When you purchase a Rolex, you know what you’re buying into – the image, the name, and if it’s real – the craftsmanship. An Audi RS model is similar. It won’t give you Swiss engineering, but you know you’ll be about to drive a performance car capable of competing against rivals from the class above. Plus, German engineering is famous for being reliable, so you really do get the best combination of style, substance, and engineering.
Audi’s RS (RennSport) sub-brand sits above the regular Audi lineup. Think of an Audi RS model as a Rolex, an Audi S model as a Swatch, and an economy model as a cheaper digital watch. You get the idea. BMW runs a similar operation with its M division – upgraded versions of regular models with cutting-edge performance and handling.
Audi’s RS brand has some heritage behind it – the RS2 Avant began life way back in 1994. Today, RennSport is still going strong, despite the ongoing transition away from internal combustion engines. Let’s celebrate performance by taking a look at some of the most memorable RS models from Bavaria.
Where possible, specifications are sourced from Audi or trusted sources such as Hagerty/Edmunds. We tried to include some of the most notable or iconic RS models from the past up to today, but we had to limit the list to 10 models for brevity.
Related
10 Audi Models You Should Buy Used
These are the most reliable Audi models of the last decade.
10
Audi RS e-Tron GT
Audi
Specs
2024 Audi RS e-tron GT
Dates produced
2022-
Engine
BEV
Power
637 hp
Torque
612 lb-ft
Drivetrain
2x electric motor (1x front / 1x rear) AWD
Transmission
1-speed front / 2-speed rear, direct drive
0-60 mph
3.1 seconds
Audi’s ‘e-tron’ branding is used for its full-electric vehicles and despite the RS brand historically standing for brutish sedans and wagons with ferocious internal combustion engines, RennSport is continuing into the electric age. This big, heavy, luxurious EV comes in at more than 5,000 pounds on the scales.
But the dual-motor RS e-tron GT is a legitimate RS model, thanks to its epic power output of 637 horsepower (590 horsepower without the over-boost feature) and brutal acceleration. It’s built on the same platform as the Porsche Taycan and sits above the regular e-tron GT in the range, which peaks at about 523 horsepower. This kind of luxury and speed will cost you since the RS e-tron GT will cost you $147,000 before options. Phew. A ‘performance’ model was introduced this year which raises the maximum output to around 912 horsepower.
9
Audi RS Q8 performance
Audi
Specs
2025 Audi RS Q8 performance
Dates produced
2020-
Engine
4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8, mild hybrid
Power
631 hp
Torque
627 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-engine, AWD
Transmission
8-speed automatic
0-60 mph
3.4 seconds
Another RS model that kicks away tradition with a super-powerful roundhouse kick is a genuinely powerful SUV with all the usual performance you’d expect from something with a RennSport badge. Yes, it’s a boisterous, $136,000 sports utility vehicle with up to 23-inch wheels, but the RS Q8 performance wants to be the SUV that can change your mind about SUVs.
It comes with the VW Group’s familiar V8 powertrain, more than 600 horsepower, and an RS-tuned chassis with adaptive air suspension and anti-roll stabilization. It sits above the 500-horsepower SQ8 in the Q8 range and is one of the most capable SUVs you can buy, beaten only by the elites such as Lamborghini’s Urus and Ferrari’s Purosangue.
8
Audi RS7
Audi
Specs
2025 Audi RS7
Dates produced
2020-
Engine
4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8, mild hybrid
Power
621 hp
Torque
627 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-engine, AWD
Transmission
8-speed automatic
0-60 mph
3.3 seconds
Audi’s RS 7 is one of the younger core RS models. It’s been around since 2013 when it debuted for the first-gen A7 model, the flagship coupe version of the A6. Back then, the V8-powered coupe-sedan offered 552 horsepower and came with adaptive air suspension, while a performance version hoisted its output up to around 600 horsepower.
Today, the RS 7 is one of the best performance sedans you can buy, with a V8 engine still under the hood, now boosted by mild hybrid tech. If you’re in the market for a hugely powerful and comfortable vehicle that can do it all – the RS 7 is your RS 6 Avant with a more elegant design. Let’s not forget that V8 sedans have become a rare breed – making this $128,000 rock an expensive but worthy gem indeed.
