The latest version of Audi’s hot RS5 Sportback has just been spotted testing in northern Sweden. It’s Audi’s chance to usurp the Mercedes-AMG C63 in the fast compact sedan war after Mercedes-AMG launched the four-cylinder engine that has been a complete dud despite how much more power it makes.
2025 Audi RS5 Sportback
Base MSRP
$79,900
Base Trim Transmission
8-speed automatic
Base Trim Horsepower
444 HP @6700 RPM
Base Trim Torque
442 lb.-ft. @ 4700 RPM
Base Trim Battery Type
Lead acid battery
Base Trim Fuel Economy (city/highway/combined)
18/25/20 MPG
Base Trim Engine
2.9L V6 ICE
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Audi’s RS5 might not offer a V8 either, but it does offer 50 percent more cylinders than the new hot Benz. That gives it at least 50 percent more character and a 50 percent better noise coming out the back.
RS5 Can’t Hide Its Big Nose And Huge Brakes
RS-specific details are hidden, but the images still give you a good idea of what to expect. A new nose with much larger air inlets than the A5 to cool the engine and brakes are present. The wide wheel arches are well hidden by the wrap, but look closely, and they’re still visible.
Look inside those wide arches, and you’ll find big, wide tires and a hefty set of brake rotors. The rear bumper has a pair of massive tailpipe openings to make the RS5 look even more powerful, though on closer inspection the tailpipes inside are actually pretty small.
This is the hatch version of the RS5, or Sportback if you’re Audi, and you can see the lines for the rear opening. You can also see Audi’s latest taillight design peeking out from inside the covering.
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The photos don’t show the driver’s side of the car, where you would expect to find the plug port door for a PHEV model. Still, lightning bolt stickers on the front glass give away that this is a PHEV.
RS5 Will Keep Its V6, Won’t Make Mercedes Four-Cylinder Mistake
Rumors have it that this will have the same twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 as in the current RS5. But with the Mercedes-AMG C63 making 671 horsepower, Audi will need to go way up over the 444 hp it offered in the old RS5 to stay competitive. Adding plug-in power with beefy electric motors is the best and likely only way to do that.
Porsche’s Panamera 4S E-Hybrid makes 552 hp from the same 2.9-liter V6 and an electric motor. With a few more years of development, Audi might be able to bring that closer to 600. Even if it can’t, the CarBuzz spy photographers say that it has « a great sound coming from out of those oval exhaust pipes, » so it might win on those extra two pistons alone.
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The new Audi RS5 and the A5 Sedan it’s based on are what we would have called the A4 until last year. Audi is shuffling its names as it builds more EVs, with even-numbered cars getting electric power and odd-numbered models powered by gas.
Audi’s latest A5 is the first model built on its new Premium Combustion Platform. This new set of bones is made for gas vehicles with longitudinal-mounted engines. Audi will also use it for the new Q5 SUV, and since its predecessor was used in the Lamborghini Urus and Porsche Cayenne, it’s possible it will show up in new versions of those as well.
