Audi RS5 Sportback (B9)

A twin-turbo V6 Sportback from the B9 A5 family

The Audi RS 5 Sportback is the performance version of the B9-generation A5 Sportback. Our catalogue lists a 2.9L twin-turbo V6 petrol engine producing 444 bhp and 600 Nm, quattro all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Audi describes the RS 5 as a classic two-door Coupé or a five-door Sportback. This guide is scoped to the Audi RS 5 Sportback (B9) sold from 2019 to 2024, covering cars before and after the revision that Audi announced for the 2020 model year. The RS 5 Coupé uses the same engine, and we say where it differs, but it is not the subject. Special editions are out of scope, such as the Panther Edition that Wikipedia says was limited to 100 cars, 75 of them Sportbacks. So is the third-generation RS 5 that Wikipedia says was unveiled on 19 February 2026.

We have not driven this model for this article. This is a desk-researched ownership guide built from Audi's press release on the revised RS 5 Coupé and RS 5 Sportback, a PistonHeads used buying guide for the B9 RS4 Avant and the government recall check. We also read PistonHeads' June 2020 road test of the RS 5 Sportback, Wikipedia and the US NHTSA recall database. There is no PistonHeads used buying guide for the B9 RS 5. The RS4 Avant guide covers a sibling car that PistonHeads says shares its 2.9-litre V6 with the RS 5 Coupé, so every ownership point below that comes from it is a sibling-car finding, not a confirmed RS 5 fault.

Checking the figures

Audi gives the output as 331 kW (450 PS), unchanged by the revision, with 600 Nm of torque, which it converts to 442.5 lb ft. Torque is available from 1,900 to 5,000 rpm. Our catalogue stores 444 bhp, which is 450 PS multiplied by 0.986, about 443.8. Wikipedia also gives 331 kW (450 PS; 444 hp), and PistonHeads prints 444hp in its RS4 Avant table but 450hp in its RS 5 Sportback road test. Those are one engine in different units, so an advert saying 450 hp is not describing a tuned car. PistonHeads also prints 443 lb ft in its table and 442 lb ft in its text, a small inconsistency inside one article.

Audi's release says: "Both RS models catapult themselves from zero to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds." That is a manufacturer claim for 0 to 100 km/h, and it covers the Coupé and the Sportback equally. PistonHeads prints 3.9 seconds for 0 to 62 mph, which is almost the same distance, so the two sources agree. This is a claim, not a test result, and it assumes the right conditions.

The top speed needs care. Audi gives the standard limit as 250 km/h (155.3 mph) and says that on request Audi Sport GmbH can raise it to 280 km/h (174.0 mph). PistonHeads prints "155mph (optional 174mph)". Our catalogue therefore stores 250 km/h as the standard limited figure. Wikipedia quotes 280 km/h for the car, which is the optional figure. PistonHeads' RS4 Avant guide says pre-facelift RS4s could unlock 174mph through an RS Dynamic option. We did not find a package name on Audi's RS 5 pages, so if a seller claims 280 km/h, ask for the build sheet or an invoice showing the option, and do not assume it.

PistonHeads gives the Sportback a weight of 1,720 kg in its road test, against 1,715 kg for the RS4 Avant in its guide. It also warns that weight and power figures in its tables are hard to verify. We could not find a Coupé weight to compare, so we make no claim about the gap.

Years and the 2020 revision

Wikipedia says the RS 5 Sportback was unveiled at the 2018 New York Auto Show and lists its model years from 2018. Audi's recall filings in the US name 2018 to 2019 RS5 Sportbacks, so the car existed by then in some markets. No page we read gives a first delivery date for a particular market, and our catalogue keeps 2019 as the start year. Treat 2019 as approximate and read the registration date on any car.

