| First Drive | Marbella, Spain | Audi RS5 |

Audi once said there would only be one RS model at a time in its range and while broken promises are usually to be avoided, we'll forgive it on this occasion. The RS5 brings the RS model line-up to three - or five if you count the TT RS Roadster and RS6 Avant as separate to their coupé and saloon relatives. As the name suggests the RS5 is based on the A5 and it wears the blistered arches of the car that arguably began Audi's four-wheel drive quattro path to performance - the ür-Quattro.

In the Metal

Those ür-Quattro aping wheelarches leave the RS5 with some pretty sizable boots to fill. Visually at least that's not a problem. The deep RS-badged front grille, pop-up rear spoiler, twin oval exhaust pipes (which on closer inspection are just finishers, the actual pipes sitting behind them), 19-inch alloy wheels, brushed metal effect finishes to the front spoiler and rear 'diffuser' and those subtly squared off wheelarches add some muscle to the A5's coupé body.

The overall effect isn't too overt - if you ignore the flashy LED running lamps - and that restraint is demonstrated inside, too. As a starting point the A5's interior is already good; the RS5 gains racier details like bucket sports seats and RS5 badging on the dials and gear knob. Carbon-fibre trim inserts also feature, but otherwise the RS5's interior feels little different to its S5 relative's. That's no bad thing, really.

What you get for your Money

At £57,000 the RS5 is around £17,000 more expensive than the S5. That might seem a bit tough to justify at first given the slight visual differences inside and out, but it's under the bonnet and in the drivetrain where the money's been spent. The 4.2-litre V8's power swells by around 100bhp to produce 444bhp, that power driven through all four-wheels via a seven-speed, twin-clutch transmission. UK cars get the handling-transforming Sports Differential as standard and adaptive damping, but if you want carbon ceramic discs (front only) then you'll have to pay an additional £6,250, while - somewhat inexplicably for a range topper - Audi asks £1,495 for satellite navigation. There's a sports exhaust too, which Audi has yet to price up. Whatever the cost, it's likely to be worth it.

Driving it

RS badging on an Audi typically means something ludicrously quick, and the RS5 doesn't disappoint. It'll get you to 62mph in just 4.6 seconds, the quattro four-wheel drivetrain giving it phenomenal traction to exploit its prodigious power. With up to 85 percent of drive going to the rear and a normal 40/60 front-to-rear distribution the RS5's stance feels rather neutral, understeer only ever apparent if you're being silly. Flow with the RS5 and it's possible to carry incredible pace, it feeling in some ways like Bentley's Continental GT in the way it's able to carry its considerable pace with impunity.

Part of that is down to the ride quality, Audi's chassis people managing to balance the tricky trade off between ride quality and control. The wide track and taut suspension keeps roll minimal, yet allows a ride that's rarely jarring. That's with the proviso that you don't opt for the Dynamic set up in the Dynamic Ride Control element of the Audi Drive Select. Do so and the damping is too rigid, the firmest choice upsetting the ride comfort with lots of vertical movement ruining the RS5's composure. It's much the same with the steering, choosing the Dynamic mode resulting in more effort required at the wheel, without any corresponding increase in feel or finesse.

Find the sweet spot in the set up though and the RS5 impresses with its ability. There's loads of grip and when it does start to let go it's predictable and easy to collect. A session on track - where Audi inexplicably didn't allow the ESP to be disabled - there's no denying the RS5's speed, but it does feel heavy and the brakes are pretty tired after a few laps. It's unlikely the RS5 will be used on track with any regularity though, its forte being a fearsomely fast, composed and comfortable road car. If one that's slightly lacking in ultimate feel and interaction.

If there's one area where the RS5 really rouses it's with the engine. It's both frustrating and utterly glorious in equal measure. You need to work it to get the best from it; although it's got a decent spread of torque at low revs it's at the top end where it's best. It'll do 65mph in second gear, though the need to work it keeps your fingers busy on the too-small paddles behind the steering wheel. The noise that accompanies the blistering performance is fantastic, the cultured sound coming through the firewall and following from the exhausts is deep in character and layered with lovely naughtiness. Get caught napping and you have to be quick to drop a couple of gears to get the RS5 to up its pace, though when the increase in speed comes so does that glorious soundtrack.

Worth Noting

Despite an output 100bhp or so more than the S5, the RS5 emits less CO₂. On the official combined cycle the RS5 pumps out a respectable 252g/km, its consumption figure the same 26.2mpg as the S5 manages.

If you're intent on using the rear seats regularly choose the sports seats over the standard bucket ones - they're a no-cost option. With a hard back and no easy single means of folding and sliding them forward the bucket seats make getting in the rear pretty tricky. As with the A5, the RS5's boot is vast. Just be sure to strap everything down...

Summary

The third RS model in the current Audi range is one of the most appealing. Enormously fast and hugely competent, it's an easy car to enjoy, even if it doesn't quite involve on the level of some of its similarly priced rivals. As a useable performance car though the Audi RS5 is difficult to fault and the noise it makes is worth the price alone.