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What is the difference?
The drivetrain, overdrive gears, and differential clutch to intelligently transfer torque between the rear wheels. They do so in different ways depending on the driving style and ensure Agility and Stability.
Audi
The drivetrain, overdrive gears, and differential clutch to intelligently transfer torque between the rear wheels. They do so in different ways depending on the driving style and ensure Agility and Stability.
Audi
A variety of different views.
Audi
A variety of different views.
Audi
Diagram showing how torque is applied to the rear axle.
Audi
Diagram showing how torque is applied to the rear axle.
Audi
A variety of different views.
Audi
Diagram showing how torque is applied to the rear axle.
Audi
Like all performance Audis, the RS5 uses Quattro all-wheel drive, here with a limited slip differential that splits power between 70/30 and 15/85 front to rear.
We’ve enjoyed torque-vectoring at the rear of previous Audi RS models—the ability to send more power to the rear wheels when needed has been a big part of why people love cars like RS3, TT-RS, R8and so on. In those cars, the rear differential uses a clutch on each wheel to achieve this, but for the new RS5, Audi Sport decided to create something new inside.
It calls for a new implementation of Dynamic Torque Control, and removes the hydraulic clutches in favor of an 8 kW, 40 Nm electric motor (powered by a 400 V battery) and other planetary gears. The electric motor sits on one side of the axle and applies torque to the sun gear on the other side. These solar devices work on the planets, then fixed solar devices connected to the open gap. It can add or remove torque from the ring gear to the half shaft to split up to 1,475 lb-ft (2,000 Nm) through the axle, or send it back to the open position for a direct 50:50 split. Because it’s powered by an electric motor, the diff only engages in 15 milliseconds, allowing the car to slow down or let it go forward depending on the driver’s driving style.
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Steering can be neutral, or oversteer-y.
Tobias Sagmeister/Audi
Steering can be neutral, or oversteer-y.
Tobias Sagmeister/Audi
It helps if you don’t have to pay for your tires.
Tobias Sagmeister/Audi
It helps if you don’t have to pay for your tires.
Tobias Sagmeister/Audi
The RS5 was very easy to slide and handle.
Tobias Sagmeister/Audi
The RS5 was very easy to slide and handle.
Tobias Sagmeister/Audi
It helps if you don’t have to pay for your tires.
Tobias Sagmeister/Audi
The RS5 was very easy to slide and handle.
Tobias Sagmeister/Audi
Driven on the road in Balanced, Comfort, or Dynamic, you might not notice how clever the torque distribution is in the rear. The weather was particularly bad for my road drive in the RS5, with a mix of rain and snow in late May at high altitudes. However, despite wearing many summer tires on 21-inch wheels and all that power and torque, its quality was not less than closed and stable on the road. So this is a true all-weather car, as the fastest Audis always are.
