I think all the usual hyperbole applies for the most part. The best way I can describe it is going from a 95 degree day to a 50 or 50 degree day and how much of a difference you feel in the hp department.
I daily drive my car so I’m fairly in tune with the way it feels in various conditions and I immediately noticed the difference in power at WOT. And as you can tell by the graph, there’s a noticeable increase in top end pull. But it generally feels more responsive across the board which is why I’m anxious to get a good look at the torque curve.
Drivability, once the car is warmed up, is perfect for the most part, just a bit of stuttering at very low rpm in 7th gear. I don’t encounter that often but if the transmission is in drive and you’re puttering along in top gear and try to accelerate, you’ll run into it. Cleared up by 2k rpm.
When the car is cold, it’s a bit snatchy and not as smooth as the OEM tune especially from a stop. I think there’s a bit of throttle hijacking going on where they’ve changed the accelerator pedal curve similar to what you can do with a Sprint booster and it’s most noticeable when the coolant/oil temps haven’t come up. I believe they’ll release an update which addresses the cold start parameters. It’s not horrible but could use a bit of improvement
But again, once near or at operating temperature, the car just feels “crisp” and snappy without loosing any refinement. And it just rips at WOT. Sounds good too, almost like they slotted a larger cam in it. I’m sure there’s a bit more overlap. It’s even more lopey at idle.
I haven’t noticed a huge hit in gas mileage although I’m averaging about 2mpg less overall per tank at the moment. But that comes down to exploring the newfound power. Frequently. I’m sure it’ll be close to what it was before once I settle down, LOL.
Once they figure out the transmission tuning, I’m expecting another 15-20hp. Maybe more with E85, who knows. Definitely the best bang for the buck in the RS5 power department right now.
Realizing the per cylinder hp improvements Audi achieves between the R8 V10 to the V10 plus, with just software and not having to take emissions into account, I think a 50hp jump total on the RS5 is a strong possibility. They’re also exploring headers and downpipes which should go nicely with their new exhaust.