The ultimate Audis always carry two letters: RS. Over the decades, Audi has bestowed those letters on quite a few models, but not all. That's understandable in some cases. The three-row Q7 has only ever had an S version, which is somewhat reasonable, especially when the similarly-sized but sportier looking Q8 got an RS version. The weird hole in the RS range, though, has been with the Q5. It's a reasonably small SUV that can be fun to drive in its normal and S variants, and it's a volume seller, so why not give it something special? Well, that may finally be changing.Audi Audi Is Securing The Name Jared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/ValnetWhat An RS Q5 Could Be LikeThe Q5 is Audi's compact SUV entry, and it's a counterpart to the brand's A5 compact line, and the two model lines have shared powertrains so far. The A and Q models have 268-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engines with all-wheel drive, and the S versions have turbocharged 362-horsepower V6s with all-wheel drive. It would then make sense for the RS Q5 to adopt the new RS5's plug-in hybrid powertrain. It combines a twin-turbo V6 with an electric motor to produce 630 hp and 608 lb-ft of torque, and it also features a trick torque-vectoring rear differential with its own little electric motor to manage where power goes.In the RS5, that powertrain provides some impressive performance with a claimed 3.6-second 0-60 mph time and a top speed of 177 mph. It also has a 22-kWh battery pack that should provide somewhat usable all-electric range. The downside is that this powertrain makes the RS5 seriously heavy at more than 5,000 pounds. In a Q5, it would probably be even heavier and probably a bit slower with less range.Also, while the RS5 is headed into a crowded space with the BMW M3, Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance, Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing (though for not much longer), an RS Q5 will only have one real competitor for now. That single rival would be the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance. It packs more punch than our hypothetical RS Q5 at 671 hp and 752 lb-ft of torque, but also has a miniscule 6.1-kWh of battery capacity, so loses out on some efficiency. Plus, the Mercedes has a four-cylinder, and sales of these hot hybrid Mercs have shown buyers care about cylinder count, where the Audi would have an advantage.Now, even if Audi gets this trademark, and it does indeed lead to a production SUV, it's still not a guarantee that said SUV will make it to America. That sounds a bit wild, since the Q5 was Audi's bestseller in America last year, but Audi didn't give us the five-cylinder-powered RS Q3. It was an odd decision, particularly considering the Q3 has been the second-best seller in America for at least the last two years. With any luck, though, Audi will see things differently for this larger, slightly more premium SUV.Source: European Union Intellectual Property Office
+48 others
