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Oh Yes! And not only the engine, but the insane grip this car had both summer and winter was and is crazy. One of Audi's best eras.

This as well as the BMW E92 is as modern as cars needed to look. These two coupes are well-proportioned and timelessly designed. They are classics already. I wish I could afford one!

I think the money it costs when something goes wrong just turns people away instantly with big thirsty German bruits like this

Yep 100% it’s a German muscle car. And a brilliant one. I’ve had a 2015 (last of the facelifted V8s) for just over 6 months. Spent a year looking for the right one. Absolutely loving it. Great review!

Thanks again for taking my car out, love the review and glad you enjoyed it! 14:50 - Replay button for the sound :D

My Google friend owns an Audi/vw specialist garage. When I buy any car, he is my go to for superb advice. The laughing stopped around 30 seconds later after saying I was thinking about changing my golf R for one. Horrendous bills await I was told in no uncertain terms.

I drive the RS4 2013 Avant and this car really has an extremely high utility value. Outstanding in any weather and the high revving engine is a dream. The fascination comes from the engine and no V6 can match it. If you think the fuel bill is extremely high, you're wrong because 11 L/100 km is absolutely justifiable. The RS5 as well as the RS4 is a totally underrated car with the potential to become a classic.

I owned a 2015 RS5 for 6 years before going into a 911 Turbo. Still miss that car...

A friend at work bought one of these. It bankrupted him. It cost more to keep on the road than the F10 M5 he had before it.

I've owned an RS4 b8,5 for a couple of years now. I did look at the newer one, but the sound of that V8 is superb. I also changed the suspension over to bilstein coil overs with adjustable dampeners. Superb handling.

Bought a 2012 RS5 late last year (2022) 10 year old car with 65,000 miles & FSH. Was originally looking for an S5 when this came up for sale not far from where I live & i then couldn’t unsee the RS. Bit a did of research on them, plus a car vertical check on the car & couldn’t be happier with it. Fuel economy is horrendous, 14.1 average MPG but my daily commute is only 12 miles so can live with that. Tax is extortionate but i knew what i was getting into. Insurance isn’t as bad as i expected, couple of hundred quid dearer than my old Golf. Stuff like tyres, brake discs etc… outrageous. But would i change it for anything else… NO WAY 😍😍😍

Absolutely love my pre face lift RS5! And you be hit the nail on the head James, it’s a perfect GT car! Always wanted a V8 RS and originally was after a B7 RS4, but they were all dogs! Stumbled across the RS5 not far from home and went to have a look and instantly fell in love with it! Such a comfortable car for long drives and an absolute hooligan when you want it to be! Best of both worlds!

I just did 4000 kilometers in a week with my Audi RS5 (11') and it was flawless, obviously it drinks quite a lot but you can happily cruise at 200 kph on the autobahn + it did 100-200 in 12.2 seconds, so still fast!

with this type of car (age) its not really the question whether or not its affordable, but whether or not its financially viable in terms of maintenance.

In my eyes.... The best looking RS car / shape ever made by Audi!!!

I will always be drawn to the Audi's of this cars generation because of their interiors, I still absolutely love the interior on my 10 year old A3 s-line. Solid build quality, nice materials, comfortable and just looks so good.

I’ve got one. Absolutely love it. Not cheap to run as lots are saying but the smiles per hour make up for it, especially if you add a resonator delete or full system. I get around 20mpg and that is town/country driving and with a heavy right foot to hear the roar! Up over 6000rpm, with the Res delete, I don’t think there is anything for the money which sounds as good, maybe an old C63 or one of the older RS twin turbos but the fact it then gets to 8250rpm just does it for me!!

I bought a 2015 sepang blue with 38,000kms on the clock. It's a wicked car, the engine is amazing and it's got a quality interior. I'm 6ft 10 and can drive it comfortably. I just view it as a 2 seater anyway!

Great watch. This car was my first proper performance car many years ago after two previous A5s and before lots of M cars and AMGs. You just can’t fault it for value for money and whilst not as engaging as an E92 M3 it’s a much better and much more modern / comfortable daily. Great all year round and has aged gracefully. Much better than a B7 RS4 and miles better than the same shape S5. Easily one of the best RS engines of its generation it just pulls and pulls effortlessly and feels faster than a V8 R8 in a straight line and not too demanding to handle. Expensive to fix and I’m not sure they are super reliable having been thrashed by most of their owners at this age!

