Back when Audi->ke14 was planning the RS5->ke2628, they promised us a convertible model. Now that the RS5 is alive, well, and leading the British cops on its fastest chase ever, we are anxiously awaiting the RS5 Cabriolet. While there is some time to wait, Audi is at least gracing us with all of the RS5 Cabriolet's ins and outs.

As you can expect, the Cabriolet takes most of its queues from the hardtop model, but is does have its own little styling differences – besides the rag top, of course. With fierce competition coming from BMW->ke178 and Mercedes->ke187, how well can this newcomer in the performance convertible realm really do? We're going to into all of the specifications and features that Audi has graced us with and give you a full review of what to expect from this new model.

UPDATE 06/05/2013: Audi unveiled a new video showing the RS5 Cabriolet in action through the impressive landscape of Mallorca. Enjoy!

Click past the jump to read the full review and see how it stacks up to the competition.

2013 Audi RS5 Cabriolet

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2013 Audi RS5 Cabriolet
  • Engine/Motor: V8
  • Horsepower: 450
  • Torque: 317
  • Transmission: seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

On the outside, the RS5 is nearly the identical twin of its hardtop sibling from the top of the door down. It features the hexagon-shaped grille with a honeycomb-style insert with the ominous “RS5” badge to the right side of the grille. Its shapely headlights boast an LED strip around their border, which act as the daytime running lights – something Audi has become known for doing.

A front fascia boasts a lower lip that would only look right on this car and accents the wide-mouth air intake holes on the lower edges of the fascia. Within these intakes are a pair of vertical louvers and one horizontal louver to add even more style to an already-impressive front end.

Around the windshield and down the door sill are where you're going to see the exterior of the Cabriolet model set itself apart. You'll notice that around the windshield, down the door sills, and around the rear of the top it is not the same color as the rest of the body. Rather, it is the same matte silver color that the sideview mirrors feature. This draw more attention to the fact that this model is a drop top.

Speaking of the drop top, it is a lightweight textile construction that closely mimics the same shape as the hardtop model. The only place that it really differs from the hardtop is its final descent toward the trunk, which is at a steeper rake. The top boasts a foam to help cancel out noise from the outside – a common deterrent to convertible models – and it opens 15 seconds and closes in 17 seconds.

As you swoop toward the rear end of this elegant drop top, observe the sharp swooping shoulder line and graceful body line near the lower-third of the door, which ties together the RS5's elegant cabriolet and in-your-face performance car sides together nicely.

Around the back end, you'll find a set of sleek taillights carried over from the RS5 coupe. Much like the RS5, these taillights do not use a single incandescent bulb. They feature full LED lighting. That is great for bulb longevity, but it can become very expensive when a bulb fails – ask any early-2000s Cadillac owner.

On the underside of the rear fascia, you get a much higher diffuser than you see on the current A5 Cabriolet, giving that back end a sportier look. Incorporated with the diffuser is a honeycomb insert and large oblong tailpipes, unlike the quad pipes you find in the 2012 A5 model. Pop back up toward the top of the trunk and you'll spot a matte-colored carbon-fiber spoiler to help add a little downforce to the rear end.

The RS5 Cabriolet measures in at 4,649 mm (183 inches) long, 1,860 mm (73.2 inches) wide, 1,380 mm (54.36 inches) tall, and has a 2,751 (108.36-inch) wheelbase. We love that nice and wide 73.2-inch width, which gives it a stout look, but that 74.64 extra inches of body (combined) hanging outside of the center of the wheelbase is a little much for this size of a car.

Interior

The beauty that is the Audi RS5 Cabriolet continues to the inside. In front of the driver you'll find the typical 3-spoke steering wheel with a flat bottom and several neatly positioned controls on the two upper spokes. The steering wheel is wrapped in a perforated leather to help keep your hands from getting sweaty, keeping your grip firm and secure.

Interior cleanliness was pinnacle for the RS5 convertible, as even the high-tech MMI Navigation System Plus requires only six keys to operate it and the Audi drive select only needs one button to control it. Audi has proven that you can have all of the upgraded features while still retaining that sleek look that an interior needs to have.

For drivers that are looking for a little sporting fun, Audi has included a lap timer and an oil temperature gauge in its driver information system. Oil temperature is an often-overlooked performance item, but oil that is too cold can decrease performance and oil that is too hot can lead to engine damage under heavy load. This helps you assure that the car is track ready, should you opt to run it on a circuit.