Audi's release on the revised range is dated 4 August 2020. It says orders opened in Germany and other European markets from December 2019, with dealer availability in spring 2020, and Wikipedia gives 10 December 2019 for the facelift unveil. Audi's own page for the car is titled "Audi RS 5 Sportback (until 2024)" and is marked as an archived previous model, which is why we set the end year to 2024. Wikipedia's model-year table lists the Sportback to 2025, so the end of production is not tidy.

The revision brought a new RS design language shared with the RS 6 Avant and RS 7 Sportback: a flatter, wider Singleframe grille with a gloss black honeycomb, new side air inlets and sill trims, wheel arches flared by 15 mm per side, a new bumper and diffuser, and optional darkened Matrix LED headlights with laser light. Inside, a 10.1-inch MMI touch display on the third-generation infotainment platform replaced the previous operating concept, with a 12.3-inch virtual cockpit and two configurable drive modes called RS1 and RS2 on a steering-wheel button. PistonHeads' RS4 Avant guide says its facelift brought no mechanical changes, and the road test says the RS 5's power stayed at 450hp. The same road test calls the update "a facelift for the sake of a facelift" and finds the touchscreen more distracting than the old dial. Which you prefer decides which side of the line to shop on.

Engine and gearbox

Audi describes the 2.9 TFSI as a twin-turbo V6 in which each turbocharger supplies one cylinder bank. Audi's WLTP figures for the revised Sportback are 9.2 l/100 km and 209 g/km. PistonHeads' RS4 Avant guide describes the engine as a direct-injection unit and warns of long-term cylinder head carbon build-up, because it does not use dual injection. Ask whether the car has been driven only on short trips.

The same guide lists faults reported on the RS4 Avant that you should check on an RS 5 as a precaution. Thermostats have stuck open or shut, which it calls a Volkswagen Group problem. Some cars idle randomly at start-up. A cold stutter can become what it calls "kangarooing" in extreme cases. Faulty cam sensors have been reported, and in at least one case one destroyed an engine. Carbon fibre engine covers have come adrift on some cars, and some cars showed dashboard lights without cranking in the morning. The reported fix was pressing the brake pedal harder so its sensor talks to the engine computer. None of this is confirmed for the RS 5, but the engine is shared, so a cold start and a warm-up drive are worth the time.

The gearbox is an eight-speed tiptronic. PistonHeads' RS4 Avant guide identifies it as a ZF 8HP torque-converter automatic that can be jerky in the longer gears, and says gearbox oil leaks were fixed under warranty. The RS 5 road test praises the aluminium paddles but calls the kickdown over-aggressive in Dynamic mode. Check shift quality at low speed and look under the car for oil.

Drivetrain, chassis, brakes and wheels

Audi describes quattro permanent all-wheel drive with a normal 40:60 front-to-rear split. The centre differential can send up to 70 per cent of the drive forward or up to 85 per cent rearward. A sport differential on the rear axle, which actively distributes torque between the rear wheels, is optional on the RS 5 according to Audi, whereas PistonHeads says it is standard on UK RS4s. Confirm whether a given RS 5 has it. The road test names its drive modes Comfortable, Balanced and Dynamic.

RS sport suspension is standard. RS sport suspension plus with Dynamic Ride Control, abbreviated DRC, is optional and uses a hydraulic system for roll and pitch stabilisation with three damper settings through Audi drive select. PistonHeads' RS4 Avant guide says DRC actuators can fail, usually with a knocking noise, and links that issue to the RS 6 rather than the RS 5. Treat it as a question for the seller, not a known RS 5 fault. The RS 5 road test judged Comfort too languid and Dynamic too harsh, with an agitated ride, so a long test drive on your usual roads matters on a car with DRC.

Standard brakes have a reputation for squealing on the RS4 Avant, and carbon ceramic brakes were an option there. Audi's release says 19-inch wheels are standard and 20-inch wheels come in three new designs on the revised car. The road test car ran 20-inch wheels. The RS4 Avant guide lists 9 x 19-inch wheels with 265/35 tyres, but we have not seen RS 5 sizes confirmed, so read the tyre labels and the handbook before buying new tyres.