Watching/listening to this whilst browsing the Trader for the very car you are reviewing is one of my favourite things in life. Did the same with the Lexus ISF review and many others. Great channel @Jayemm

I love you man. Such real world reviews from a normal human being. You're a legend! Loved my B8.5 A5 3.0 TDI

Not everyone is interested in an M3, and this is a good performer like you rightly said. I’ve always thought these to be a handsome car and a nice car for a single or even a couple with no kids. Another excellent review James, Thankyou.

I will say, these engines are actually pretty strong! The 4.2L typically suffers from plastic timing chain guide failures BUT the RS models use metal timing chain guides and better tensioners so they don't have that problem. These RS4's and RS5's use the pinnacle 4.2L V8 that is the best!

I was at a car show a couple of months ago and there was an original dark blue rs5 (the pre-facelit one which in my opinion looks even better) with its tilted sunroof matching the deployed rear spoiler it looked so clean in terms of lines, so purposeful and so well ballanced i stopped and stared for like a minute. Precisely across it in a similar shade of blue there was a new 4 series, I didn't only felt disapointed but actually slightly angry that we allowed progress to lead to such an abomination.

i wanted to buy an audi s5 4.2 v8 so badly at one point, i then read how much it costs to keep one going. it worked out it was going to cost within the next 10k miles half the value of the car to keep it running well. thats why the s5 at least is dirt cheap, if you see one way higher than the others in money that means the mandatory work has probably been done.

I have one and absolutely love it! Mine is factory Audi passive suspension and it’s way better set up to mitigate understeer. Plus magnetic ride repair costs scare me! Overall, brilliant sports car with a unicorn engine, amazing sound and usable rear seats. 👍🏻

Great video. I love my 2009 A5 Coupe and cannot think of any comparable car that I would prefer.

I was considering a big Audi RS after getting rid of my Mk 7.5 Fiesta ST. After many many weeks of research I was too terrified of going bankrupt. Ended up with a 530d M Sport Touring. So happy I did. My first BMW and I think it’s perfect.

Quite probably the greatest engine ever made! Who would swap that V8 soundtrack for a soulless and mega expensive E-Tron?

Understeer - nature’s way of saying « Slow down you pillock « 😂😂😂

I've got an 11 plate Gen 1 Sportback. MPG on the 3.0tdi AWD is decent. For the performance you get I'm happy with 40-47mpg. Grip is excellent. The snow came quite thick during March this year, and the Car made sure I got to work 😅 Love it to pieces. Hopefully not literal ones though.

brilliant review, thanks mate :)

Great cars. An ex-work collegue of mine had one of these about 10 years ago (in red) and was very impressed during a brief ride. The engine is great, at least as good as the V8 in the M3 and the gearbox is pretty decent too. It's got typical Audi supurb build quality and is a better looking car imo than the E92 M3. I keep thinking about getting one as a lot of car for the money but just the understeer due to all the weight at the front of the car that puts me off.

Absolutely one of the best looking - and best sounding- cars on the planet

Watching this made me chuckle regarding the suspension. I've had my 2014 RS5 for 6 years now. Last year I replaced the DRC suspension with...KW adaptive coilovers. IMO it rides and handles better than stock. I've just had to replace the pads and discs all round. Both of these jobs were very expensive. But. Every time I think about changing it I can't think of anything out there that I'd rather have. Even if the road tax is ridiculous.

4 Lt is on of the magic displacements for V8 engines. Every one of them that you can think of is simply glorious in their own way, including the old Holden/GM 253/4.2

The 4.2 in this car is not a re working of the S5 engine it’s actually the 5.2 R8 engine less two cylinders

Always fancied an RS5 convertible, I imagine the sound with the roof down would be incredible.

I own the A5 3.0 V6 TDI with a stage 1 remap to just over 300bhp and i love it. You can come and drive it anytime.

Love the video, James. I bought a 2010 VW R36 Passat wagon based on your review of that car a few years ago, and have been thoroughly enjoying it as my first car.

