Audi RS the beauty of power
- 30 years of quattro GmbH
- The Audi RS family
- Introduction of the Audi RS 5 Cabriolet
- Introduction of the Audi RS 7 Sportback and RS Q3
quattro GmbH was established in 1983 as a subsidiary of AUDI AG responsible for the marketing of accessories and vehicle individualisation. In 1996, it established itself at Audi’s Neckarsulm production facility as the manufacturer of Audi’s high-performance models.
Since 1996 to date, quattro GmbH has produced in excess of 75,000 high-performance vehicles with a significant rise in output – from 2,500 cars in the year 2000, to around 11,500 in 2012. quattro GmbH have forecasted sales of 15,000 RS and R8 models in 2013.
The first RS model was introduced in South Africa in 1994 in the form of the Audi RS 2 Avant. Since 1994, a total of 1,250 high-performance RS models have been sold locally. With a total of seven RS models in 2013, Audi South Africa is now presenting a formidable product range for the discerning Audi customer. The Audi RS 5 Cabriolet is now available and the Audi RS 7 Sportback and RS Q3 are planned to debut before the end of the year.
The Audi RS family
Audi South Africa currently offers four high performance siblings as part of the model range. The RS 4 Avant, RS 5 Coupé, and TTRS Coupé and Roadster represent the spearheads of their respective model ranges with each of them having their own distinct character.
The Audi RS 4 Avant is the dynamic all-rounder in the B segment, offering power of a sports car while providing space for five people or up to 1,430 litres of luggage. It uses the same high-revving, normally aspirated V8 engine that powers the RS 5 Cabriolet, accelerating the RS 4 Avant from zero to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds. The 4.2 FSI engine combines its impressive power with impressive efficiency, consuming on average less than 11 litres of fuel per 100 km.
The Audi RS 5 Coupé is a model athlete that captivates from first glance with its elegant proportions and design accents. The spontaneous responsiveness, joyful high-revving and the sonorous sound of this 331 kW V8 4.2 FSI combines the essence of power and emotion.
The Audi TT RS Coupé and Roadster were developed with the aim of creating pure driving machines. With a light-weight body of two-thirds aluminium weighing just 260 kg, it has the genes of a thoroughbred. The classic Audi five-cylinder turbo engine exudes unbridled power with an unmatched and thrilling driving experience.
Audi RS Pricing:
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Audi RS 4 Avant: R 893,000
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Audi RS 5 Coupé: R 926,000
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Audi TT RS Coupé: R 748,000
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Audi TT RS Roadster: R 783,500
(All above pricing is inclusive of all taxes and the standard five-year/100 000km Audi Freeway Plan.)
The Audi RS 5 Cabriolet – Open-air dynamics
Dynamic performance where the sky’s the limit – the new Audi RS 5 Cabriolet entices with a scintillating combination of power and elegance. The four-seat convertible combines its distinctly sporty character with the exhilaration of open-top driving.
The high-revving V8 FSI develops 331 kW from its 4.2 litres of displacement, accelerating the Audi RS 5 Cabriolet from zero to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds at sea-level. The seven-speed
S tronic and the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system reliably transmit power to the road. The chassis also boasts a wide array of high-tech solutions, such as the sport suspension plus with Dynamic Ride Control (DRC). Sophisticated assistance and infotainment systems round off the offering.
Audi RS Engine:
The 4.2 FSI in the Audi RS 5 Cabriolet combines high torque with spontaneous response and dynamic high-revving flexibility. The same engine can be found in the RS 5 Coupé and RS 4 Avant. The naturally aspirated V8 produces 430 Nm of torque from 4,000 to 6,000 rpm. At 8,250 rpm, it develops 331 kW from 4,163 cc of displacement; the high-revving fun is not electronically limited until 8,500 rpm.
The 4.2 FSI accelerates the Audi RS 5 Cabriolet from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds. The car’s top speed is limited to 250 km/h, however can be boosted to 280 km/h upon customer request. Despite its high performance, the powerful V8 delivers impressive efficiency. The eight-cylinder unit has a claimed combined fuel consumption of 10.7 litres per 100 km and combined CO? emissions of 249 g/km.
The seven-speed S tronic makes an important contribution to the efficiency of the Audi RS 5 Cabriolet – its long seventh gear is designed to improve fuel economy, while its six lower gears feature sporty gear ratios.
The Audi RS 5 Cabriolet features the very latest version of the quattro drivetrain – with the self-locking crown-gear centre differential and torque vectoring systems delivering precise handling.
Audi RS Exterior design:
The RS 5 Cabriolet provides an accomplished combination of Audi’s design idiom and the fascination of a four-seat convertible. The high-performance convertible is 4,649 mm long, 1,860 mm wide and 1,380 mm in height. The long hood, a wheelbase of 2,751 mm and clean lines create a flowing silhouette with finely balanced proportions and striking details.
The tapered Singleframe grille dominates the front end, its side edges extending beyond the hood. A frame in a matt aluminium look encloses the grille, the honeycomb grille insert that sports an RS 5 logo in anthracite. The wedge-shaped headlights with wave-like lower edges draw the eye to the vehicle’s exterior, creating the visual sensation of more width. The standard xenon plus lamps inside the headlights surround the LED strips that form the daytime running lights.
The large side air intakes combine with the flat central intake under the grille to accentuate the width of the front end. The two exterior intakes sport honeycomb grilles and are divided up by vertical and horizontal struts into six segments in each direction. They are integrated into a boldly contoured bumper that tapers into a powerful aluminium-look splitter edge.
