, the new one I just drove is worse than the car it replaces. This is nothing new: Remember years ago when Audi replaced a naturally aspirated, 450-hp V-8 and its seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with a twin-turbo, 2.9-liter V-6 good for 444 hp, tied to an eight-speed automatic? And yet that new car was an improvement over the old one.
The suspension is massively reworked, too. The 2023 Audi RS5 Competition sits nearly 0.4 inch lower than standard, and you can lower it manually by another 0.4 inch with a supplied tool. The normal car's electric dampers are replaced by fully adjustable coil-overs, with controls for both rebound as well as high and low-speed compression.
. Figure that number will drop to 3.5, whereas the coupe should get it done in 3.4 seconds. Not bad at all.The first thing I noticed when driving the 2023 Audi RS5 Competition was a bit of audible grunt coming through the firewall. Those looking for a loud car will be disappointed, but if you're interested in a bit of grunting and grrring, the RS5 Comp sounds pretty good. Will it scare children? No.
With the RS4 wagon's ESP set to Sport , the car was mostly good on the track. There were a couple of moments under hard, heavy braking where the rear wagged around more than I would have liked. I was behind a writer from a competing publication in an RS5 Competition coupe and observed the same behavior. But I wasn't certain if the exaggerated movement was a result of poor setup or stability control.