New 2025 Audi RS 5 Avant plug-in hybrid spied looking wide and wild
Audi’s new era of high performance estates is on its way, and already looks very dramatic
These are our first images of the new Audi RS 5 Avant, the next stage of its iconic super estate lineage that began with the RS2 back in the early nineties. Due to be revealed in 2025, the new RS 5 Avant will feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain and, as these spy images reveal, some wild flared wheelarches as it prepares to do battle with the BMW M3 Touring and Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance.
Starting with the basics, where the existing A4 will become the A5, the RS 4 morphs into the RS 5. Both will find their basis on Audi’s PPC platform – a variation on the existing A4’s chassis – which will be fitted with a totally new digital architecture and heavy emphasis on plug-in hybrid powertrains.
As a result, we expect the new RS 5 will add a high performance PHEV module to the existing car’s 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine. This will be paired to an automatic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive system.
Potential power and torque figures can only be speculated, but we expect a big increase over the current RS 4, bypassing the BMW M3 Touring’s 503bhp and getting closer to AMG’s 671bhp C63 S. But in using a heavy plug-in powertrain, it will need that extra grunt if it’s to outperform the existing pure-combustion model.
The body, in typical RS fashion, shows big modifications over the A5 and S5 Avants that will be arriving next year. These changes are dominated by the heavily flared wheelarches, hiding huge wheels and tyres sitting on wider track widths. As is often the case with Audi’s RS models, its changes are so comprehensive that the rear door skins have had to be made specifically for the RS5, representing significant investment for this one low-volume model.
At the front, we can spot a complex mesh pattern within the low-set grille, flanked by two big openings hiding at least one, but most likely two symmetrical charge coolers behind. The rear end still appears to be a work in progress, with two relatively small oval exhaust pipes which for production will likely be covered with much larger tips. These will sit within a stylised diffuser-like shroud, with a full-width light bar above.
From what we’ve seen on other A5 prototypes, expect a big change in the interior architecture with a much largerr central touchscreen interface and reduction in physical controls. To this, the RS 5 should then include a selection of bespoke elements including RS sports seats, a unique steering wheel and bespoke graphics for the digital interfaces.
From the elements that we can see, however, they already confirm Audi’s head of Design Marc Lichte’s suggestion that the next generation of RS models will be even more distinctive and aggressive than any that have come before. Yet while this is an exciting notion, there is still lots of work to be done to create a truly engaging high-performance plug-in hybrid. It’s this first ever RS 5 Avant that will carry that weight for Audi when we see it next year.
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