Audi’s four-wheel-drive-system Quattro is celebrating 30 years of existence. Back in the 80’s Audi revolutionised road and rally driving with the Audi Quattro (Ur-Quattro) and 30 years the Ingolstadt company is about to do it again with the Audi RS5 that will incorporate the newly developed centre differential for Quattro drivetrain, with the acclaimed Quattro sport differential on the rear axle, the latest in four-wheel-driving.

Following the tradition of a lineage dating back over 15 years ago to the illustrious Audi RS2, the Audi RS5 was developed by Audi high performance engineering and styling subsidiary Quattro GmbH. The RS badge on an Audi means ultra-high performance and sportiveness combined to top notch styling features.

With its hand-built, high-revving 4.2-litre V8 FSI engine the Audi RS5 has a maximum output of 450PS when the engine hits the 8,250rpm mark. A torque maximum of 430Nm is available between 4,000 and 6,000rpm, helping to power the new, Audi RS 5 to 62mph in 4.6 seconds and to an electronically governed 155mph top speed.

For Audi performance is nothing without efficiency that is why the RS5 engine has been fine tuned to maximise performance and also economy. Drivetrain friction was minimized, the oil pump operates on demand, the dual-branch intake and exhaust system were tuned to allow the engine to breath freely, four adjustable camshafts and tumble flaps in the intake manifold facilitate mixture formation and Audi’s energy recovery system assure a fuel efficiency of up to 26.2mpg.

Making its RS debut, the high-tech seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch transmission will be a standard specification for the RS5. This specially reinforced S tronic transmission consists of two clutches and two subsidiary transmissions. Both subsidiary transmissions are continuously active, but only one is powered at any given time by the engine. Gears are alternately shifted by the two clutches – at lightning speed, smoothly, and almost imperceptibly.

Presenting the brand new Quattro technology with crown-gear differential

If it has an RS badge it sure has Quattro four-wheel-drive. Like all Audis in the RS lineage the Audi RS5 will be equipped with Quattro permanent all-wheel-drive but not any Quattro. This latest generation model has evolved further through a next generation centre differential known as a crown-gear differential; expect to hear more about that on future posts.

With such a wide array of innovations it’s hard to mention them all in only one post. So if you want to know more about the Audi RS5 don’t miss our next post about it on Monday when we will explain in detail the new Quattro technology as well as the new Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) and the more acutely controllable Audi drive select.

Before we end this post we want to know. Will the Audi RS5 be the most successful vehicle in the RS lineage?