The RS5 continues to show off its sporting nature, by offering up a set of heated sports seats with large side panels to keep you planted in place and integrated head restraints. But it's not all about sporting, as the RS5's seats come wrapped in a combination of high-end leather and alcantara. For the more discerning customer, you can opt for black or lunar silver fine Nappa leather to grace your backside. The seats come standard with power operation, but you can opt for manual, if you like, and you can also get climate controlled seats to make those long drives a little more comfortable. Audi also took great care in selecting only seat colors that will inhibit heat absorption from the sunlight, so you'll never get burned as you slide into your RS5 in shorts or a skirt.

The RS5's interior dons a deep shade of black from the factory, but you can opt for a little extra flare by adding in the silver star soft top liner. Strewn throughout the interior are chrome accents, high-gloss black trim, and carbon inserts to add a little extra character. For an added touch of your own character, you can opt to replace the carbon inserts with Aluminum race, piano black, matte brushed aluminum, or stainless steel mesh inserts for free.

As expected, you also get a smattering of “RS” logos throughout the cabin. You get one emblem on the steering wheel, one on the aluminum inlays on the door scuff plates, one in the tachometer, and finally one on top of the gear shifter.

Above and beyond all of these high-end features, you can also contract the Audi exclusive program to customize your RS5's interior to your liking.

Standard Features

-Parking system plus

-Driver and front passenger seat heating, automatic belt feeder

-Wind deflector

-Lighting package

-Driver information system with rest recommendation and a comprehensive package of restraint systems

-Strong aluminum plates

-Three-stage head-level heating

-Convenience key

-High-beam assistant

-Adaptive light

-Three-zone deluxe automatic air conditioning

-MMI navigation plus which includes a large hard drive, DVD drive and seven-inch color monitor

Engine and Drivetrain

With all of the RS5's beauty, it still has the “RS” name to live up to. It does so by featuring a beast under the hood to complement this drop top's beauty in the form of a hand-assembled 4,163 cc V-8 engine boasting fuel stratified injection (FSI) direct injection. Audi pumped this V-8 to 450 horsepower at 8,250 rpm and 317.15 pound-feet of torque from 4,000 to 6,000 rpm. To add a little extra flare to the engine compartment, Audi draped a coat of bright-red paint over the cylinder head covers. Inside the engine the cylinder sleeves and timing chain are manufacture to close tolerances to minimize friction and the oil pump remains idle until it is needed, which helps squeeze a few extra ponies from this V-8.

The engine exhales through a throaty exhaust system straight from the factory. If that isn't enough for you, Audi will special fit the RS5 with a sports exhaust system to make a noise that's more suited for your ears.

Power heads to the wheels via a 4-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission. You can choose between slapping through the gears manually, via the paddle shifters, or allowing this 7-speed trans to automatically shift through the gears by selecting either the “S” or “D” mode, respectively. The RS5 also boasts a popular feature as of late, launch control. This positions the engine speed at a perfect level for clutch release prior to launching the car out of a complete stop.

No Audi performance car is complete without its maker's signature Quattro all-wheel-drive system. This lightweight system transfers 40 percent of the engine power to the front wheels and 60 percent to the rear under normal operation. When the wheels start to slip, the Quattro system can transfer up to 70 percent of its power to the front wheels and 85 percent to the rear, via its torque vectoring computer system.

It also helps slow a slipping wheel when cornering too, giving the RS5 a significant advantage in the twist. For extreme driving, you can opt for the sport differential, which actively distributes power between the rear wheels, giving you perfect tail response – no over- or under-steer.

All of this technology and muscle launches the 2013 Audi RS5 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in just 4.9 seconds, which would put us at 60 mph in about 4.85 seconds – about 0.25 seconds slower than the hardtop RS5. Audi limits the top speed to 155.34 mph straight from the factory, but at your request Audi will lift this limit to 173.98 mph. Regardless of the top speed you choose, this is one impressive setup on this luxury rag top.

Handling and Braking

The RS5 sits atop a chassis that boasts a 5-link front suspension and self-tracking trapezoidal-link rear suspension, both of which are made mostly from aluminum. The body of the RS5 sits a full 20 mm (0.79 inches) lower than the already stout A5 that it's based on, bringing its center of gravity down and keeping the car better grounded. You also get stiffer suspension mounts, and larger and more rigid anti-roll bars that all keep the RS5's body from leaning too far to one side.

