When Audi started building high-performance cars, they were turbocharged when everyone else was building high-revving, naturally aspirated engines. With the last-generation RS4, Audi made the switch to a beastly, naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V-8. Now the tide is turning in favor of the turbo—both BMW's M and Mercedes’ AMG division are working on turbocharged engines. Audi, on the other hand, intends to keep its free-revving V-8—at least in some models.
At the Geneva auto show, we’ll meet the upcoming Audi RS5, the wildest evolution of the A5 coupe, and as direct a competitor to the BMW M3 coupe that exists. Here, Audi's 4.2-liter V-8 makes 450 hp at 8250 rpm, and maximum torque is 317 lb-ft, available between 4000 and 6000 rpm. The hand-built engine is direct-injected and closely related to the 420-hp V-8 which powers the R8 supercar.
Top speed is electronically governed at 155 mph or 174 mph, spec’d to your order. Zero to 62 mph is accomplished in a claimed 4.6 seconds. That number trails what we’ve recorded from the BMW M3 coupe, but it is likely a conservative guess.
Thanks to: Car and Driver