2019 Audi RS5 Sportback pricing and features announced

Ever lusted after an Audi RS5 but found the practicality proposition of its two-door bodystyle to be incompatible with your lifestyle? Did you then look in the direction of the RS4 Avant, but preferred something a little sleeker than a wagon?

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Audi has the solution in the form of the RS5 Sportback, and the German automaker has confirmed it will arrive in Australia in February 2019 with the same $157,700 pricetag as the RS5 Coupe.

Revealed at the New York Motor Show earlier this year, the RS5 Sportback brings the coupe’s potent twin-turbo 2.9-litre V6 and performance-tuned all-wheel drive system into a five-door form factor for the first time. Previously, the RS5 was only available as a two-door in either hard-top coupe or soft-top convertible guise.

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There will be few compromises associated with going for the five-door. Besides the price being identical to the coupe, the RS5 Sportback’s engine output also remains the same as the two-door with peak numbers of 331kW and 600Nm. The same eight-speed automatic takes that power to all-four wheels via a permanent all-wheel drive system that is normally biased 60 percent to the rear axle for a sportier feel, and a torque-vectoring rear differential further enhances agility.

Electronically-adjustable dampers (dubbed Dynamic Ride Control by Audi) will be standard, while carbon ceramic brakes and a faster-acting steering rack are optionally available.

The five-door’s extra weight does impart a small penalty in sprint times and fuel economy however, with the 0-100km/h being 0.2s slower at 3.8 seconds while average fuel consumption is 0.1 L/100km higher at 8.9L/100km.

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Inside, the RS5 Sportback will be equipped similarly to the Coupe, with diamond-stitched black Nappa leather upholstery, a flat-bottomed steering wheel and an RS-specific electronic instrument panel setting it apart from garden-variety A5 Sportback models.

As with the Coupe, the RS5 Sportback will also be equipped with a Bang & Olufsen stereo, head-up display, wireless phone charging pad, 20-inch alloys, LED headlamps, privacy glass and an RS sports exhaust system as standard.

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AUDI RS5 PRICING

The 2019 Audi RS5 Sportback is available for order now, with deliveries set for February next year

• Audi RS5 Coupe - $157,700
• Audi RS5 Sportback - $157,700