Can Audi Succeed With the New RS 5 PHEV Where BMW and Mercedes-Benz Faltered?

What Car Shoppers Should Know

• The new Audi RS 5 has a roughly 630-horsepower plug-in hybrid powertrain with short electric-only range.
• We’ve noticed that some performance PHEVs seem great on paper, but there can be something missing behind the wheel.

Audi just unveiled the next RS 5 performance sedan and RS 5 Avant performance wagon, and to little surprise but seemingly more chagrin, the newest RS 5 is a plug-in hybrid. We have a lot of experience with electrified and all-electric performance cars, both good and bad. The new RS 5 is promising, but this type of performance car from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and McLaren hasn’t in our experience been without compromises.

Related: The All-New 2026 Audi A6 Is Faster, Techier and Colder Than Ever: Review

The New Audi RS 5 Is Part EV

• Takeaway: The RS 5 is either a sedan or station wagon powered by a high-output PHEV powertrain making approximately 630 hp with short all-electric range available.

Audi has taken the previous RS 5’s twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6, dialed up its power and added a 25.9-kilowatt-hour battery pack and 174-horsepower electric motor, then wrapped it in crazy wide and menacing bodywork. Oh and there’s an RS 5 Avant wagon, now, too. The grand result: roughly 630 horsepower, 609 pounds-feet of torque, 0-62 mph in an Audi-estimated 3.6 seconds, and a host of new mechanical and electronic features that Audi promises should make this new RS 5 quicker in a straight line and around a track than its predecessor. (Note that power outputs are European figures and may change slightly when final U.S. specs are confirmed.)

The RS 5 is also capable of driving short distances using electric-only power, with Audi citing around 50 miles using a global testing standard that’s usually higher than what we see from EPA’s testing methodology; as with horsepower, U.S. figures have yet to be confirmed.

More Than Numbers Matter

• Takeaway: Faster is nice, but not every performance PHEV is fun to drive.

Something we’ve noticed with performance PHEVs is that while they seem great on paper, there can be something missing. Driving fun is highly subjective, but when we notice it — or when we don’t — it’s glaring. Take the current-generation BMW M5 as an example. With horsepower and torque figures both over 700, you might think it would generate grins every second you’re behind the wheel; instead, while we found it to be very good at going fast and handling twisty roads, there was practically zero engagement with the driver.

“[T]he M5’s quietness and isolation mask the speed it’s delivering,” concluded Detroit Bureau Chief Aaron Bragman in his comprehensive review. “The ease of its handling, the levelness of its body control and the ridiculously strong grip delivered by the carbon-ceramic brakes means you’re relaxed and calm even when barreling through curves and sweepers. It doesn’t require much attention, effort or even input to do extraordinary things.”

In short, the M5 does the numbers game well, but there’s no real fun to be had in driving it on public roads. That’s actually another concerning part of the performance PHEV equation: public roads and the accessibility of a car’s full capabilities. The M5 can do things you shouldn’t and likely couldn’t attempt on public roads even if you ignored that “shouldn’t.” It’s why enthusiasts still love lower-powered, sharp-handling cars like the Mazda MX-5 Miata, Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ. Their limits arrive much sooner, so you can drive them at (or at least close to) their limits much more often.

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Are There Good Performance PHEVs?

• Takeaway: Some are, and we hope the RS 5 will join their ranks.

The shining example of an enjoyable and engaging performance PHEV is the McLaren Artura. A $278,800 McLaren? Fun to drive? I know, I know: fork found in kitchen. While the Artura, like the M5, possesses capabilities that far exceed those of both the average driver and what can be achieved on public roads, it’s still incredibly engaging to drive and feels like a six-figure go-kart. The steering is direct and communicative, and there’s a sense that you’ve helped participate in the driving. The M5 feels like it does everything for you.

Another RS 5 competitor, the 2026 Mercedes-AMG E53 Hybrid sedan and wagon, impresses as a sharp-edged sports car or all-electric commuter, but struggles a bit with the in-between from clunky transitions between electric and gasoline power as well as awkward braking. That’s another element where Audi has a chance to stand out. The M5 seamlessly integrates the electric parts of its powertrain in day-to-day driving; the Artura and E53 do not.

What concerns us most about the RS 5 is that it exhibits more M5 markers than Artura ones; the new sedan is more than 1,100 pounds heavier than the last four-door RS 5 and tips the scales at just under 5,200 pounds. It’s loaded with electronic, mechanical and electromechanical bits to manage that heft — but so is the incredibly bulky M5, and therein lies a great deal of what makes the M5 so disengaging because all of that management gets in the way.

We have our fingers crossed that the new Audi RS 5 will be rowdy and raucous, but the only way to know will be to drive it.

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