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AUTOS: Audi Unveiling 450-horsepower RS5
V8-powered coupe gets Audi's latest advances in handling and performance.
SPEED Staff  |  Posted February 22, 2010   Ingolstadt (GE)
The new Audi RS 5 delivers 450 horsepower to its all-wheel drive. (Photo: Audi)
A new high-performance version of the Audi RS coupe that packs 450 horsepower from its 4.2-liter V8 will debut at the Geneva Auto Show.

Along with its classically elegant styling and strong performance, the RS5 also achieves fuel mileage averaging 22 mpg and features a seven-speed S tronic transmission and innovative center differential in the quattro drivetrain that transmits power to all four wheels.

The high-revving V8 engine, a close relative of the V10 that powers the high-performance R8 sports car, operates via direct fuel injection known by the abbreviation FSI. This same technology has propelled the Audi R8 racing car to four triumphs at the classic endurance race in Le Mans.

According to Audi, the 4.2 FSI engine propels the 3,800-pound coupe to 62 miles per hour in 4.6 seconds to an electronically governed 155 mph.

The fuel mileage from the ultra-powerful eight-cylinder engine is due in part to the technologies from the Audi modular efficiency platform. The engine and the entire drivetrain have been optimized to minimize friction, the oil pump operates on demand, and an energy-recovery system conserves energy during coasting and braking.

The standard seven-speed S tronic in the RS5 – with its high efficiency ratio and its high-geared top speed – also enhances efficiency. It consists of two clutches and two subsidiary transmissions. Both subsidiary transmissions are continuously active, but only one is powered at any given time by the engine. Gears are alternately shifted by the two clutches – at lightning speed, smoothly, and almost imperceptibly.

Like all RS models, the RS5 applies its power to the road with quattro permanent all-wheel drive. As for the center differential, which regulates power distribution between the front and rear axles, Audi unveils the next generation: a crown-gear differential.

The self-locking crown-gear center differential is compact and lightweight – and attains a high efficiency ratio. Thanks to its package of plates, the differential can widely vary the distribution of torque between the front and rear axles.

If necessary, up to 70 percent can flow to the front or as much as 85 percent toward the tail end. The 40:60 ratio of the standard rear-biased configuration enhances sporty handling.

RS5 will appear in European showrooms in the spring, with no word yet on U.S. availability.

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