Audi RS5

The road from Ascari to our hotel in Marbella is one of Europe's greats! ESP was in Sport mode so it never kicked in. Road was very damp though. A later drive in the dry was much faster. Grip, thy name is RS5!

[@TheMegaCONARTIST]

Wow, smooth beautiful quiet loud comfortable absolutely beautiful, Audi more or less it is simply the best. I truly wonder what will they do with new RS7.

[@djani911]

Great car,overtakings looks so easy!

[@rustubecker]

i cant believe i' watched the whole vid....nice driving! and thanks for sharing! now, im gonna watch the M3 one...=)

[@MrConorTwomey]

@rustubecker Glad you came along for the ride. It's kinda hypnotic, isn't it? Make you want to go out and DRIVE though...

[@ss770640]

Mrconer, watch this space in July, i'll post some videos like this in the Scottish highlands. Very similar roads if not more steep corners. Nice vid. Love the sound.

[@gilesio22]

very nice overtakes

[@ss770640]

Mr conner, the sports exhaust is black. The standard twin pipes are silver. The sports exhaust costs £800 extra. (which hell yeah i've ordered!)

[@MrConorTwomey]

In "Manual" mode it allows you to hit the rev-limiter and will not change up but in "Sport" (or, obviously, "Auto") mode it will shift itself up at peak power, which is just shy of the redline. In every mode - Manual, Sport or Automatic - it will downshift by itself to prevent itself stalling and if I rememeber correctly it will also kick down if you stomp hard on the throttle in "Manual" model. You have to be pretty aggressive to induce this in, though, so it's strictly for panic situations.

[@MrConorTwomey]

@jimpodi You're absolutely right in what you say. All I do, every single day, is drive cars and look for the faults. That's my job. But for most people, the faults I found with the RS5 are almost irrelevant. Even though I prefer the M3, I still think the RS5 is a great car. Indeed for many drivers, the advanced chassis electronics and all-wheel drive grip are both selling points - drivers can enjoy all that performance knowing the car is doing all it can to help!

[@MrConorTwomey]

@richandiben Ha. That happens a lot on car launches. If the logistics people put the hotel directly into the satnav it's unlikely to bring us via what we might call 'interesting' roads, so they program 'stopovers' in there so it will brings us along the good roads without having to use a road book. It's actually a pretty slick way of doing things.

[@ss770640]

Mrconer, yes, an auto box on my BMW does just that. Floor it and it'll downshift for extra poke. Not really a panic situation as much but for overtaking.

[@MrConorTwomey]

Thanks for all the comments! Yup, it's a superb road and the RS5 is a phenomenal car in damp conditions but I'd still prefer a BMW M3 - what you gain in grip in the Audi you lose in feel, particularly through the steering. Just my preference. Sorry about the satnav - it is annoying but we don't always know the roads on which cars are launched. I'll turn it off if I can next time. I'll also try to get a shot of any white-haired ladies flashing their lights at me from behind, trying to get past!

[@MAYODEL76]

This is the road A-397 that connects Ronda with Marbella. Malaga province. Esta es la carretera A-397 que une Ronda con Marbella, en Malaga

[@chris2010]

what a fucking nice road and in that car must be a geat feeling to for real

[@benwood85]

Wow, he kept saying that the road was slick/damp. That engine/exhaust note is intoxicating.

[@rubbishcar]

great vid! thaks for sharing!

[@MrConorTwomey]

@animal33213 Funnily enough, I'd have taken the previous generation Audi RS4 over the BMW M3 any day. The old RS4 was the first Audi to get the 40:60 front-to-rear quattro drivetrain (manual only, too) but it was launched before Audi went nuts with the fun-sapping, computerised chassis aids. It was surprisingly raw and pure and came as a wagon too, great for someone like me with a family. Convertible was dire, though, as are all high-performance chop-tops.

[@randombloke10]

@MrConorTwomey please for the love of all things holy get an R8 V10 test drive on roads like these, i love your rs5 m3 and that georgous v12 vantage video

[@ss770640]

I would love to see the m3 lovers out there try and claim it can match the RS5's AWD in the wet or even snow. In the dry both cars are equal, the RS5 has more power. In the wet, the M3 is not even worth discussing. I just bought an RS5 after driving a BMW for 3 years.

[@MrConorTwomey]

@088master To be honest, I don't know how much fuel we used. If it were a hybrid road test, for example, I'd be watching it like a hawk but because this is a performance car I was more concerned with its acceleration, braking and handling. I'll try to keep an eye on it next time, though.

[@TheMegaCONARTIST]

.......for sure Audi.

[@MrConorTwomey]

@jillesss Um, it had a sports exhaust, I know that, but I don't know if it was black or not. The twin oval tail pipes were chrome, I remember that much.

