---
title: "The 2018 Audi RS5 Is Actually a ‘Micro Hybrid’"
description: "The new 444-horsepower sports coupe scores just enough hybridization to help it with start/stop duties."
date: "2017-06-29"
modified: "2017-06-29"
authors:
  - name: "Will Sabel Courtney"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/will-sabel-courtney"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/12016/the-2018-audi-rs5-is-actually-a-micro-hybrid"
categories:
  - "Audi News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "Audi"
  - "Coupe"
  - "hybrid"
  - "RS5"
  - "valeo"
---

# The 2018 Audi RS5 Is Actually a ‘Micro Hybrid’

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/06/audi-rs5-2018-micro-hybrid.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

In the eyes of some traditionalists, the new Audi RS5 is already guilty of powertrain heresy. While the previous generation of the sports coupe came equipped with a high-revving, naturally-aspirated 4.2-liter V8 sourced from the widely-respected B7-generation RS4, the 2018 model year version of the RS5 goes with a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6. And as if that weren't bad enough...as it turns out, the new RS5 is also a hybrid.

Or, to be more specific, a "micro hybrid," [as it's described in a new *Reuters* report](<https://www.autonews.com/article/20170629/OEM04/170629733/audi-to-use-valeos-stop-start-technology-in-sports-coupe-report-says>). The system, made by automotive supplier Valeo, isn't designed to provide power directly to the wheel; instead, it uses a starter-alternator to enable a more efficient version of the stop-start feature found in many new car models. (Most other new cars simply use a big starter motor to power their stop-start systems, which *Reuters* points out is less expensive, but also less efficient.) The RS5's start-stop can reportedly kick the car back to life in a fraction of a second—which, if correct, could help mitigate much of [the hair-wrenching frustration](<https://timeinc.brightcove.com.edgesuite.net/rtmp_uds/4453423237001/201706/3113/4453423237001_5472292946001_5472286482001-vs.jpg>) that leads many of us to deactivate such systems the second we start our cars.

Audi reportedly has plans to begin transforming to an all-hybrid and electric lineup over the next few years, starting with [the new A8 that formally arrives next month](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/11979/watch-spider-man-ghost-ride-the-new-2018-audi-a8>). That plan, however, involves turning many of its internal combustion models into mild hybrids that leverage the VW Group's new 48-volt electrical system, [according to *Automotive News*](<https://www.autonews.com/article/20170601/COPY01/306019959/audis-new-a8-flagship-will-get-48-volt-tech-to-boost-economy>). In the case of [the 2018 Audi A8, that setup will add about 16 horsepower and 44 pound-feet of torque](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/11032/next-audi-a8-will-be-a-super-mild-hybrid-thanks-to-48-volt-electrical-system>), and will enable the car to coast for up to 45 seconds with the engine off. The RS5's system isn't nearly as powerful...but if there's one thing [this 444-horsepower super coupe isn't lacking, it's power](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/8148/audis-2018-rs-5-brings-a-lot-more-torque-and-a-lot-less-weight-to-the-table>).

## Author
Will is the former managing editor of *RIDES Magazine* and the former online editor for *0-60 Magazine*. He has worked for *Time Out New York* and *Rolling Stone*, and was the creator of *College Cars Online*, the first automotive blog specifically targeted at college students and young professionals.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/willsabelcourtney>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/willscourtney>)