The Motor Report Auto News Blog

If you’ve ever thought the 260kW offered by the Audi S5’s 4.2-litre V8 was a little too limp-wristed and that the estimated 334kW+ of the upcoming RS5 may be a tad too intimidating, then Audi might soon have the perfect middle ground for you.

A handful of journalists were recently invited by Audi to sample their latest development mule, dubbed (for now at least) the S5 Evo. Cosmetically identical to the S5, the Evo differs greatly under the skin. Up front, a tuned version of the S5’s V8 pumps approximately 313kW into Audi’s new seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox, with power then fed to each wheel via the brand’s familiar Quattro all-wheel-drive system.

It’s still too early to tell when (and if) we’ll see the Evo added to the S5 lineup, not to mention how much it’ll cost. Audi won’t be drawn on specs or launch dates, but the fact that the automaker was confident enough to hand a bunch of motoring scribes the keys to what are essentially R&D prototypes, suggests that there’s a reasonable degree of intent on Audi’s part to bring the S5 Evo to the masses - and soon.

We’ll keep you posted.

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