An anodized aluminium strip on the windshield frame, a classic feature of all Audi convertibles, lends the vehicle a stylish touch. The decorative trim strips on the window channels and the soft top box cover are made of the same material, and the door mirror housings are finished in a matt aluminium look. Crisp, taut surfaces and sharp contour edges characterise the side lines – the dynamic line runs over the side sills and the sweeping tornado line below the windows. The wide shoulders, the powerfully flared wheel arches, the large wheels and the angular sill trims are testimony to the raw power of the Audi RS 5 Cabriolet.
The lines also emphasize the impression of sportiness at the rear. The luggage compartment cover sports an RS 5 logo and a subtle spoiler lip made out of matt carbon. The two large, elliptical tailpipes of the dual exhaust system enclose the aluminium diffuser.
The soft top with the large glass rear window covers the interior. It is much lighter than a folding steel roof, which reduces overall weight. Available as standard with an acoustic hood, the soft top reduces wind noise to virtually the level of a coupé. A foam layer, which is up to 15 mm thick, is inserted between the soft top cover and the interior lining. A LED lamp illuminates the rear seating area.
The soft top opens in 15 seconds and closes in 17 seconds, and can be operated at speeds up to 50 km/h. Its roof compartment, made out of a heavy-duty textile mat, takes up 60 litres of the 380 litre luggage compartment capacity – the remaining 320 litres constitute a best-in-class figure.
As with any Audi, the body of the RS 5 Cabriolet offers outstanding strength, providing the basis for precise handling, superior crash safety and peace of mind. Form-hardened steels are used in the passenger cell area – a change in temperature during forming gives the steels extremely high tensile strength coupled with lower weight.
Specially developed reinforcement components compensate for the absence of a metal roof. In the front section, diagonal struts run from the side sills to the subframe; similar components are mounted to the rear section. The side skirts feature ultra-high-strength walls. The tubes, which reinforce the A-pillars, are formed by hydroforming and are extremely rigid.
A solid aluminium frame, which houses the rollover protection, is located between the interior and luggage compartment. In the case of an imminent rollover, pre-tensioned springs instantly push up aluminium supports behind the rear head restraints.
In the event of a side impact, head/thorax side airbags are fitted in the seats; airbags protect the driver and the front seat passenger in a frontal impact.
Audi RS Interior design:
The interior entices with its high-quality workmanship with intuitively simple user controls. Trimmed in perforated leather, the multifunction sports steering wheel comes with a strong, flat-bottomed rim. The shift paddles come with an aluminium-look finish. The driver information system displays on request a RS-specific menu including lap timer and an oil temperature gauge.
The speedometer and rev counter have black scales, white dials and red needles. The standard S front sports seats come with high bolsters, a removable seat cushion, four-way lumbar support, integrated head restraints, heating, and power adjustment, with RS 5 logos are embossed in the backrests. All grades of leather are pigmented to inhibit heating by sunlight. The interior of the RS 5 Cabriolet is finished in black with carbon inlays as standard in the interior.
The top-of-the-line version of the MMI navigation plus is standard in the RS 5 Cabriolet providing a high-end media control centre with hard drive, DVD player and seven-inch colour monitor with 3-D graphics.
The optional Bluetooth car phone online for Audi connect services provides the perfect complement to MMI navigation plus – it connects the Audi RS 5 Cabriolet to the Internet via a UMTS module. Passengers can use their mobile devices to seamlessly access the web via the integrated WLAN hotspot. For the driver, the system delivers customized online services from Audi connect to the car – they range from navigation with images from Google Earth and Google Maps Street View to point of interest search.
Pricing for this model has been confirmed at R 986,000 inclusive of all taxes and the standard five-year/100 000km Audi Freeway Plan.
The RS 5 Cabriolet shares the same high level of standard equipment with the RS 5 Coupé and includes:
- 19-inch wheels in the forged aluminium 10-spoke design
- Audi Drive Select
- 3G MMI Navigation with voice control
- Park distance control – front and rear
- quattro® Sports Differential
- RS styled front sport seats
- Flat-bottom RS Steering wheel
- Carbon inlays
The Audi RS 7 Sportback and RS Q3
In the fourth quarter of 2013, Audi South Africa plans to introduce a further two new RS models in the form of the RS 7 Sportback and the RS Q3, increasing the tally of RS models to an impressive seven RS models.
The Audi RS 7 Sportback represents a beautifully athletic design, innovative technology and impressive sportiness. Its strong heart is the twin-turbo V8 which displaces 3,993 cc and develops awesome power, with 412 kW available between 5,700 and 6,700 rpm. A constant 700 Nm of torque is available between 1,750 and 5,500 rpm. The sprint from zero to 100 km/h takes just 3.9 seconds. The speed governor can be deactivated upon customer request to permit a top speed of up to 305 km/h. Despite this superior performance, the Audi RS 7 Sportback consumes on average just 9.8 litres of fuel per 100 km, due to the standard start-stop system, thermal management and highly-innovative cylinder-on-demand technology.
The Audi RS Q3 will be the first performance model introduced in the premium A-SUV segment of the market. It combines outstanding everyday practicality with dynamic driving performance powered by the three-time “International Engine of the Year” 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo powerplant which produces 228 kW and 420 Nm of torque. It takes just 5.5 seconds to complete the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h, and has an average fuel consumption of just 8.8 litres of fuel per 100 km.
Further details on the Audi RS7 Sportback and RS Q3 will be available closer to its local introduction.