Currently own a s5 v8 of this generation and even though it's not the fastest it's the best car I've owned for price. Luxurious, great V8 rumble and such a beauty to look at

I test drove one of these earlier this year (with a mighty Armytrix exhaust) and since then I've been hooked. I've driven a lot of cars (including AMGs and old turbo BMWs) but nothing has come close to the complete feeling this car gives. The combination of the engine, suspension and interior quality is just supreme. I liked it so much that I'm currently looking at buying one here in Sweden or in Germany - just waiting for the right spec and price to come up.

I absolutely love this gen of audi coupe. I drove a b8 s5 and found it a little too boring tbh, but the rs5 seems like a totally different animal. A FR layout audi R8 if there ever was one

The DRC suspension was an option, and usually came with the bigger 20 inch wheel option. If you see an RS4 or RS5 with the standard 19 inch wheels, it usually has the standard non DRC suspension with conventional shock absorbers.

My sister’s boyfriend had one of these. It had 95,000 miles and he spent almost $30,000 on the car. It lasted exactly 7 months. The fuel consumption wasn’t the main issue although it didn’t help. It was the amount of rust and water damage he later found while doing regular maintenance on it. If you want a V8 and you don’t live in the USA or places where the cost of fuel is less than $1/liter, no you don’t want a V8. If you live in the EU, the taxes you’d pay on this vehicle alone are just not worth the maintenance you will have to go through. And the Audi 4.2L design is well known for being excessively stupid to work on due to the arrangement of its timing chains.

Great video James. A couple of points; The engine used was a derivative of the B7 RS4 / R8 V10 engine, different from those put in the S4 / S5 of the same generation If anything it was a B7RS4 / R8V8 engine but with revised intakes and dual throttle bodies rather than the single throttle body on the RS4 and a higher rev limiter. Pre-facelift had known handling dynamic issues which were resolved with the facelifted versions so it was more than just cosmetic. DRC is sublime when it works, only rivalled by Ohlins Stasis, possibly Bilstein. Like experienced in your review, KW V3's whilst commonplace are hard riding, crashy and exacerbates the infamous 'Audisteer'. The DRC in the RS5 is 1st generation and like all used Audi RS cars, when you buy one find a good independent at the same time, the better ones have the DRC gen 1 pressurisation tool and will do a better job at it than Audi for a fraction of the cost (c.£2k for a complete new system plus fitting / pressurisation)! If you go to Audi for servicing then yes it will cost a fortune to maintain, most parts and consumables can be had and fitted for a fraction of the price. Personally I'd recommend never taking an Audi extended warranty and keep the money aside in a slush fund. Valve spring failure is common, APR do a performance valve spring set, well worth installing when a carbon clean is also done. Ironic you say not to track them as Audi Experience for many years used the RS5 V8 as instructor / pace cars! Reality is that as a fabulous sounding solidly built GT they are a great proposition, torque light for sure but then they were never designed or marketed to be hussled like the B7 RS4.

I have a 2012 S4 and it is a joy to own. Very reasonable to run if you use an independent specialist.

I had a 2010 S5 as my daily from 2013 to 2018 and put 60k miles on it. Never an issue, except a dead battery in 2018. However, another weak point on the S5 and potentially also the RS5 is the liquid filled engine mounts. They are prone to collapsing due to leaking. You just re-kindled my interest in the RS5

I had an A5 S line limited edition 3.0 quattrro. Interior is a fabulous place to be, better than some very high end brands. B&O stereo was insane. Miss it

Really nice car, but you always have to remember. A really expensive car that lost lots of its price will still be a really expensive car in every other aspect than the initial buying price.

When I was in the market for a car in 2020 after relocating to the UK, I test drove an Audi RS4 Facelifted V8, Multiple M3’s/M4’s (F8X Platform), and the C63s. I loved the sound of the RS4, I mean epic - but I couldnt get on with the gearbox (the shift up/down are the wrong way round). But ultimately it was the fact the RS4 just didnt excite me in terms of driving dynamics. Ended up in a 2019 M4 Competition - still my daily today!

Wow, this car completely changed my view about Audi. Only thing, I'm not exactly sure about the exhaust note, but that's an easy fix. Sweet car.

this car is beatiful i like its aesthetics even more than the newer redesigns

I was considering buying this car at point. It's amazing, no doubt. I am happy for the owner and wish him trouble free miles. What put me off was the extraordinary cost of basic consumables (breaks and tires) and the less important VED (yet final nail in the coffin in the grand scheme of things).