Body, interior and electronics

PistonHeads' RS4 Avant guide reports leaking headlight covers that fog up, which it says also affect ordinary A4s and which dealers call normal. It also reports electrical glitches in side assist, exit warning and automatic headlights, a sat nav that switched to a non-Google map, some cars that fail to recognise an iPhone, and surround view camera faults. Its seat points are mixed. It praises the air-adjustable seats but reports damage from poorly fitted belt buckles and seats that inflate unprompted. Windows do not always close fully, and boot vents blocked by misplaced bungs cause cabin noise. The RS4 is an estate, so tailgate comments from that guide do not transfer cleanly to a Sportback.

On the revised car, the RS 5 road test finds the touchscreen crisp and responsive and MMI logical, although the small CarPlay icons need a glance down. Audi adds that with its top MMI Navigation plus system an RS monitor shows engine and transmission temperature, g-forces and tyre data, and that lap timing and 0 to 100 km/h runs can start from a steering-wheel button. Treat that feature as a reason to check the car's logged data critically, not as proof of how it was used. Test every screen, camera and driver assistance function, and check that the infotainment software is current.

Recalls and history

Neither the PistonHeads RS5 road test nor the RS4 Avant guide covers recalls, so we queried the US NHTSA recall database for RS5 models. That is a US record, and a UK car may not be affected, so it shows what Audi has had to fix, not what applies to your car. Campaigns naming the RS5 Sportback include the following.

• 19V547000 (July 2019): oxidation on the passenger occupant detection cable could disable the passenger air bag, for 2018 to 2019 cars.
• 20V737000 (November 2020): the rear light wiring harness lacked scuff protection near the spare wheel well, for 2021 cars.
• 21V295000 (April 2021): the lock nut on the rear axle trailing arm could break from stress corrosion, for 2019 to 2021 cars, followed by 22V034000 (January 2022) about rear axle alignment not being checked after that repair.
• 21V606000 (August 2021): the middle rear seat belt retractors could deactivate early.
• 22V742000 (October 2022): a software fault could blank the rear camera image, for 2021 cars.
• 24V251000 (April 2024): a loose connection in the passenger occupant detection module could deactivate the passenger air bag, for 2023 cars.

The recall check on GOV.UK is the UK route. Enter the registration or VIN, and ask the seller for evidence that open campaigns, especially the rear axle and seat sensor items, were completed. The rear axle point matters because the 2022 follow-up exists precisely because alignment may not have been checked after the first repair.

Where the Coupé differs

Audi's release gives the Coupé and Sportback the same 331 kW and 600 Nm, the same 3.9 seconds to 100 km/h and the same 250 km/h limit with the option. The only difference Audi states is consumption, 9.1 l/100 km and 208 g/km for the Coupé against 9.2 l/100 km and 209 g/km for the Sportback. Audi describes the Coupé as a two-door car and the Sportback as a five-door car. The road test does not compare the two bodies directly, and we found no verified weight or boot figures for either, so we do not claim an advantage. Many of the US recalls above cover both bodies.

Buying decision

PistonHeads' RS 5 road test finds the car quick, with strong traction and grip, but calls it aloof and slightly synthetic, and says it feels like an A5 with 450hp. It suggests purists will prefer the Mercedes-AMG C63 or BMW M4, and that the RS 5 suits buyers coming from the Audi range. PistonHeads' RS4 Avant guide recommends seeking a warranty because of B9 teething problems. We read that as sensible for any car with this engine and electronics, though it is about the RS4, not the RS 5.

Before you buy, confirm which side of the 2020 revision the car is on, whether it has the sport differential, DRC and the higher speed limit it is advertised with, and that the warm-up behaviour, shift quality and driver assistance functions are clean. Read the service history for evidence of thermostat or cam sensor work, and run the DVSA recall check. We have not seen a used price source we could cite, so compare current listings and a pre-purchase inspection by a specialist who knows the V6.