At the corners, you get a set of 10-spoke machined, machine-polished, forged rims measuring in at 9J x 19 embraced by 265/35R19 tires. For some additional scratch, you can get a set of 9J x 20 in three different designs all wrapped up snug with 275/30R20 rubber.

Sitting behind the front rims are a set of cross-drilled rotors in the wave design, which helps save some unsprung – weight not supported by the car's springs – weight by 6.61 lbs. The front rotors measure in at 365 mm (14.37 inches) and are squeezed by a set of black-painted 8-piston calipers. For some extra braking effectiveness, you can opt for a set of carbon-ceramic front disc and 6-pot calipers. Audi provided us with no rear brake information, so we can only assume they are a carryover from the A5.

The steering system is speed-dependent and uses an electromagnetic drive instead of a traditional hydraulic pump. According to Audi, the steering feedback is excellent and response is efficient, but we have our doubt with electric power steering.

Audi drive select is standard on the RS5 and it allows you to adjust the characteristics of the steering system, S tronic transmission, throttle valves and exhaust system. The exhaust system controls open and close flaps to increase and decrease sound emission. If you opt for the MMI Navigation System you also get an “individual” mode, which gives you some added personalization.

Dynamic ride control (DRC) is an optional feature on the RS5 and it connects the each shock to its diagonal counterpart using a hydraulic line and a central proportioning valve. As you corner, this system increases the support of the spring on the front, outside wheel in the curve, preventing that corner from diving downward, causing severe understeer.

Audi went to some serious lengths to assure us that the RS5 would handle and brake like an dream, and we are certainly impressed... on paper.

Safety Features

Audi certainly did not skimp out on the safety features either, as there are plenty of them on the RS5. You get standard parking system plus, automatic belt feeder, comprehensive package of restraint systems, aluminum rollover plates the shoot upward in the event of an anticipated rollover, adaptive cruise control, fully automatic braking at speeds under 18 mph, and side assist monitors to check your blind spots.

Technology

As with all modern cars, technology is a big deal and Audi delivers here with its optional MMI navigation system, which includes a hard drive, DVD player and 7-inch color monitor. Also optional is Audi Connect with car phone, which hooks up the RS5 to a mobile Internet connection, allows its passengers to surf the web via an integrated WLAN hotspot. You can also get Audi Traffic, and Google Earth with Street View integration into the navi system.

Pricing and Release Date

In the U.S., the new Audi RS5 Convertible will be available starting spring of 2013. Prices will start from $77,900.

Packages:

Audi MMI® Navigation package

$3,550

Driver Assist package

$3,250

Titanium package

$2,500

Ceramic front brakes

$6,000

Sports exhaust system with black finishers

$1,000


Competition

As it sits right now, the RS5 is positioned between the BMW M3->ke290 and M6->ke208, so there is no direct competitor to speak of, per se. However, with BMW working on the all-new M4, which is slightly larger than the M3, that will be its closest competitor. The M4->ke3834 is rumored to come with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter 6-cylinder engine, but no power estimates are available yet. We can safely assume that this 3.0-liter engine should pump out somewhere in the 420-horsepower range, falling 30-horsepower short of the RS5. However, the 3.0-liter would likely get somewhere in the range of 24 mpg combined, putting it well ahead of the RS5's V-8 powerplant.

In Mercedes-Benz's corner you have the 2013 E550 convertible that is going to come in at $66,220 and boast a 5.5-liter V-8 with a pair of turbochargers feeding it. This convertible is bound to feature more that 500 horsepower and about the same packaging that the Audi boasts. So our question is, why would you blow $112,000 (at least) on an RS5 Cabriolet when you can get a fully loaded 2013 E550 for less money? For that matter, you can nearly reach an SL63 AMG for the same price as the RS5. Audi better be making the pot pretty sweet to pull people away from that sexy, sexy Benz.

Conclusion

In all honesty, we love the look, power, speed, and features of the RS5. The price, however, is a gigantic sticking point. Look at all of the other cars you have on your plate when you expand your budget to meet the RS5, then ask yourself “is this Audi really better than an E550, M4, M6, Jaguar F-Type->ke1224 Convertible, and a Porsche 911->ke282 Carrera 4 GTS Convertible?” We have a hard time saying that it is, on paper at least...