The Audi RS4 will soon be dead. Do not despair, though – this isn’t the end of Audi’s run of compact fast estates, a genre it practically invented with the RS2 Avant back in 1994. No, in line with Audi’s new naming strategy, which sees odd numbers get reallocated to its combustion-powered models, the RS4 is simply making way for the RS5, just as the A4 has for the new A5.
Yep, a name that was once the reserve of a two-door coupe is now set to adorn a rapid estate car instead, albeit a rather sleek-looking one. We already know what the A5 Avant looks like in both its standard form and semi-skimmed S5 guise, but this video from CarSpyMedia of the upcoming RS5 pummelling around the Nürburgring is our best look at the full-fat version yet, despite the camouflage.
It doesn’t look like it’s going to deviate too far from the Audi RS hallmarks we know and love. Wider track swallowed up by big flared arches? Check. Huge, gaping grille? Check. Thunderous soundtrack? Erm, not so much. The RS5 is expected to use a version of the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 found in the new S5, augmented by an electric motor or two as part of a plug-in hybrid system. In fact, the little yellow sticker in the top right corner of this prototype’s windscreen is evidence that it is indeed a hybrid.
Maybe it’s got some extra muffling to comply with the Nürburgring’s noise limits, or maybe it’s just stringent noise regulations making it increasingly difficult to get a loud car past rulemakers these days. There is a V6 burble in there somewhere, but the prevailing soundtrack of this video is tyre squeal. We’re sure the aftermarket will pretty quickly solve this. Power-wise, we’d expect it to land somewhere north of the 500bhp mark.
Audi RS5 prototype – front
At least some of that squeal is generated by a pretty mobile-looking rear end, though, suggesting that the RS5 might be a bit more playful than the rapid but ultimately very sure-footed RS4s that have gone before.
Either way, it needs to be good: it’ll have more rivals than ever now that BMW has finally had the guts to put an M3 Touring into production, which has pretty much instantly become the de facto class leader. The four-cylinder plug-in hybrid Mercedes-AMG C63 also exists.
Audi RS5 prototype – rear
As for the RS5, we’ll probably see it undisguised at some point next year. Don’t bet on a saloon version – with the exception of the fantastic B7, RS4s have always been Avant-only, and we can’t imagine that’ll change along with the name.
