If the recent wave of plug-in hybrid performance sedans and SUVs left you a bit cold and disillusioned, the new Audi RS5 will bring hope. Having perhaps learnt from the fumbles of its peers, Audi Sport’s first crack at a performance PHEV has been handled with care and perhaps even restraint. It’s also been treated to a battery of clever chassis upgrades that effectively tackle the hybrid performance car’s biggest enemy – weight. The result is an accomplished and uncharacteristically wild performance sedan, one that we can happily report will be coming to India.
2026 Audi RS5 exterior design and engineering – 9/10
Excellent proportions, expanded appropriately with the RS body kit.
The new-gen ‘B10’ A5 (which replaces the A4 globally) is a well-proportioned liftback sedan and a great starting point for the RS5’s design. It retains recognisable Audi design elements like the single-frame grille and wide headlamps and tail-lamps, while being suitably updated for the modern age. The RS5 is a full 9cm wider than the A5 and isn’t shy about it. The wheel arches, front and rear, swell outwards, so much so that even the rear doors had to be changed to accommodate the bulge.
The grille is larger too and uses a diamond lattice pattern finished in gloss black, and the new two-dimensional Audi logo now sits on its upper edge, cutting into the bonnet surface. On either side of the grille are huge air intakes for the radiators, as well as channels to cool the brakes. Standard 20- and optional 21-inch wheels fill up the signature chunky arches, housing huge (optional) carbon ceramic brakes inside.
The roof slams down all the way to edge of the tailgate, where sits a small but functional lip spoiler. The tail-lamps are joined by an LED light bar, you can choose from up to eight DRL patterns (in conjunction with the headlamps) to put on display. The wide-body look is enhanced by a prominent diffuser in the rear bumper with huge, menacing oval tailpipes placed in the centre.
It may not be as subtle as RS cars of the past, but unlike many other new performance sedans, it hasn’t gone completely overboard either. Instead, Audi Sport has amplified the inherently good proportions and added attitude enhancers in all the right places. Â
2026 Audi RS5 interior space and comfort – 6/10
Screen-heavy interior helped by RS embellishments. Boot compromised by battery.
Less successful than the exterior is the interior; a consequence of the screen-heavy direction Audi has chosen for all its new cars. An upright curved panel houses the two main displays, while the passenger screen that’s optional on A5s is standard here. The problem isn’t so much the screens themselves – which are easy to read and use – but their execution. The large panel is always in your peripheral vision and has huge black bezels around the screens. It’s so large, there’s little room left on the dash for other surfaces and materials; the AC vents poke awkwardly out from behind and feel like an afterthought.
Speaking of materials, much of it is now piano black or dull grey plastic, which lacks the richness of the wood, brushed metal and carbon-fibre trim from older Audis. The RS5 alleviates this to an extent with optional carbon accents, contrast stitching and ‘Dinamica’ suede on the steering, arm-rests and dashboard, but it isn’t quite enough. Functionality takes a hit, too, as while there are shortcut buttons for drive modes, ESC, music volume and parking cameras, everything else is in the screen.
Where you will find buttons is on the steering wheel, and Audi has even brought back rollers for easier navigation on the go. The wheel itself feels nice to hold, with cool – if small – metal shift paddles on the back. The seats are a standout too, providing ample support, plenty of adjustment as well as heating, ventilation and massage functions.
Without screens and suede to liven things up, the rear of the cabin feels even more ordinary than the front. Space is average, the seat back is upright and the windows are small. Comfort, however, is good thanks to generous cushioning, mirroring the front. A fixed panoramic glass roof is available, and though it gets segmented digital opacity control thanks to an electrochromic filter, there is no physical sun shade, which means the cabin can heat up quickly.Â
Boot space is just 331 litres, thanks to the battery pack that fills the floor area, which of course means there can be no spare tyre. In real-world use, it can hold more than the number suggests, however, as the liftback tailgate allows luggage to be stacked to the ceiling.
2026 Audi RS5 features and safety – 8/10
More standard features, with all options consolidated into a single upgrade pack.
With this car, Audi has responded to criticism that S and RS models weren’t being separated enough from lesser models, and that a few options could easily bridge the gap. Moreover, having to add options over the price of a top-end model was criticised too. As such, there are almost no performance or tech options on the RS5, with much more being included as standard. One single Performance Pack gets you exterior, interior and performance upgrades in one go. That said, the Audi Exclusive personalisation programme does let you choose from a wider set of colours and trim materials than the standard palette.
The RS5 is very well-equipped, with the likes of a Bang & Olufsen audio system, a heads-up display, ADAS, front seat heating, ventilation and massage, three-zone climate control, a panoramic glass roof, and more. The three-screen layout comprises 12.3-inch screens for driver and passenger, with a central 14.9-inch infotainment screen in the centre. Graphics are sharp and slick, although the driver’s display, already small in its large housing, doesn’t make adequate use of its screen real estate.
2026 Audi RS5 performance and refinement – 8/10
Ballistic power that feels somewhat blunted by the electric assist.
This is Audi Sport’s first PHEV, and with that comes a number of debuts for the brand. There’s no downsizing, though – a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 engine is retained, albeit with new turbos and heavily revised interiors. This alone has bumped power from 450hp in the previous RS5 to 510hp. To that is added an electric motor, housed in the innards of the 8-speed ZF torque converter auto, which draws power from a 22kWh battery placed under the boot. The total system output is a staggering 639hp and 825Nm, though amazingly still slightly behind its overboosted four-cylinder rival, the AMG C 63 S e-Performance, with its 680hp and 1,020Nm. This, however, leaves sufficient headroom for a future RS6 to sit above, and moreover, seems far more than necessary in a car of this size.