Love these, I’ve had one for nearly four years with 36k miles. Wouldn’t recommend as a daily personally, it’s a nice alternative to m3 and c63. Great value for money, not sure on buying them with higher miles as maintenance bills can be pricy. Brakes alone for discs and pads on front quoted from Audi were £1300.

Prompted me to take a look at what was on the market - and discovered this one is on the market on AT! Very nice.

I see A5s around of this version, and I can't get over how pretty it is. Then there's that engine

Had 3 A5’s 2 x 3.0 TDI and finally an RS5 - one of the last limited addition Matt grey cars with the clever rear diff. The DRC did give up on me so it got moved on. However, it was a great car and surprisingly comfortable. However, the TTRS that replaced it is in a different league.

The B8.5 RS5 is one of the all-time greats as a daily. The interior does show its age a little, but it's still a nicer place than the equivalent C63 or M3, but the exterior design is still fantastic. Plus, the engine. It doesn't burble like the C63s V8, but it sounds heavenly nonetheless.

I’ve always loved the shape of the A5… Audi we’re killing it in the late 00s with the A5 and R8 😎

My advice for ya'll who decide to get a V8...learn the engine and quick...diagrams are your best friend & finding parts & fitting them yourself to save costs. 2nd fuel economy is bad, but hearing the car scream its V8 note will change your mind. Owned the S5 4.2 for 2 years now, no regrets. Certainly not the fastest of cars, but for sound, style and presence its a bargain & to daily drive in comfort, smiles all the way

Love the look of these and the interior. Backed to backed this with m3 v8, rs4 b7 and lexus isf. The lexus felt faster than all and more grin factor surprisingly. Plus the rs5 i almost bought had 10k new zealand dollars spent replacing the clutches at 80,000km, not to mention the disks and pads due. If you want an old school v8 in the long run (or perhaps short run) the lexus is a better bet. Love my isf, wouldn't swap for any of that list, but i get weak kneed when i see an rs5 drive past.

I spent a lot of time deciding between this and the V6 S5. In the end I was too scared of the maintenance costs. At the same time, the S5 seemed almost as quick during a test drive and has way better fuel economy

I was just looking at these recently. So relatively cheap in the used car market in the US

God I love that 4.2 engine! Miss my s4 avant the thing sounded awesome!

You my friend are the British Doug Demuro with a bit of top gear flair!

I have this car in a 2013 RS5 paired up with Capristo exhaust. With the jhm tune you can launch from 6k rpms. Bouncing off the rev limiter sounds amazing! Get one if you can.

these still look so fresh even today

beautiful car. Nice intro!

Really nice car it’s on my list of cars I want but not yet lol 😂

What a sound !

I do look at these in the classifieds all the time

Timing gear that’s very hard to refresh & service makes engines like this a mechanical time bombs

I think the convertible looks fantastic in red

Great Video pal. WHat work was done on the engine to maintain it also a link for the KW suspension update would be appreciated. Love the car my best friend owned one at the time and I have some good memories with it. Cheers

I’ve been waiting for a video on this. It’s a good alternative to the RS4 B8.5 chassis. I’ve got the B8.6 S4 and I love it. This would be probably the next upgrade or the fist gen V8 R8 manual

It's a nice car. But as Jack from Number 27 said that the people buying these now can't generally afford the maintenance a car of this type requires. So regular maintenance is neglected and when something goes wrong it will be expensive.

I love these cars. I had a first gen A5 with the 3.2 v6. Awesome car for everything ( I used it as a daily and would drive around 100 miles a day ) sadly it got written off in a not at fault accident. If it was not written off I would have it to this day! I Now have a 2019 mk 7.5 Golf R and tuned to 350hp

That lay by you passed at around 50" looked an ideal hide out for a sneaky traffic cop with a speed gun.

Fantastic content.

I had one for 2 years, 2015 reg. Such a great car. I now have a 2021 RS5. The only thing my new one does better is fuel economy, which is around 30% better. Looks are subjective. I still like both.

