2019 Audi RS 5 Sportback: Ingolstadt’s High-Performance Hatch Has a Lofty Price to Match
The 2019 Audi RS 5 Sportback will hit the states with a slew of new standard features and an entry price of $74,200.
Year, Make, Model: 2019 Audi RS 5 Sportback
Topline: In 2019, the RS 5 Sportback will become the fifth member of the growing Audi Sport family in the United States.
What's New: When Audi debuted the RS 5 Sportback on March 28 at the 2018 New York International Auto Show, the manufacturer answered a question most of us never even thought of asking: Did we really need the RS 5 Sportback in the first place?
Now, as we are getting closer to the hatchback's launch date in the U.S., Audi has finally answered the question most of us have been asking since its debut: how much is it going to cost?
Like the RS 5 Coupe and the European RS 4 Avant, the RS 5 Sportback is powered by the 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine which produces a healthy 444 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent to all four wheels via the standard Quattro all-wheel-drive system and is split asymmetrically 40:60 between the front and rear axles.
Like its mechanically identical cousins, the RS 5 Sportback features a quick-shifting eight-speed Tiptronic transmission with sport mode and paddle shifters instead of the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox found in the standard A4 sedan, A5 Coupe, Cabriolet, and Sportback. Top speed in the RS 5 Sportback is electronically limited to 155 miles per hour but can be raised to 174 mph with the optional Dynamic Plus package.
A more detailed and in-depth article about the 2019 Audi RS 5 Sportback can be read in The Drive's previous coverage.
Audi Park Steering Assist is an all-new optional feature for 2019 in the RS 5 Sportback. The feature allows the car to automatically steer into parallel and perpendicular parking spots selected by the driver. The system uses the ultrasonic sensors mounted in the front and rear bumpers and on the sides to safely guide the vehicle into its designated spot. However, the driver is still responsible for accelerating, braking and shifting gears.
For the 2019 model year, both the Audi RS 5 Coupe and Sportback receive a host of new standard features which consist of Audi MMI Navigation Plus, Virtual Cockpit, Connect Prime and Plus, direct tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS), Audi phone book, and rear USB charge ports (Sportback only).
What You Need To Know: The 2019 Audi RS 5 Sportback will go on sale in the U.S. market at the end of 2018. When it arrives here, the RS 5 Sportback will have a starting MSRP of $74,200. This price excludes the $995 destination charge, taxes, title, options and dealer charges.
