The new 2026 Audi RS5 Avant (B10) is following in some pretty illustrious tyre tracks, taking over from multiple generations of RS4, and Henry Catchpole has been to Morocco in North Africa to drive it. This new RS5 also represents a significant shift for Audi Sport, because it is the first RS plug-in hybrid. However, Audi has approached the technology in typically balanced fashion, ensuring electrification gives it both more practicality (in some ways) and more performance (in some ways).
Increased performance comes most obviously in the guise of, yes, more power and torque. With the addition of a radial flux electric motor to the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6, total outputs are up to 630bhp and 603lb ft of torque and the 0-62mph time is down to 3.6 seconds.
But the most interesting performance upgrade is to the quattro system because there is now an electromechanical torque-vectoring rear differential with its own 10bhp, 30lb ft electric motor. It’s incredibly powerful, a world first in a production car and wouldn’t have been possible without the 400 volt architecture that came with being a PHEV. Engage ‘Torque Rear’ on the Drive Select menu and you have an RS5 that is very happy to oversteer and even do donuts…
The downside in terms of performance is of course that the 2026 Audi RS5 Avant weighs 5225lb (2370kg), albeit split almost equally 49:51 front:rear. The downside in terms of practicality, is that carrying all the batteries around has also encroached on the luggage space in the boot to the tune of about 25 per cent compared to the old RS4 Avant or a non-hybrid A5.
However, the practical plus point for the new PHEV system is that it allows for around 54miles of EV range, which, unlike a lot of hybrid performance cars, is a genuinely useful amount. The 25.9kWh battery can either be recharged at home (a full charge at 11kW takes approximately 2.5 hours) or on the go using the V6. The price for the new 2025 Audi RS5 Avant starts at £92,120 in the UK.
Would you rather have a new 2026 Audi RS5 Avant or a BMW M3 Touring? Or does the Saloon perhaps appeal more than the Avant this time? We’d love to hear your thoughts below.
