Diesels are typically slower unlike their gasoline counterparts, but leave it to Audi to turn that notion on its head. After dominating Le Mans and the international endurance racing scene under diesel power for the better part of a decade, Audi toyed with the idea of an oil-burning R8 for the road and ultimately made its first performance crossover a diesel. It’s made the letters TDI a battle cry, and now it’s yelling even louder with the RS5 TDI concept.
Released in celebration of the TDI diesel engine family’s 25th anniversary, the Audi RS5 TDI Coupe concept trades the production model’s V8 4.2 liter petrol powerplant for a 3.0 liter twin turbocharged V6 TDI diesel engine with an electric supercharger. The triple-charged engine churns out 283kW of power with 750 newton meters of torque – leaving it 48kW down on the petrol V8 for power but a whopping 320 newton meters of torque. All that torque and power is distributed to all four wheels through an 8-speed automatic gearbox and the automaker’s Quattro system.
Official performance data has not been released, though the Audi RS5 TDI Coupe concept is said to accelerate from 0-100km/h in around 4.0 seconds with the top speed of 280km/h. In comparison, the RS5 takes 4.5sec to hit triple figures and uses 10.5L/100km combined. Though unconfirmed at this stage, the 283kW version could enter production as early as next year, used to power the first ever RS TDI models. Audi broke the tradition last year when it launched the SQ5, which became the first diesel powered model in its S performance stable, propelled by a 230kW/650Nm 3.0 liter twin turbocharged V6.
