We just had a feeling that it was bound to happen, and happen it did, as Audi is now set to introduce an RS version of the A5 coupe at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. Developed by Audi’s quattro division, the RS 5 receives power from a high-revving 4.2-litre V8 channeled to a rear-biased all-wheel drive system by the 7-speed S-tronic (DSG) gearbox.

Audi RS 5

Up front, the naturally aspirated 4,163cc V8, which in various forms have seen action in the Q7, RS 4, and R8, is renowned for its high-revving characteristics despite its long-stroke design (bore × stroke: 84.5mm × 92.8mm). Fuel is delivered by the VW Group’s FSI direct injection system operating at 120 bar injection pressure. That’s 1,740psi for those of you who operate in imperial.

Thus far, Audi engineers have managed to squeeze up to 414hp out of this engine as seen in the RS 4 and R8. For the RS 5, the ante has been upped to an impressive 450hp, produced at a stratospheric 8,250rpm. Its high-revving characteristic is further underlined with its maximum torque of 430Nm being spread over between 4,000 and 6,000rpm.

High-revving 4.2 FSI V8 under the hood.

Linking the engine to the famous quattro drivetrain is the 7-speed twin clutch transmission of the VW Group, dubbed S-tronic in Audi applications. The standard setting on the RS 5 sees a 40:60 front/rear torque distribution, but a self-locking crown-gear centre diff can vary it anywhere from 70:30 to 25:85 as and when needed. Electronic torque vectoring is also integrated into the system, appropriately decelerating the inner wheels during cornering. Available as an option is a sport differential installed at the rear axle to help actively distribute torque between the rear wheels.

Claimed performance figures are, as expected, impressive, whether or not you take the 1,725kg mass into account. Top speed is limited to 250kph, but raisable to 280kph by request. From a standstill, only 4.6 seconds is needed to break into the triple-digit range. Fuel consumption is claimed at 10.8 litres/100km. Even if we know this is not realistically achievable in day-to-day driving, what’s the worse that it can be? 15? 16? Certainly acceptable for this kind of performance.

No mistaking it for the vanilla-flavoured A5.

Sitting 20mm lower than a standard A5, the RS 5 is shod with 265/35 R19 rubber as standard, but bigger 275/30 R20 donuts can be specified at cost. Braking is performed by vented discs all-round, with 380mm carbon-fibre front discs optionally available over the standard 365mm rotors.

Sales of the RS 5 will begin in spring, with a starting price of €77.7k.

Sporty Interior

KON

Pictures: Audi Press Release.

Throughout my days as a car nut watching out for and attending various car events, I notice that these things have a natural tendency to come out together. It’s like there are magnets around certain dates which cause the manufacturers and dealers to pick them. A good example was the last weekend, where this writer attended no less than five events throughout the Klang Valley.

Among the five, is the Naza Carnival 2008 at the Naza Auto Mall along the Federal Highway. I usually don’t care much for showroom events organised by Naza Motors, because for all the glamorous machines they have on display, all you’ll ever do is just to look at the cars and do nothing more.

Carnival atmosphere here for two days.

The thing about me is this, as crazy as I am about cars, the idea of just seeing a car without driving it doesn’t excite me terribly – no matter how ’up there’ it is. As such, I usually give events without test drives a skip.

So, you’d probably understand that I did not go to the Naza Carnival 2008 on Sunday at Naza Auto Mall with bags of enthusiasm, even though there was a test drive for the Peugeot 407 available, part of the 407 Test Drive Me campaign, and a row of Kia test cars parked in front of the showroom.

Available for test drive.

My companion and I tested none of those. Instead, we went around looking, admiring and photographing the what everyone knows to be the largest collection of the finest and most exotic automobiles in the country. My personal guess is that the nett worth of their cars is probably worth, no, not a house, but a whole premier housing estate.

Each more expensive than an average house.

As we were walking, a young (and reasonably attractive) lady approached me to give me a little sticker, assuring me that it’s absolutely free, and then convincing me to part with forty one and a half of my ringgits for an RM36 Shell petrol card, a Shell James Bond Aston Martin DBS collector’s toy car and a total of RM60 worth of lubricant vouchers. It was a reasonable deal, if only for the lubricant vouchers, though I must admit that a male salesperson won’t stand half a chance sealing the deal.

Not long after handing over my cash to the lady, there was the cracking sound of a Ferrari V8 engine nearby. They were having a ‘Product Presentation’ session for the Ferrari F430. There was also another one for the 599 GTB Fiorano scheduled earlier, but I missed that one.

Presenting the F430 & 599 GTB Fiorano

And here’s my opinion on the ‘Product Presentation’: it was not up to scratch. The presenter was fumbling through his ‘cheat sheet’ stammering through words. It begs the question why an entity of Naza’s considerable resources did not spend more of it to train him better before going on stage.

However, that presentation, together with our up close encounters with the likes of the Nissan GT-R, the BMW M3, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, the Ferrari Enzo, the Maserati MC-12, and many others, faded into obscure memory for me and my companion as we came across something a lot more astonishing – at the Peugeot section!

Nissan GT-R

BMW M3

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

Ferrari Enzo – yours for RM6.68m

Oi, don’t touch la, cannot read ar?

Maserati MC-12

All the money went to the cars, leaving nothing for the plumbing.

Surprisingly, but by far, the best part of the show was here.

Believe it or not, on our way home, our thoughts were dominated by the humble Naza 206 Bestari. In all my years following the car industry, never before in my life, have I ever come across a deal that reads like this: RM0 downpayment, 0% interest for 12 years. Yes, that’s right.. 12 YEARS! The amount of time needed to raise kids, and we have a loan package that lasts that long and charges no interest.

Staring in disbelief, we scratched our heads at the incredulity of the deal and pressed the poor salesgirl serving us to reveal all the fine print. There was none. You pay an RM100 booking fee, you wait one week, you drive the car away – just like that. Then each month, for the next 144 months, you pay RM390 (M/T) or RM425(A/T) back to Naza Credit, you get yourself a brand new Naza 206 Bestari.

We pressed to ask if the offer was just 0% interest for the first one or two years, but the salesgirl firmly said 0% for 12 years – a claim verified by her colleague. Now, I am used to hearing all sorts of baseless claims from salespeople, but the black and white on the pamphlets are clear: 0% interest for 12 years – no fine print whatsoever.

Here’s the most astonishing thing: after adding up the total instalments of RM390 and RM425 respectively over 12 months times 12 years, we arrived at a figure LOWER than the advertised price. There was no indication how long this offer is going to last, but I’d recommend anyone shopping for a car to check this deal out. I am not recommending whether you buy it or you don’t, but this is too amazing not to even look at it.

Thinking of getting one?

Now, do you still recall the Ferraris, the M3 or the GT-R earlier in this post? Don’t worry, neither did I.