Audi has sold the Q5 for nearly two decades without ever giving it a full RS version. That’s about to change. Camouflaged Audi RS Q5 prototypes, in both regular and Sportback bodies, have been lapping the Nürburgring since September, and they keep turning up in fresh spy photos. For US shoppers, the interesting part is where this would land: above a $67,295 SQ5, and probably with plug-in hybrid power. Audi hasn’t announced it.
Where it was spotted
Carscoops ran the first RS Q5 Sportback photos on September 14, shot on and around the Nürburgring. Autoevolution followed with Baldauf photos of the Sportback and then an SH Proshots set showing both body styles. Germany’s auto motor und sport published its own Baldauf gallery on October 4, and Japan’s Response ran shots of the regular RS Q5 body on October 21. Testing is clearly still under way.
Here’s what the photos show. The grille is taller than the SQ5’s, with a different mesh and a horizontal bar near the bottom. The intakes are new, and the wheel arches are flared over a wider track, with some cars still wearing temporary arch extensions. The giveaway at the back is a pair of big oval exhaust tips, an Audi Sport RS signature. The SQ5 uses four smaller tips.
What’s confirmed
Nothing about the RS Q5 is official. Audi hasn’t announced the model, its name, specs, price or a US launch. What is official is the current US lineup. According to Car and Driver, the 2027 SQ5 and SQ5 Sportback list from $67,295 to $68,695. The closest Audi Sport model on sale here is the RS 5, which MotorTrend lists from $81,195 for 2027.
What’s rumored or reported
The plug-in hybrid evidence is fairly strong. ooooIYKYK, working from photos by Instagram spotter @Wilcoblok, points out a prototype with both a fuel door and a charging flap, and SEMA‘s spy roundup notes a high-voltage sticker. Since the Q5 shares its platform with the A5 family, Carscoops, autoevolution and auto motor und sport all expect the RS 5’s powertrain. That’s a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 with an electric motor and a 25.9-kWh battery, good for 630 hp and 609 lb-ft in the RS 5. The RS Q5 should be heavier, so auto motor und sport expects it to be slightly slower than the RS 5’s 3.6-second 0-62 mph time, but still under four seconds.
Timing is less settled. auto motor und sport expects the production versions in showrooms in 2027. Carscoops calls it the 2028 RS Q5, and autoevolution suggested a 2027 model year for the US. Nobody has a reveal date.
How credible is it? That the RS Q5 exists is close to certain, given the RS exhausts and the number of prototypes. The powertrain is a well-supported inference, not a leak. US availability and pricing are open questions.
Will it come to the US?
Audi hasn’t said. The case for it is simple: the US already gets the SQ5, the SQ5 Sportback and the RS 5, which shares the expected powertrain. Our guess is that an RS Q5 would be priced above the RS 5’s $81,195 starting point, but that’s an estimate, not a reported number. In our view, its natural rivals would include the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 and the Porsche Macan GTS. For Audi’s electric side, see our 2027 Audi EV lineup ranked by price.
Image credits: Spy photos via Carscoops (Carscoops spy photographers). Further spy coverage: autoevolution (Baldauf), autoevolution (SH Proshots), ooooIYKYK (@Wilcoblok), auto motor und sport (Stefan Baldauf), Response and SEMA. Featured image: Audi SQ5 Sportback by Alexander Migl / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