7
C8 Audi RS6 Avant
Audi
Specs
2025 Audi RS6 Avant performance
Dates produced
2020-
Engine
4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8, mild hybrid
Power
621 hp
Torque
627 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-engine, AWD
Transmission
8-speed automatic
0-60 mph
3.3 seconds
$126,600 is a lot of cash. But what if we told you that the RS 6 Avant is a supercar slayer that will also hustle you, your family, and a couple of medium-sized dogs to your destination in comfort? The RS 6 is an RS icon, a mainstay of the RennSport range since its inception in 2002 with the C5 model. Back then, the V8-powered RS 6, sold in the US, was a sedan as well as a wagon.
Unfortunately, the RS 6 didn’t return to the US for the C6 or C7 generations, which is a shame, especially as the C6 was a monster (see below). By the time the model returned to the US, it was the C8 iteration and a wagon only. The C8 RS6 Avant is still the bruiser it ever was and, despite being an extremely expensive purchase, is one of the best Swiss Army enthusiast cars you can buy.
Related
Audi Sport Teases Six New RS Models – Here’s What They Are
Audi Sport Plans an RS invasion with six astounding models developing from 414 to 670 horsepower
6
B8 Audi RS5
Audi
Specs
Audi RS5
Dates produced
2010-2015
Engine
4.2-liter, NA V8
Power
444 hp
Torque
317 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-engine, AWD
Transmission
7-speed automatic
0-60 mph
4.6 seconds
Another relatively young RS model is the RS 5, introduced in 2010. Initially sold as a coupe only, it came to the US market in 2013 with the addition of a cabriolet version. Though not as potent as the RS 6, the B8 Audi RS 5 still packed a lot of heat under the hood from its V8 engine, which was shared with the less powerful S5.
It was the last RS 5 to feature a V8. The RS 5 didn’t offer a manual transmission, but by this time, most RS models were automatic transmission only anyway. It doesn’t matter in a coupe like this which was born to be a comfortable and relatively unassuming point-to-point missile. Today, this model lives on as the RS 5 Sportback with a twin-turbocharged V6 that puts out 444 horsepower.
5
Audi RS3 Sedan
Audi
Specs
Audi RS3 Sedan
Dates produced
2017-2020
Engine
2.5-liter, turbocharged I5
Power
400 hp
Torque
354 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-engine, AWD
Transmission
7-speed automatic
0-60 mph
4.3 seconds
Audi’s small A3 was born in 1996, but it wasn’t until 2011 for the second generation that it received the RennSport treatment, in the form of a sporty and powerful hatchback with 335 horsepower. In 2015, the RS 3 hatch returned for the third-gen A3, still not in the US. Finally, the baby RS 3 sedan came to the US in 2017, with the Sportback hatch available for other markets.
Today, the Audi RS3 is one of the best compact sports sedans around, with a luxurious interior, refined styling, and, of course, that turbocharged five-cylinder engine with 400 horsepower. A baby RS model with enough bite to make it a real RS model.
4
C6 Audi RS6 Sedan
Audi
Specs
Audi RS6 Sedan
Dates produced
2008-2010
Engine
5.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V10
Power
572 hp
Torque
479 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-engine, AWD
Transmission
6-speed automatic
0-60 mph
4.5 seconds
Back when the RS 6 model was still offered as a sedan, the C6 RS 6 was sadly not offered in the US, just like the subsequent C7. It returned as a wagon only to the US market in 2020. It’s a shame the US didn’t get the C6 RS 6 because it was a monster. Under relatively understated bodywork was a 5.0-liter, twin-turbocharged, dry-sump V10 engine, related to the same ten-cylinder lump in the period Lamborghini Gallardo. It ended up producing close to 600 horsepower and became the most powerful Audi model at the time, surpassed later by the Audi R8.