The boring stuff first. It can run in electric-only mode and, with enough charge in the battery, will stay firmly there in its Comfort or Balanced drive modes, even if you prod the accelerator firmly. This gives it a level of refinement and everyday usability far greater than any ICE RS car before it, save for some high-speed roar from the fat 285/30 R21 tyres at all four corners. Move into Dynamic and the engine comes on immediately, working eagerly with the e-motor for heady but manageable serving of power. Above this sits RS mode, which holds gears longer and slackens off the ESC. This is the RS5 at its wildest; perfect for a winding road or even a track. The engine is allowed to rev out (though emissions regs seem to have stifled the sound slightly) and gear shifts hit with sufficient punch.Â
Acceleration here is ballistic, mechanical torque gaps expertly filled by electricity and performance delivered to the road by a relentless new Quattro AWD system. 0-100kph takes 3.6 seconds, but it feels quicker still, accompanied as it is by the requisite sounds, vibrations and feedback. When it comes to performance, then, the new RS5 has the broadest remit of any Audi Sport model yet.
2026 Audi RS5 mileage and range – 9/10
Hybrid means you can drive it in EV mode when not using max performance.
The beauty of PHEV powertrains is that a 639hp performance sedan that weighs 2.36 tonnes can still have a fuel economy rating of 24.5kpl on the WLTP cycle. Interestingly, with a discharged battery and running only on engine power, it’s rated at 10.25kpl. In real-world usage, it’s even better than that, because the 22kWh battery allows it to run as an EV for as much as 84km on a full charge, even at highway speeds, meaning most day-to-day activities can be managed without ever switching on the engine. For this, of course, it would have to be charged at home, and that can be done on an 11kW AC charger in about 2.5 hours.
2026 Audi RS5 ride comfort and handling – 9/10
Trick torque vectoring rear diff enables lively, oversteer-heavy handling.
The other side of the coin are the updates to the chassis, which are a similarly comprehensive overhaul. The latest version of Quattro AWD still uses a Torsen centre differential, but it’s now kept in a semi-locked state at all times, allowing for faster engagement on demand, even mid corner. Speaking of which, the rear differential features a clever torque-vectoring system that Audi says is a world first. A second electric motor with its own set of gears sits here, producing just 8kW and 40Nm but not powering the wheels directly. Instead, it serves to instantaneously apportion power between the left and right rear wheels, far quicker than a purely mechanical system could ever respond.
The results are dramatic. Where Audi Quattro systems have always prioritised grip and efficient power delivery to the road, resulting in a neutral and safe driving character, this one feels immediately different. Not since the mid-engined R8 has an Audi been even remotely inclined to oversteer, but the new RS5 changes that. Even at low speeds, you can feel a greater eagerness to change direction, helped by a different, faster steering rack compared to the A5. Follow through with a bit more throttle and you’ll experience some body rotation, rather than the usual safe understeer. This car doesn’t have rear-axle steering and not for a moment do you think you need it.
There’s a sub-mode within RS called RS Torque Rear, which is a drift mode in everything but name. However, while BMW M and Mercedes-AMG’s AWD systems simply deactivate the front axle altogether, the RS5 – true to its Quattro roots – reapportions the torque in a 15:85 front-rear split, rather than the usual 40:60. It’s still plenty oversteery and this heavy sedan can be made to slide around kerbs with the reckless abandon of a Mazda Miata. Interestingly, the new rear transaxle and battery pack have actually improved weight distribution, which now sits at 48:52 front to rear.
Holding it all together through slides, over bumps and at autobahn speeds is the new twin-valve suspension, which only reinforces this car’s split personality. There’s a dramatic difference between its Comfort and Dynamic settings. While a true test on broken Indian roads will have to wait, the RS5 handled mountain roads and highways in Austria with equal aplomb, even on its optional 21-inch wheels.  Â
2026 Audi RS5 price and verdict – 8/10
Likely to cost near Rs 2 crore, but could be the unexpected wild card of the bunch.
Behind its incredible performance, the RS5 makes a subtle but very important point about hybrid performance cars. It’s that look, feel and emotional connection are far more important than headline statistics in vehicles such as this. Audi chose to retain a V6 engine to keep some character, it went with an updated but familiar look so as to not completely alienate loyalists while keeping things suitably aggressive, and it worked extra hard on the chassis to compensate for its biggest weakness – weight. The benefits of a PHEV remain, including sizeable electric driving range and the ability to drive it easily and silently around town. Some decisions hard-coded into the interior won’t be as easy to fix, even with a facelift, but at least with the RS, they’ve wrapped everything in racy trims that do well to connect you to the experience.
While mainstream models like the new Q3, Q5, and Q6 e-tron are long overdue here in India, there’s a possibility the RS5 could arrive before any of them. That’s because it’s a CBU import, while the others are earmarked for CKD assembly, which is a much more complicated process. We’ll have to wait and see, but what we can confirm is that with its first performance PHEV, Audi has managed to break the stigma surrounding these vehicles, and deliver something truly exciting and engaging, even when not driven at breakneck speeds. And in India, nothing is quite as important as that.
