Audi’s new RS5 Avant has rolled onto the scene like a gym rat who discovered the all-you-can-eat buffet: it’s packing 630 horsepower in plug-in hybrid form, but it also gained a staggering 1,378 pounds (625 kg) over its predecessor, tipping the scales at 5,225 pounds (2,370 kg).
The super wagon, Audi Sport’s first-ever high-performance PHEV, pairs a beefed-up 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 with an electric motor for a combined 630 hp and 608 lb-ft of torque. It promises 0-62 mph in 3.6 seconds and up to 53-54 miles of electric-only range in city driving.
Performance enthusiasts now face the ultimate first-world dilemma: blistering acceleration and occasional silent, emission-friendly commutes, or the sinking feeling that their hot wagon now outweighs some full-size pickups.
The added heft keeps the power-to-weight ratio roughly the same as the old gas-only RS4 Avant, so lap times might not suffer much, but parking in tight European spots just got comically dramatic. Meanwhile, CO₂ emissions drop dramatically on paper—to as low as 88 g/km—proving that sometimes going green means carrying extra baggage.
The RS5 Avant owes its extra pounds largely to a 25.9-kWh battery pack tucked under the cargo floor. That lithium-ion brick delivers real-world perks: whisper-quiet electric runs for school drop-offs and a claimed 60.3 mpg combined when the battery stays topped up. Deplete it, though, and efficiency falls to about 24.5 mpg—still a hair better than the old model’s 24.2 mpg, despite the extra mass.
Regulations forced Audi’s hand. With Euro 7 emissions rules tightening real-world testing and the EU demanding massive CO₂ cuts by 2030, pure combustion engines are on borrowed time. Ditching the V6 for a smaller four-cylinder might have slimmed things down, but Mercedes-AMG’s four-pot C63 flop showed that fans crave cylinders and character. Audi kept the twin-turbo V6 humming and bolted on electrification instead.
The result? A wagon that sprints like a startled deer yet weighs enough to make physics therapists rich. It even out-tips the non-hybrid RS6 Avant by hundreds of pounds. New tech shines through: a world-first electromechanical rear torque vectoring system promises sharper handling and less understeer, plus an RS Torque Rear mode for those who like their wagons sideways.
Buyers get the best of both worlds—brutal performance when you mash the throttle, and virtuous EV miles when the in-laws visit. Just don’t expect to slide it into a compact parking space without a sense of humor.
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