2026 Audi RS5 Avant Performance Vorsprung

Audi's RS5 Avant has been reinvented for its third generation as a plug-in hybrid, pairing a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 with a 25.9kWh battery and an electric motor for a combined 630 bhp and 824 lb-ft. Power goes to all four wheels through an eight-speed Tiptronic and quattro, and Audi quotes a 177 mph top speed. That is a long way from the naturally aspirated and later turbo RS5s that preceded it, and it makes this the most powerful series-production RS5 yet.

This is a 2026 (76-plate) car with just 22 miles showing, so it is effectively new. It is finished in Bedford Green, a paint-option colour that sets it apart from the usual grey and black RS fleet. The Performance Vorsprung trim sits at the top of the range. It brings Matrix LED headlights with dynamic light sequencing, four-zone climate control, heated memory seats, a heated steering wheel, and front and rear parking sensors with a distance display.

The Avant body keeps the family-estate practicality that has long been central to the RS appeal, while the hybrid hardware allows for low-emission running when the battery is charged. The page quotes CO2 emissions of 95 g/km. Audi's own 0-62 mph claim of 3.6 seconds puts it in the same bracket as serious sports saloons.