Audi really did well with this car, and if a 6-Speed version does come... it becomes the ultimate package!

I was sold until your last pic that showed your Carrera in it. Then I remembered why I didn't like this car to begin with. Unless you are right about pics not showing what it really looks like I think this is still a disappointment.

Audi RS offerings always look better in person. I bet this thing is a winner.

Although I wonder Chris, did they make it all work in harmony? Hopefully there isn't too much of that artificial, albeit brilliantly engineered Audi thing going on.

Guys - this car really did surprise me. After all the stuff about how crap it is, I was pleasantly surprised to find it otherwise (in my opinion). I doubt I would ever track it, but for a street car, it's all I would ever need. Some more observations based on your comments:

Wheels - I agree, the wheels suck. I mentioned this, too. If I bought this car, I'd use those wheels for winter, and get some sexiness for summer.

RS4 vs. RS5 - If the RS5 comes here with a 6-speed manual, I'd always take it over the RS4. I rarely use/need rear seats, and the RS5 trunk is vast along with rear seats that fold. The storage options are AMAZING - it's like an A4 or maybe an A6 Avant as far as load depth goes. Dynamically, it's got the RS4 covered.

"Audiness" - I commented to my friend that the car looks very high-quality, but not so exotic as to be unusable. I know my 911 isn't an exotic, per se, but I end up treating it as such in the sense that every occasion is special, I am always checking the leather for wear, etc. The RS5 looks very sturdy, like it would hold up to a long time of regular use. Personally, I like Audi's approach to tech, so the whole thing worked for me.

Character - A huge knock in the press is that the car has no soul. Given I didn't have much time with it, that's possible, but I think it's unlikely. The noise alone is worth the price of admission. The thing revs for days, too. I didn't see the tach, but I'd guess redline is somewhere around 8300 rpm. It's an amazing thing. It also didn't feel nose-heavy or unwilling to dive into a corner.

Clearly this car made a huge (positive) impression. I was ready to write it off after all the trash talk (check some of the old RS5 threads), so this was not a case of "fanboi-ism". My wife is one of the toughest critics of cars, and even she was impressed and willing to go for it.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks Chris, awesome right up.

If this comes to the states with three pedals, I might have to start selling body parts.

^^Well you're going to need both legs.

Do want...

seen this bad boy around VWoA hq ... so sexy

Chris,
thanks for the write up. very informative indeed.

the main reason i didn't like the RS4 was because i could feel the quattro system sucked too much power away. the car felt great when i picked it up, but got bored with it very quickly. that, leads to me believe all Audis are that way, including the R8 i had (it was the V8).

i would like to know more impression between the C4S vs RS5. as far as for daily usage, i can see the RS5 being more comfortable, more luxurious, more room etc., but is it still just as fun as the 911? the RS4 was certainly not up there with 911 in terms of every aspects (not meant to be i know), so i'm wondering if the RS5 is ''much'' better in every way.

Oh you hating bastage...... :smilie: