Affordable Dream Car: The 2012 Audi RS5 is a V8 German Express for Ford Fiesta ST Money 

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I think the money it costs when something goes wrong just turns people away instantly with big thirsty German bruits like this

I drive the RS4 2013 Avant and this car really has an extremely high utility value. Outstanding in any weather and the high revving engine is a dream. The fascination comes from the engine and no V6 can match it. If you think the fuel bill is extremely high, you're wrong because 11 L/100 km is absolutely justifiable. The RS5 as well as the RS4 is a totally underrated car with the potential to become a classic.

In my eyes.... The best looking RS car / shape ever made by Audi!!!

Bought a 2012 RS5 late last year (2022) 10 year old car with 65,000 miles & FSH. Was originally looking for an S5 when this came up for sale not far from where I live & i then couldn’t unsee the RS. Bit a did of research on them, plus a car vertical check on the car & couldn’t be happier with it. Fuel economy is horrendous, 14.1 average MPG but my daily commute is only 12 miles so can live with that. Tax is extortionate but i knew what i was getting into. Insurance isn’t as bad as i expected, couple of hundred quid dearer than my old Golf. Stuff like tyres, brake discs etc… outrageous. But would i change it for anything else… NO WAY 😍😍😍

I just did 4000 kilometers in a week with my Audi RS5 (11') and it was flawless, obviously it drinks quite a lot but you can happily cruise at 200 kph on the autobahn + it did 100-200 in 12.2 seconds, so still fast!

with this type of car (age) its not really the question whether or not its affordable, but whether or not its financially viable in terms of maintenance.

I was considering a big Audi RS after getting rid of my Mk 7.5 Fiesta ST. After many many weeks of research I was too terrified of going bankrupt. Ended up with a 530d M Sport Touring. So happy I did. My first BMW and I think it’s perfect.

Oh Yes! And not only the engine, but the insane grip this car had both summer and winter was and is crazy. One of Audi's best eras.

I will always be drawn to the Audi's of this cars generation because of their interiors, I still absolutely love the interior on my 10 year old A3 s-line. Solid build quality, nice materials, comfortable and just looks so good.

Great watch. This car was my first proper performance car many years ago after two previous A5s and before lots of M cars and AMGs. You just can’t fault it for value for money and whilst not as engaging as an E92 M3 it’s a much better and much more modern / comfortable daily. Great all year round and has aged gracefully. Much better than a B7 RS4 and miles better than the same shape S5. Easily one of the best RS engines of its generation it just pulls and pulls effortlessly and feels faster than a V8 R8 in a straight line and not too demanding to handle. Expensive to fix and I’m not sure they are super reliable having been thrashed by most of their owners at this age!

Love the video, James. I bought a 2010 VW R36 Passat wagon based on your review of that car a few years ago, and have been thoroughly enjoying it as my first car.

Great video James. A couple of points; The engine used was a derivative of the B7 RS4 / R8 V10 engine, different from those put in the S4 / S5 of the same generation If anything it was a B7RS4 / R8V8 engine but with revised intakes and dual throttle bodies rather than the single throttle body on the RS4 and a higher rev limiter. Pre-facelift had known handling dynamic issues which were resolved with the facelifted versions so it was more than just cosmetic. DRC is sublime when it works, only rivalled by Ohlins Stasis, possibly Bilstein. Like experienced in your review, KW V3's whilst commonplace are hard riding, crashy and exacerbates the infamous 'Audisteer'. The DRC in the RS5 is 1st generation and like all used Audi RS cars, when you buy one find a good independent at the same time, the better ones have the DRC gen 1 pressurisation tool and will do a better job at it than Audi for a fraction of the cost (c.£2k for a complete new system plus fitting / pressurisation)! If you go to Audi for servicing then yes it will cost a fortune to maintain, most parts and consumables can be had and fitted for a fraction of the price. Personally I'd recommend never taking an Audi extended warranty and keep the money aside in a slush fund. Valve spring failure is common, APR do a performance valve spring set, well worth installing when a carbon clean is also done. Ironic you say not to track them as Audi Experience for many years used the RS5 V8 as instructor / pace cars! Reality is that as a fabulous sounding solidly built GT they are a great proposition, torque light for sure but then they were never designed or marketed to be hussled like the B7 RS4.

I absolutely love this gen of audi coupe. I drove a b8 s5 and found it a little too boring tbh, but the rs5 seems like a totally different animal. A FR layout audi R8 if there ever was one

I’ve got one. Absolutely love it. Not cheap to run as lots are saying but the smiles per hour make up for it, especially if you add a resonator delete or full system. I get around 20mpg and that is town/country driving and with a heavy right foot to hear the roar! Up over 6000rpm, with the Res delete, I don’t think there is anything for the money which sounds as good, maybe an old C63 or one of the older RS twin turbos but the fact it then gets to 8250rpm just does it for me!!

I've owned an RS4 b8,5 for a couple of years now. I did look at the newer one, but the sound of that V8 is superb. I also changed the suspension over to bilstein coil overs with adjustable dampeners. Superb handling.

I own the A5 3.0 V6 TDI with a stage 1 remap to just over 300bhp and i love it. You can come and drive it anytime.

I will say, these engines are actually pretty strong! The 4.2L typically suffers from plastic timing chain guide failures BUT the RS models use metal timing chain guides and better tensioners so they don't have that problem. These RS4's and RS5's use the pinnacle 4.2L V8 that is the best!

I had a 2010 S5 as my daily from 2013 to 2018 and put 60k miles on it. Never an issue, except a dead battery in 2018. However, another weak point on the S5 and potentially also the RS5 is the liquid filled engine mounts. They are prone to collapsing due to leaking. You just re-kindled my interest in the RS5

I was considering buying this car at point. It's amazing, no doubt. I am happy for the owner and wish him trouble free miles. What put me off was the extraordinary cost of basic consumables (breaks and tires) and the less important VED (yet final nail in the coffin in the grand scheme of things).

I love you man. Such real world reviews from a normal human being. You're a legend! Loved my B8.5 A5 3.0 TDI

Watching this made me chuckle regarding the suspension. I've had my 2014 RS5 for 6 years now. Last year I replaced the DRC suspension with...KW adaptive coilovers. IMO it rides and handles better than stock. I've just had to replace the pads and discs all round. Both of these jobs were very expensive. But. Every time I think about changing it I can't think of anything out there that I'd rather have. Even if the road tax is ridiculous.

I had an A5 S line limited edition 3.0 quattrro. Interior is a fabulous place to be, better than some very high end brands. B&O stereo was insane. Miss it

Might be a future classic

I have one and absolutely love it! Mine is factory Audi passive suspension and it’s way better set up to mitigate understeer. Plus magnetic ride repair costs scare me! Overall, brilliant sports car with a unicorn engine, amazing sound and usable rear seats. 👍🏻

I’ve always loved the shape of the A5… Audi we’re killing it in the late 00s with the A5 and R8 😎

Excellent vidéo James! Not in my budget. But my 2004 9-5 Aero estate was ! When my old base model 2.0t died and I got a repair quote for 1500€ it was a no brainer. I wanted a first generation because I hate the Dame Edna facelift (which brought in GM cheap plastic and crappy electronics). The phase one - even 20 years on - has hardly any wrinkles at all. Lovely black leather and sooo clean inside. Everything works as it should too. I paid £1150 for it last summer, remapped it to Maptun stage one and drove it back home to France. You’ll be stretched to find a reasonable working car in France these days at under 2000€, so even after import tax and VAT it was an absolute bargain, high mileage (185k) but FSH and loads of new parts. It now has 265hp and runs on E85 ethanol at under 1€ a litre. Put it in sport mode and in the mid range and it’s an absolute riot. Pulling away from motorway tolls in France is particularly amusing. I’ve named it « Sovvagn » which is Swedish for sleeper. No one expects an old estate to be quite that fast, just as nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition 😂 Would you consider reviewing a few older less expensive performance cars like this? How about an under £2500 challenge? What would you buy?

Timing gear that’s very hard to refresh & service makes engines like this a mechanical time bombs

Great video. I love my 2009 A5 Coupe and cannot think of any comparable car that I would prefer.

This specific RS5 seems to be a beaten up example, hence the price. Blown engine, mismatched tyres, torn seat bolsters. Probably a decent fun car that you will not drive everyday, but as a daily, it will cost a lot, more to come.

Use to have a 12’ plate RS5. Fantastic car, even as a daily driver. Eventually PX’d it for a 2018 Nissan GTR. No comparison really besides comfort and practicality

Best wheels ever on an Audi road car

When I was in the market for a car in 2020 after relocating to the UK, I test drove an Audi RS4 Facelifted V8, Multiple M3’s/M4’s (F8X Platform), and the C63s. I loved the sound of the RS4, I mean epic - but I couldnt get on with the gearbox (the shift up/down are the wrong way round). But ultimately it was the fact the RS4 just didnt excite me in terms of driving dynamics. Ended up in a 2019 M4 Competition - still my daily today!

4:11 this isn’t true. The CFSA engine in the RS5 was completely different to that in the S5. The CFSA was essentially the R8 V10 with two cylinders removed.

I love these cars. I had a first gen A5 with the 3.2 v6. Awesome car for everything ( I used it as a daily and would drive around 100 miles a day ) sadly it got written off in a not at fault accident. If it was not written off I would have it to this day! I Now have a 2019 mk 7.5 Golf R and tuned to 350hp

love these cars, to me they're like an awd german mustang gt

I have the B8.5 (facelift B8 generation) S5 sportback. I wanted rear doors so we could get the folks in when they visit 🤣 I don't know how the steering differs from the RS5... it's electronic assisted though and yes it's not too bad.

I was just looking at these recently. So relatively cheap in the used car market in the US

Audi 4.2 is a legendary engine, along with the 2.5 I5, 2.1 I5, 2.9 V6 (B5), BAM 1.8 engines

I was B8 RS4 owner a few RS cars ago, I always found it had less understeer than the RS5 and was more engaging.

Dunno about German cars. I had bmw 535 e39; it wasn’t too bad reliability, but not great. I also had a e61 touring and it was the worst car I’ve ever owned; the problems were systemic and in almost every aspect, other than the body; luckily I’m a qualified mechanic (ex mechanic), so I could sort out most stuff but still very expensive and problematic. On the contrary, I bought an Audi a3 1.4 saloon s line brand new in 2016 and it’s been amazing. There has been a couple of issues, but minor. Those minor issues were an easy fix for me at a price of about 250 quid but still 2500 quid at Audi. Overall an amazing car, well built and reliable. I service it myself; such an easy thing to do with a bit of research. From my experience, BMW’S are crap but Audi’s are much more reliable.

Unfortunately the RS5 doesn’t look much different from the lesser s5. A neighbour of mine purchased one for 7k (with a full stainless exhaust) and it looks and sounds fantastic 👍 great cars…

My sister’s boyfriend had one of these. It had 95,000 miles and he spent almost $30,000 on the car. It lasted exactly 7 months. The fuel consumption wasn’t the main issue although it didn’t help. It was the amount of rust and water damage he later found while doing regular maintenance on it. If you want a V8 and you don’t live in the USA or places where the cost of fuel is less than $1/liter, no you don’t want a V8. If you live in the EU, the taxes you’d pay on this vehicle alone are just not worth the maintenance you will have to go through. And the Audi 4.2L design is well known for being excessively stupid to work on due to the arrangement of its timing chains.

The DRC suspension was an option, and usually came with the bigger 20 inch wheel option. If you see an RS4 or RS5 with the standard 19 inch wheels, it usually has the standard non DRC suspension with conventional shock absorbers.

Love these with the 20inch Rotors, sadly now so expensive to run overall 😢

Did they fix the oil leaks in the A5 of this era? My A3 suffered badly with a cracked piston ring and oil consumption, put me off Audis for life. The cost to repair a cracked gearbox housing on a 5 year old car 20K miles was £1300. Cheap cars for a reason!

I guess the advantage of an old variant of the RS5 over a similar old RS3 is that they were likely bought by very different drivers. The RS3 will likely have been 'thrashed to death' whereas the RS5 used more as a GT car. Very happy still with my 2019 S3 Sportback Black Edition 😊

First JayEmm video for years, surprised to see the subscriber count hasn’t increased more. The Jeremy Clarkson dialogue and annunciation is so prominent in the early part of the video and then relaxes. Please relax and talk like that for the whole vid, like we’re in the pub….

Widen the front track by 10mm each side, slower turn in but less understeer, you get to 8/10ths then before squeaky bum time

I have this uncomfortable belief, which says all of these early 00s to mid 10s sport cars will become really desirable in the next few years. Once the Inline-4 C63s and the like start hititng the showrooms, people will come in droves for these cars which nowadays just seem old, as they aren't nostalgic enough to have classic status. Congrats to everyone who can get their hands in one now, that engine sound is enough to make anyone happy (even if the bills might be brutal)

I have a Leon Cupra 280 at the moment, and am getting bored. I think I’d rather the LS 430 you featured on the channel not too long ago! Comfort and speed 😍

I enjoyed my Audi until it seemed like everything started breaking. Just one at a time. Fixed it. Then another. Fixed that. It just didn’t stop. Always something different. And the labor and parts made my eyes water. I absolutely loved driving it and was very disappointed when it became disloyal. Also I could not fix almost anything myself. No more German cars for me.

Having had several Audi's, and having to go through Lemon Law (And winning) I can say I will Never own another Audi or any other VW group automobile.

Love your videos. Torn between a Maserati Gran Cabrio, a V8 Vantage and one of these. What would you choose?

That Lexus is fun for daily is is nice. Buttt for something to be compared to M3 i don’t think it gets even close. I have been BMW guy my entire life and this RS5 is one of my favorite Audi’s I would consider is over M3. The looks of this car from all angels inside out are amazing.

brilliant review, thanks mate :)

Might be cheap to buy not cheap to run whole engine has to come out to do timing chains

It never came in a manual (in the US at least). I owned a 2012 Audi s5 with the manual and loved it-upgrade to an 07 M6 with a manual. I needed another daily in 2018 and I test drove an RS5 and honestly…I just wasn’t impressed. To this day I love the styling, especially in that blue.

Basic maintenance cost vs let’s say your average Toyota are definitely more money. However, this is a vastly better car in every respect (beside basic maintenance and mpg). That being said it’s about what you want in a vehicle and can afford. My daily is an a4 allroad and my wife’s is a Toyota Highlander. The allroad does have higher basic maintenance costs but shockingly has had less problems than the Highlander. Plus the allroad handles better, is better built, more fun and has been more reliable (even with 40k more miles). All in all, the allroad has still cost more to own (considering insurance it’s pretty close though…). My opinion, it’s well worth it and again, amazingly has had less ‘unplanned’ issues than the wife’s Highlander. That’s my take on 2 cars that Jay didn’t mention… take it for what it’s worth

Very beautifull car. I would buy one if I could, but I guess I will never afford such a car

There’s a reason it’s so cheap. The Fiesta any day. More reliable, better economy and best of all you wouldn’t then be an Audi owner so you would still have friends.

With that engine shoved in the wrong way around making repairs expensive, the last thing these things can be called is an affordable dream car

A5 sportback was a great design

I am looking at V8 S5s on auto trader. £10K is the budget There’s a fair few cars for sale, cheapest example is £5K but that car has all sorts of aftermarket rubbish stuck on it, the rear spoiler is huge like a cartoon thing. It’s gonna be a weekend car, maybe an occasional big trip through Europe, not a daily commuter so manual gearbox would be the best choice (I think). Seeing that facelift RS5s can be had for £15K makes me hesitant! Should I save up a bit more cash and wait a few months to buy the RS5? Maybe I should stick to the S5 plan and then trade up to the RS5 next year .

jayemm you need a polarizing filter! then we will be able to see through your windscreen

i have an s7 c7, at 22. it cost me nearly 4k to insure. thats with 4 years no claim and 0 convitions. only mod being a ghost immobiliser.

Repairs and maintenance for those with high salary no problem, but people in that position dont settle with old they buy new. Those who can afford to buy old (majority) cant afford to maintain properly. Factors of depreciation.

Terrible used buy.. problems unless you've got big 'audi problems' money and this is the only car you want!

Fiesta money with Fiesta power actually :D Wouldn't buy one without recent dyno. Notorious for loosing half of its original power for no reason with no way to get it back.. Cool car, always wanted one. But after driving a diesel 3.0 I was dissappointed with interior quality.

Absolutely beautiful cars James, wonderful look and fabulous sound and for the money great performance. But many will be turned down owing to the maintenance cost's, the engine issue you mentioned of a broken valve spring is a frightener but as mentioned elsewhere the brakes issue is also going to be a deal breaker for many. The price of the car now is very attractive but if you want one just keep in mind that it could cost money in the future and that could undermine the pleasure of owning and driving one of these cars.

So I’ve always heard you’ve had to replace all the tires on an AWD car even if you’ve just got a flat on one? I’m genuinely interested

This car is epic , just listen it 🧘

Autotrader Admin: “Oh no! JayEmm’s released another video.” 😂

Ive only seen one of these ever and it had a Miltek exhaust on it. It sounded like thunder

I own one of these for a few years and it is the perfect weekend excitement car and the luxury cruiser other times. And geez Jay everytime you try and make us excited for the engine noise you change gears at 5000rpm like a turbo. BORING. Rev it all out to 8250rpm!

great video .......the scary thing for me and I'm sure my mechanic is the maintenance costs .........but it looks like a fun car.

ffs, the intro totally nailed me. owned all 3. 🤣

Also very interesting is the "regular" S5 as this one also has a V8 but comes with a manual 6 speed transmission which makes is a proper German muscle car. And they are relatively cheap too.

What a sound !

When he has to change rotors or engine out to do headers/cats, good luck to him.

the B5 RS4 was my dream car as a kid, now that I can afford and RS5 I won't buy one because of the experiences with my S4. That thing is begging for an engine out service that just sucks, Id rather may more money for something that will cost less in repairs....

1100 per year, until something is broken :D it's a RS which means it's going to be expensive getting original parts for. And the V8 is crap too. Nearly none of them have stated power and have big issues with coking cylinders/valves. People switched from previous V6 biturbo to this, mostly regret afterwards back in the days.

Fast & impractical if you live in any UK city, nothing worst than having all that power surrounded by 20mph speed limits and bumper to bumper traffic for most of the day, over aged boy racers speeding from one traffic light to the next & think they need they need to prove to everyone that they can get to the front of any gap first, they've become silly. The daily driver has to be a sexy sensible jack of all trades and a master in your own mind.

vorsprung durch understeer

Great Video pal. WHat work was done on the engine to maintain it also a link for the KW suspension update would be appreciated. Love the car my best friend owned one at the time and I have some good memories with it. Cheers

I really wish we got the manual RS5 in the states

I used to have one. They're awesome cars. Fast comfortable, sounds great, well equipped and fun to drive.

CTS-V is a much better option. Cheaper to buy, cheaper to own and more badass.

So good looking and sounding. Still so not fun/involving to drive like a RS4 B7 (which is also my daily).

On the suspension, I had a standard s-line A5 and I found the suspension very harsh indeed.

You've got to factor the driving joy & Servicing and maintenance anguish...

Affordable, in UK, perhaps. Just as you step outside UK, you will find it costing many times more, nevermind the astronomical cost of keeping it. In Ireland, for example, the same example would be around 45,000 euro - how affordable is that?

it might cost as much as a fiesta but you better be ready to PAY PAY PAY for maintenance and inevitable repairs

Buy for the cost of a Ford Fiesta ST, maintain for the cost of a supercar (almost). I bought an RS6 that was 9 years old a few years back, when the auto gearbox went wrong - they wanted £8,500 plus VAT to fix it. Crazy to feel like you're always worried that it was gonna go pop. For that reason, I will never own a car that doesn't have a cast iron manufacturers warranty.

And now I want an RS5..

naturally aspirated sedan with manual gearbox to die for

the gearbox is a time bomb in these...a replacement is 11k

At 10:56 that is the greyest man I’ve ever seen

If only they’d carried over the manual box from the rs4

Affordable until something goes wrong