Might be a future classic

Absolutely beautiful cars James, wonderful look and fabulous sound and for the money great performance. But many will be turned down owing to the maintenance cost's, the engine issue you mentioned of a broken valve spring is a frightener but as mentioned elsewhere the brakes issue is also going to be a deal breaker for many. The price of the car now is very attractive but if you want one just keep in mind that it could cost money in the future and that could undermine the pleasure of owning and driving one of these cars.

Video title would make for one very expensive Fiesta ST here in Au. The Audi will be absolutely awesome right up to when it goes BANG Which it will

Best review of an RS5 I've seen. It's not an M3 and shouldn't be compared with an M3. It's a ball-tearing GT, nothing more. Well done!

I reckon the S5 Manila V8 of this shape is a real steal. Would love a review of that

I did look at buying one of these when I use to own a facelifted 09 635d which was a very comfortable big mile muncher, decent power wise and surprisingly reliable for me it was anyway. Although now I've since gone back to Jap and now got a 05 sti widetrack. So completely different to the beamer lol 😅

Pros and cons aside, it's an awesome car sounds sweet 👍

I was B8 RS4 owner a few RS cars ago, I always found it had less understeer than the RS5 and was more engaging.

I guess the advantage of an old variant of the RS5 over a similar old RS3 is that they were likely bought by very different drivers. The RS3 will likely have been 'thrashed to death' whereas the RS5 used more as a GT car. Very happy still with my 2019 S3 Sportback Black Edition 😊

love these cars, to me they're like an awd german mustang gt

I had one of these, the issue with it was despite me thinking I’ve bought a top of the range car it had stuff missing like folding mirrors, heated seats and rear backup camera. Literally everything is an option, at least mine had auto seat adjust and memory seats.

Cant wait to tune my s5 3.0 and have one of these 😍

Lovely motor

great video .......the scary thing for me and I'm sure my mechanic is the maintenance costs .........but it looks like a fun car.

buyer beware: The Audi V8 engine uses dual overhead camshafts with variable valve timing on the intake camshaft. Those camshafts are driven by a timing chain, located at the rear of the engine behind the transmission. Unfortunately failure prone timing components and the placement of this chain results in expensive failures since repairs are very labour intense. The rest of the engine however is well built but has unique design elements, such as timing chain powered accessories and a 5 valve design. The oil pump, air conditioning compressor, power steering pump and water pump are driven by an extra accessory drive timing chain setup and shafts leading to the front of the engine to where they reside, as opposed to the alternator which is powered by a traditional belt from the harmonic balancer at the front of the engine. There are two versions of the 4.2L engine - newer Audi's have timing setups at the front of the engine which weren't nearly as failure prone. The engine in this video (BBK) failed due to a cracked plastic timing chain guide causing timing to skip and errors to be alerted in the computer before complete catastrophic failure. It was out of a 2007 Audi S4 B7. Other failure modes include failed timing chain tensioners, camshaft phasers and stretched chains causing rattle upon cold starts. The block itself is great, everything around it is cheap/nasty and WILL break under regular usage. It is a great car, but only when maintained correctly. All others are money pits.

Best wheels ever on an Audi road car

I remember the first RS5 I experienced back in 2010. It was on the A1 autobahn in Germany. I was cruising my 997 GT3 CS in the mid lane in about 180 km/h with the company of two friends in two other 997 GT3s. The RS5 passed us in the left lane in about 230 or so. Instantly we had some communication on our intercoms and decided to switch to left lane and follow 😄 The RS5 recognized the pursuit and accelerated to 250. We approached and after a short while my friend Jimmy in his GT3RS was just a few meters behind the Audi which responded by increasing to 280. The GT3s increased to 300 and forced the new RS5 to switch right into the mid lane which was quit funny…to be overtaken in your new RS5 by three new GT3s when you are doing 280. We then continued at over 300 for a while then slowed down and awaited the Audi to arrive which it eventually did. Btw we all left with big smiles on our faces including the german guy in the Audi

I test drove a 2011 RS5 in May, it was stunning but at the top of my budget @ £18k, ended up buying an identical S5 V8 (deep sea blue with lunar silver leather) and couldn’t be happier. Saved £10k but still got a gorgeously wafty V8 German muscle car. I may be wrong, but I think it’s the RS5’s V8 which has the weak chain guide issue, not the S5’s V8. Both lively cars, though the V8 in the RS5 is an absolute masterpiece 👌