ABT Sportsline Made the New Audi RS5 Avant Even More Powerful

Did you find yourself wishing the new Audi RS5 had more power under the hood? So did ABT Sportsline.

Fortunately, the German tuner decided to do something about it. It just unveiled the RS5-R, its souped-up take on the most powerful version of the third-generation A5. Even more exciting is that the shop’s latest build will be available as either a sedan or an Avant wagon.

Introduced in 1994, the RS, or RennSport, line is Audi’s answer to BMW’s M and Mercedes’s AMG cars. Cars and SUVs wearing the RS badge are fitted with the automaker’s most advanced technology, more aggressive aerodynamics, and, most importantly of all, its trademark Quattro all-wheel-drive system. The line is also responsible for some of the brand’s most beloved vehicles—its high-performance wagons.

The Avant version of the RS5-R will remind enthusiasts of those beloved longroofs. The factory RS5, which is expected to launch here next year (though only as a sedan for now), was already impressive thanks to a hybrid powertrain that pairs a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 with an electric motor and 630 hp and 608 lb ft of torque. Thanks to ABT’s Power S software upgrade, it now pumps out 709 hp and 667 ft lbs of torque. It won’t be as powerful as MTM’s modified RS6 Avant, the over-the-top Pangaea GT, but it should be able to really move.

In addition to the power boost, ABT has outfitted the RS5 with more carbon-fiber parts than before to keep weight down (thanks to its hybrid tech, the standard version is a bit of a heavyweight). Its even more aggressive body kit includes a front splitter, side skirts, and rear diffuser made from the material. The vehicle has also been equipped with new wheel arches, mirror caps, and a giant rear wing for both the sedan and wagon.

ABT is charging 62,000 euros, or roughly $69,000, for the upgraded sedan and 68,000 euros, or $76,000, for the upgraded wagon. If that price seems low, it’s because it doesn’t include the cost of the donor vehicle, which starts at around $118,000. The build is also currently limited to the European market. The tuner intends to craft 130 examples of the RS5-R, though an even more powerful version that will include a titanium exhaust is expected to follow at some point next year.

Click here to see more photos of the ABT Sportsline RS5-R.