It was a triumph of design and, although not the sharpest tool in the box, its brute force and all-wheel drive chassis could pound any twisty road flat but also cosset you in the traditional Audi way. Nowadays, a 600-horsepower sedan would come with a quad-exhaust system up back, vented fenders, and an aggressive wing – not the C6 RS 6. In nine years, enthusiasts in the US will be forming a queue to import this beast.
3
Audi TT RS
Audi
Specs
2023 Audi TT RS
Dates produced
2009-2023
Engine
2.5-liter, turbocharged I5
Power
394 hp
Torque
354 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-engine, AWD
Transmission
7-speed automatic
0-60 mph
3.7 seconds
Audi’s TT RS was an atypical RS model, eschewing the classic sedan/wagon formula for an enhanced take on the cute little TT. It was far from cute; in fact, it created the ultimate TT with the power to finally match the style. A 3.2-liter V6 was offered at the time, but the 2.5-liter, turbocharged I5 was actually more powerful with 335 horsepower compared to the V6’s 247 horsepower. A six-speed manual transmission makes the compact TT RS one of the more engaging RS models to drive from this period.
Unfortunately, the TT’s storied history that began in 1998 came to a close 25 years later in 2023, a year after the final TT RS model was discontinued. It offered decent firepower, but the decline of the segment couldn’t allow Audi to keep the TT alive. Love it or hate it, the TT RS is a capable pocket rocket.
Google News
Add TopSpeed to your Google News feed.
Related
10 Audi Models You Should Buy Used
These are the most reliable Audi models of the last decade.
2
C5 Audi RS6 Avant
Audi
Specs
Audi RS6 Avant
Dates produced
2002-2004
Engine
4.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V8
Power
450 hp
Torque
415 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-engine, AWD
Transmission
5-speed automatic
0-60 mph
4.6 seconds
Audi introduced the first RS 6 for 2002, as a sedan and wagon. It was the first RS car for the US market, too, with a punchy turbocharged V8, and compared to today’s aggressive sedans, very understated styling. The next RS 6 wouldn’t be sold in the US and the next time we’d see an RS model based on the A6 was the C8 Audi RS 6 Avant in 2020.
Audi’s C5 RS6 was as powerful as the RS 5 that would come eight years later and, despite later being upstaged by the V10-powered C6 generation RS6, it remains today an icon and an archetypal RS-branded model. Its looks are somewhat generic today, with a similar appearance to the period A4, but those in the know, know that you shouldn’t mess with an RS 6 of any vintage.
1
B4 Audi RS2 Avant
Bring a Trailer
Specs
Audi RS2 Avant
Dates produced
1994-1995
Engine
2.2-liter, turbocharged I5
Power
311 hp
Torque
302 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-engine, AWD
Transmission
6-speed manual
0-60 mph
4.8 seconds
Original RS model that started a legacy – check. Iconic styling – check. Porsche engineered engine – check. Manual – check. Practical trunk – depends on the size of your load. The Audi RS2 Avant is the original Slim Shady, the first RennSport model, and the one that got away, never making it over the Atlantic. Five years ago, you could begin importing them into the US though. If you did import one, you’d be getting a 311-horsepower wagon (a sedan wasn’t built) that was partly assembled by Porsche in the factory that also handled the Mercedes-Benz 500E.
They took the turbocharged five-cylinder engine and modified that too, which, when coupled with the standard manual transmission and all-wheel drive, could launch this custom Audi 80 Avant to 60 mph in the five-second range. 13 cubic feet of trunk space means you can justify the RS2 as a family car as well, but the entry price is high to the RS2 club. Hagerty suggests you’ll need $70,000 on average to get the keys.
This is as close as we’ll get to a proper, traditional Porsche wagon, although it looks clearly like a 90s Audi, albeit with some clues that give its performance away. Whether or not you’re a wagon fan is irrelevant as the RS brand never stood for just load-haulers. RennSport would later become a byword for seriously upgraded Audi models that allowed you to reconcile your heart with your head when it came time to hand over the cash. Aside from models like the TT RS, an Audi RS will offer practicality, luxury, and speed as standard. Enthusiasts love them for the fact that many RS models can also slip under the radar. The natural predator of the Autobahn.
