Audi RS5 review: the coupe that makes the RS4's case with less boot
4.2/5MotorsSouq Editorial Team
The RS5 trades the RS4 Avant's boot for a lower centre of gravity and a cabin that feels more special from the driver's seat, without giving up any of the mechanical substance underneath. In Bahrain it reads as a proper occasion car rather than a daily — buy the Sportback if you need rear-door access more than twice a week, the coupe if you do not.
Pros
- Identical 450 hp twin-turbo V6 and quattro drivetrain to the RS4, in a sharper-handling body
- Lower centre of gravity gives noticeably sharper turn-in than the Avant
- Intercooling sized for Gulf heat; power holds up on 45°C afternoons
- Sportback variant keeps four doors without losing coupe styling
- Strong dealer-serviced used-car pool in Bahrain
Cons
- Rear seats are a 2+2 afterthought, unusable for adults on longer drives
- Coupe body has no boot advantage over the sportier hatch rivals
- Same steep out-of-warranty running costs as the RS4
- Aftermarket-modified examples are a real risk on the used market
Strip away the body panels and the RS5 is mechanically identical to the RS4 Avant: the same 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 making 450 hp and 600 Nm, the same eight-speed Tiptronic, the same permanent quattro system. What changes is everything you sit inside and look at — a lower roofline, a wider track and a dashboard that feels a half-step more special than the wagon's.
On the road that lower centre of gravity is noticeable in a way the spec sheet does not capture. Turn-in is sharper, the coupe feels more eager to change direction through the roundabouts on the Zallaq coast road, and the extra visual drama matches the way it drives.
Two doors, real compromises
The back seat exists but is not a place adults want to spend a causeway run to Saudi. This is the trade Bahrain buyers need to make consciously: the Sportback bodystyle keeps four proper doors and most of the coupe's character, and is the more sensible choice for anyone who occasionally carries rear passengers rather than golf clubs.
Heat management is a genuine strength — the V6's twin turbos sit in the engine's vee and the intercooling is sized for a climate hotter than Ingolstadt ever tests for, so power delivery does not fall away noticeably on a 45°C afternoon the way it does in some rivals.
Buying one in Bahrain
Used RS5s here are mostly low-mileage, dealer-serviced cars bought by owners who kept the warranty running, which is exactly the kind of history you want on a car this complex. Walk away from anything with aftermarket exhaust or ECU work and no paperwork — the powertrain is not a forgiving one to gamble on secondhand.