real Pace
Our Audi RS5 first drive took in fast mountain roads, scarred secondary pavement, and enough rain to remind you why Audi still clings to all-wheel drive like religion. The engine hits hard from low rpm, but the real trick is how cleanly the RS5 deploys that torque on greasy tarmac. You lean on the throttle early, the nose bites, the rear rotates just enough, and the whole thing slingshots out with grim efficiency.
This is not an old-school, tail-happy coupe. It does not preen or posture like an M4 on a warm day with traction control loosened. What it does instead is carry ridiculous speed with almost no drama, which is either deeply impressive or slightly annoying depending on how much theater you expect from a car costing this much.
The steering is quicker and less remote than the previous RS5’s, though Audi still has not matched BMW for front-end gossip. The brake pedal is strong and easy to modulate, which is more than can be said for several hybridized performance cars that feel like you are negotiating with a laptop. Through medium-speed corners, the RS5 stays flatter than its mass suggests and resists the old Audi habit of pushing wide the moment you get greedy.
On a really challenging road, though, you feel the truth. You do not hustle 4,300 pounds without consequences. Tight direction changes expose a layer of inertia that the M4 simply hides better, and the RS5’s electronics can only do so much before physics turns up to collect its fee.
BMW M4 vs Audi RS5: One Is Sharper, One Is Smarter
The BMW M4 vs Audi RS5 debate comes down to philosophy. The M4 Competition xDrive is still the more savage driver’s car. Its twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six makes 523 hp, its chassis feels more alive, and it communicates more clearly when you are dancing near the limit.
But the BMW has rough edges. Its ride can be brittle, its cabin design still looks like it was approved during an argument, and in poor weather the Audi feels more naturally secure. The RS5 is not as playful, yet it is more polished in the ways owners notice every day.
- BMW M4 Competition xDrive: quicker steering, livelier rear axle, better track-day companion
- Audi RS5: superior cabin finish, calmer ride, easier real-world pace in bad conditions
- Verdict between the two: BMW for obsession, Audi for use
If you want the coupe that eggs you on, buy the M4. If you want the one that feels expensive, fast, and deeply competent all the time, the Audi makes a stronger case than the old RS5 ever did.
Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance Comparison: The Audi Avoids the Worst Excesses
The obvious benchmark for overcomplicated modern performance cars is AMG’s four-cylinder plug-in hybrid missile. The Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance comparison is revealing because the Audi proves electrification does not have to ruin the plot. AMG’s C63 S E Performance delivers a ludicrous 671 hp and 752 lb-ft, but it also feels heavy, distant, and occasionally baffling in normal driving.
The Audi is slower on paper. It is also the car you would actually want to drive every day. Throttle response is more linear, brake feel is more natural, and the whole package feels engineered around the driver rather than the emissions lab and a Nürburgring press release.
That is not faint praise. Right now, restraint counts as a performance virtue.
The 2027 RS5’s best trick is not making you forget the weight. It is making you care about it less.
Cabin, Tech, and Daily Use: Expensive in the Right Ways
Audi still knows how to build an interior that makes rivals look slightly try-hard. The RS5’s cabin is crisp, low-slung, and beautifully assembled, with supportive sport seats, excellent visibility by modern coupe standards, and materials that feel worth the asking price. Mercedes chases spectacle. Audi goes for precision, and it wins.
The new infotainment setup is quicker than before, with a cleaner interface and better shortcut logic. You still get too many configurable settings because every German performance car now assumes the owner dreams of becoming their own chassis engineer. But once you set Individual mode properly, the RS5 settles into an impressive dual nature: quiet commuter one minute, hammer-ready back-road weapon the next.
- Strengths: excellent seat comfort, top-tier fit and finish, usable rear seat for a coupe
- Weaknesses: some menu overload, conservative styling, weight never fully disappears
- Best daily-driver trait: refinement without softness
Fuel economy will not thrill anyone, landing around the low-20-mpg mark in mixed driving if you behave. You will not behave. At least the RS5 does not punish you with the plug-in complexity and packaging compromises that haunt the AMG.
Verdict: Has Audi Built the Best Real-World Performance Coupe?
For all the anxiety around heavier, more electrified performance cars, the RS5 mostly gets the brief right. It is fast enough to embarrass almost anything on a public road, composed enough to exploit in ugly weather, and refined enough to justify its premium badge when you are not pretending every commute is qualifying at Spa. That is a broader skill set than the old car had.
No, it is not the purest coupe in the segment. The BMW M4 remains the sharper weapon and the more involving machine when the road opens up and your mood turns antisocial. But the M4 also demands more compromise, while the AMG C63 S E Performance feels like a cautionary tale about letting engineers chase numbers until the soul leaks out.
So here is the verdict. The 2027 Audi RS5 review ends with a win, even if it is not a knockout. Audi has built a complex, heavy, tech-packed coupe that still feels coherent, still feels special, and still knows the point of an RS badge.
If you want the loudest statement, buy the AMG. If you want the sharpest scalpel, buy the BMW. If you want the best all-around 2027 performance coupe, the one that makes sense on Monday and still thrills on Sunday, buy the RS5.
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