[@MrConorTwomey]

@jimpodi I agree, the Audi RS5 is a much better-looking car than the BMW M3, but the reason I prefet the BMW has nothing to do with how the car looks. BMW lets you drive the M3, whereas Audi won't let the RS5 off its electronic leash. It's a shame because it has the potential to be a better driver's car than the BMW, as the old RS4 was. If the RS5 had a 'track' mode, where you could turn ALL the safety electronics off, then you'd have the perfect car - gorgeous, fast and proper fun to drive!

[@MrConorTwomey]

Don't know about 0-60mph because Audi only quotes 0-100km/h or 0-62mph. The S5's official 0-62 time is 5.1 seconds and the RS5's is 4.6 so if I were to guess I'd say its 0-60mph time would be 4.2 or 4.3 seconds.

[@MrConorTwomey]

@gavquinn Yeah, any time I see 'Ascari' on the invitation I smile. Not because of the track, mind - it's usually coned off to within an inch of its life - but because of the road leading up there. Once of the greats. I've just posted a video of an M3 on the Stevlio Pass in Italy, another classic road. Be sure to check it out.

[@MrConorTwomey]

Three things: Firstly, an in-car video like this never quite captures the sense of speed. Secondly, it's damp and AWD and traction control can only do so much this is an 1800kg car in the wet. Finally, it's a public road, not a track, so I have to keep a margin of safety there for unseen cyclists, potholes etc. I also stay inside my lane the entire time. I also have a track video where you can hear the RS5's tyres screeching. I'm driving flat out there but again, it doesn't look so fast.

[@MrConorTwomey]

@audi4myass I've just posted a video of the BMW M3 going up the Stelvio Pass in Italy. It's a tighter road but you can compare engine noises. It should also make it clearer as to why I tend to prefer the M3 over the RS5.

[@wabesasa]

nice drive, but i have a Q; why are you afraid of cornering with speed? Don't you trust the traction from the wheels? i thought the car had loads of grip and the 4wheel system was sophisticated? Your cornering speed if very low!!!!

[@MrConorTwomey]

@markusgp No need to fear me. I've been doing this job for 10 years and haven't even scratched a car. The camera doesn't show just how far ahead I can see, nor does it really capture how hard the RS5 accelerates. Did you see one car flash its lights or swerve to avoid me? Did I even cross the white line in the middle of the road? The situation is totally controlled with a safety margin built in. Hard driving is all about knowing the limits of the car, the road and, most importantly, yourself.

[@LowL12321]

'Beep' at 3:07 ahah

[@morpheusmann]

i want one :-(

[@markusgp]

Some dangerous Overtakes with little visibility as you said this is a road not a track, It's drivers like you that I fear when I'm on the road.

[@defenderRS4]

everybody is right : I have a RS4 and I test A M3....it's two differents philosophy but two exceptional cars.... the result of my test ??? I want to have a RS4 and A M3 .....RS4 for every day and M3 for fun on circuit.........i'm going to try the RS5 on september , i'll try to give to you interesting videos......

[@randombloke10]

@rustubecker would you prefer to live with the RS5 or the M3 though

[@088master]

can you honestly tell me how much was your fuel consumption while you were driving this road?thank you :)

[@ellasOLE22]

what feels faster Conor the rs5 or the m3? and which one do u prefer driving?

[@hondablade1000rr]

@001MTR there just always has to be a troll, yes?

[@chris2010]

@zuuman1 this will be the m3 killer and rs6 is the m5 and m6 killer

[@marnus2612]

does this car changes gear automatically when it reaches the red line ?

[@jamietherooster]

@braindawgs9 What do you mean fun , oversteer and stuff?

[@lolakalogiteg]

audi rs5 or bmw m3 who's better?

[@rustubecker]

@randombloke10 RS5 =) although i prefer the sound of the M3...

[@RHSVarsity]

everytime you downshift, its like god has finished having sex!

[@qwerty35ful]

audi rs5 better then bmw m3?

[@celilexus]

The Navi is annoying

[@nimlil]

@zuuman1 Don't mean to rain on your rant but the RS5 is naturally apirated, no turbo's. Also real car enthusiasts appreciate all cars of significance. The BMW is an awesome car, so is the RS5 but both have thier place. The driver of this video prefers the Bimmer but others prefer the Audi. If you like the Audi then that is the car for you, but freaking on BMW owners does not prove anything except that you are being the very asshole you claim BMW owners are. I would probably get the Audi myself.

[@rustubecker]

i cant believe i' watched the whole vid....nice driving! and thanks for sharing! now, im gonna watch the M3 one...=)