Audi RS5

[Sonic]

Doing laps of the ring - http://pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=19251

Quote - Power should be somewhere in the region of 420-450bhp and torque will be around 320lb ft. From the video the car will sound awesome and we can confirm it will make mincemeat of a Mercedes R-Class…

[Beetie]

Now that sounds awesome

[GazzaG60]

i dont like the 5 personally. i hope it gets the claimed hp figures. the findings on the rolling road day on 2 rs4's were that they dont make anywhere near 400hp.

[S2central.net]

I'm not a big fan of 'the five' either I must say... It does look better in the flesh to be fair and it has a certain presence on the road, but its a bit of a big bloated coupe that just isn't attractive enough to make you say 'I want one' - versus something like the ooze of an R8 which is extremely attractive - but in a different league to be fair.

[GazzaG60]

i bet the prices are not that many leagues apart. once you get near 60k whats another 20 or so.

it could be made from a slightly deformed 6 series mould.

lets have a lighter, slightly smaller better chassis with steering thats not like a need for speed computer game.

[Ross]

Looking good! Each to their own, but I quite like the looks - as Paul said, much better in the flesh - how can you compare it to a 6.. those are just UGLY!

As for the kerb weight, it has indeed put on over 100KG since the S2 Coupe (it's heavier than the RS2!) which is a bit of a sin I'd say! What happened to 10 years of technology?

[S2central.net]

Agreed the 6 is ugly... so is the 8 these days, and actually the latest A4 has lost its looks...

The weight thing cracks me up - all about crash/safety performance - pity those guys are totally at odds with the green-minded fuel misers who want lighter cars to get more MPG - and at odds with the red-misted folks who want lighter cars that go faster and handle better.

Take a look at power to weight of a Mk1 Golf GTi... Then see what great 'progress' has been made over 5 generations of GTi as the engine size has grown to counteract reduced performance from tighter emission controls and the increased weight from safety and luxury equipment. Why didn't they leave it alone for **** sake - I am no great GTi fan but that package has been nothing but watered down from its first incarnation to what it is day. Sure the Mk5 is safer, quieter, better equipped, less emissions and maybe better motorway MPG - but what is more fun to drive ?

[Rusty]

Sounds beastly till you get the horrid slurring from the (I guess) DSG box. Bring back manual and let us have fun (and a sore left leg!).

[Beetie]

But wouldnt scaling the car down put it in nearly the same class as a tt and then make the car pointless?

[K Simmonds]

Agreed the 6 is ugly... so is the 8 these days, and actually the latest A4 has lost its looks...

The weight thing cracks me up - all about crash/safety performance - pity those guys are totally at odds with the green-minded fuel misers who want lighter cars to get more MPG - and at odds with the red-misted folks who want lighter cars that go faster and handle better.

Take a look at power to weight of a Mk1 Golf GTi... Then see what great 'progress' has been made over 5 generations of GTi as the engine size has grown to counteract reduced performance from tighter emission controls and the increased weight from safety and luxury equipment. Why didn't they leave it alone for **** sake - I am no great GTi fan but that package has been nothing but watered down from its first incarnation to what it is day. Sure the Mk5 is safer, quieter, better equipped, less emissions and maybe better motorway MPG - but what is more fun to drive ?

I couldn't agree more!!!

Being an ex Vdub man I've owned and driven a lot Golfs from MK I to MK V. In my opinion the original GTi ethos has been completely lost, I suppose a lot of this is to do with the legislation has been imposed on manufacturers. IMO the MK II 16 valve was best the Golf GTi ever made, with just a little more comfort than the fantastic MK I but still relativity light weight with pin sharp handling that gave loads of feedback through the steering and nice raw power delivery, 0 to 60 in just under 8 seconds as well

The Mk III was total pants, unless modified. The Mk IV and MK V are undeniably well made, reliable and very safe. But apart from the 24V V6 versions, all are very dull to drive and I doubt any would beat the 16V (Designed in 1987) to 60, not much progress for 20 odd years.

[AUDIS2avant]

You guys should be happy for the priced they quote, just looked at an s5 yesterday at AUDI and 1 year old 22k km it cost 1.000.000 danish kroner, that´s arround 115k GB right now

[AUDIS2avant]

forgot to say that price is with the danish envy tax

[Rusty]

with depreciation I bet you can pick up an S5 here for £20k.

I pointed the weight arguement out to a mate who was waxing on about the BMW Efficient Dynamics. I pointed ovt that for a car to cd efficient and dynamic I'd expect a much lower weight that 1500kg! If the car indust put half the money into composite construction that they put into all there completely pants niche models then we'd be damned close to a 1 too A4 and with all the great engines now and chassis advancements, just think of how good the most mundane car would be! A standard diseasel would be nearly 150bhp/ton!