The S5 coupe utilizes a plenty-powerful 354-hp 4.2-liter V-8, although its engine will be replaced next year by the almost-as-potent 333-hp 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 already found in the S5 cabriolet. For the small group of people—and Audi does believe it is only going to be a select few—that believe the S5 coupe is too tame, InsideLine is reporting that the at-first-Europe-only 450-hp RS5 will be coming stateside, but not until more than half way through 2011; meanwhile, the enthusiasts over in Europe will be able to purchase the RS5 in June of this year. The amount of dollars and cents needed has not been confirmed, but early number crunching has the base price pegged somewhere near $69,000 – $75,000. This means the RS5 will be a bargain compared to the 500-hp BMW M6 coupe’s base price of $102,350, although the car’s size and performance numbers may be more aligned with the 414-hp M3 coupe, which carries a base price of $58,400.
The RS5 stands out from the rest of Audi’s S and RS models because it carries the third-generation Quattro all-wheel-drive system. Besides being 15 pounds lighter, the new system is also able to distribute power to a greater degree between the front and rear (up to 70 percent front and 85 percent rear) and incorporates standard torque vectoring between all four wheels to quell understeer.
If you need to pacify your RS5 desires until the car goes up for sale next year, Audi has released a ton of photos, which can be found in our News Center.
[via InsideLine]

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