The new Audi RS5 is a practical estate with supercar power

After over 25 years on our roads, the Audi RS4 is dead, for now at least, but you needn't worry

too much because this is its replacement. This is the new Audi RS5 Avant. I think we can all agree

that this car looks great, but what's most important is what lies under this bodywork

Well, you'll be pleased to hear that this car hasn't been subject to any engine downsizing of

any kind. It still comes with the same 2.9-litre twin-to-opercharged V6 as in the previous RS4

but now there is a battery in the boot, powering a plug-in hybrid system to give it a total

of 630 brake horsepower. The outgoing RS4 is a great car, but it's often considered to be a bit

subdued in terms of its design when compared to cars like the M3. This car, however, is different

Audi has increased arch width by 9cm over the standard car, adding elements like those cool

front arch vents from the RS6 GT and a much more aggressive front grille to highlight its width

It's especially clear at the rear that this car is much wider than a standard A5. It almost has

presence like an RS6. Its aggressive swollen rear arches aren't the only thing that's big at the

rear. Open the boot and you won't see much of anything but under that cover there is a 25.9

kilo hour battery pack which gives it an electric only range of 50 miles. All of its extra power is

great but as you can imagine the battery pack mounted at the rear makes this a very heavy car

The RS5 weighs over 2 tons to make it 620 kilograms heavier than the RS4 that came before it That means that while the power ratio of this car is slightly better than the RS4

it actually falls behind the much less powerful BMW M3. It might be on the heavy side, but this is not a slow car

Audi says it will do 0.62mph in 3.6 seconds, which is three-tenths ahead of the previous RS5

It'll also do 177mph flat out. and thanks to optional carbon ceramic brakes at the front and rear

its braking performance is improved too. It's not all about the numbers, and Audi does know that

So for the RS5, it's stiffened its body structure and developed a new electromechanical torque vectoring system for the rear axle

To put it simply, this system allows for much finer control of when and where

and how quickly the torque is distributed to each of the rear wheels. Being electromechanical, Audi says that this works both on the throttle and off the throttle

giving you much more control than without it. In addition to that, there is five-link suspension at the front and the rear

and Audi's made various changes to the steering and brake-by-wire system to make it a more engaging car to drive

The RS5 is also available in saloon form, but I think I know which one I prefer

The RS5 comes with Audi's very latest entertainment system, and as you would expect, it is nice and snappy

In this display here, you can change the drive mode, including to RS Torque Rear, which is effectively drift mode

The price you'll pay for all of this is in the region of £90,000. a £20,000 premium over the outgoing RS4

First cars will hit the road this summer