These two cars come from the same, larger automotive group umbrella, yet their personalities are so different that a drag race between them almost doesn’t make any sense.
Carwow, however, pitted the Audi RS 5 Sportback and the Porsche 911 Carrera S against each other and we are glad they did - and so must be Audi - because the race shows just how quick the RS 5 is in the company of a thoroughbred sports car like the Neunelfer, which also happens to pack a vicious Launch Control feature.
How is a drag race between the Audi RS 5 and the Porsche 911 Carrera S fair?
Sure, racing the 911 against the RS 5 is like comparing apples to oranges. But the duel itself is fair because the Audi isn’t afraid to fight back and it packs almost as much grunt as the 911. After all, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog, right?
Speaking of “fight,” the Audi RS 5 was gifted with a 2.9-liter, twin-turbo V-6 that churns out 444 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive and the eight-speed Tiptronic automatic help the RS 5 blast from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and on to a standard top speed of 155 mph.
In the opposite corner, the Porsche 911 Carrera S is fitted with a 3.0-liter, also twin-turbo, boxer-six engine that cranks out 443 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque sent to the rear wheels through a slick-shifting eight-speed PDK transmission. 0-60 mph takes 3.5 seconds (3.3 seconds with the Chrono Package) while top speed comes in at 191 mph.
The first thing that pops up is that the Audi has more torque and it sends it to all fours, but its build means that it’s also heavier than the rear-wheel-drive 911. In fact, the RS 5 tips the scales at 3,841 pounds, while the 911 weighs considerably less, coming in at 3,382 pounds - that’s a 459-pound difference between the two.
Final Thoughts
Of course, there also the price discrepancy to be considered. In the US of A, the 911 Carrera S starts at $113,000, while the Audi RS 5 Sportback demands at least $74,200 and can support your road trip needs in ways the 911 simply can’t. So it all boils down to what sort of driver you really are, but from the performance/practicality standpoint, the Audi RS 5 is not a shoddy proposition at all.