Along with the recently announced RS5 Cabriolet, the RS5 Coupe remains the sole RS model sold in the US. In the latest edition of The Smoking Tire Matt Farah takes the Audi RS5 for a run on the "Snake" on California's iconic Mulholland Highway to see how it compares to the likes of the BMW M3 and Mercedes C63. In the nose sits a 4.2-liter V8 with direct injection that delivers 450 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission for a 4.5-second 0-60 mph time and a 174mph top speed.

Taking the $70k high-performance coupe down, and then up, the Snake - all in one take - Farah discovers, amongst other things, whether the front heavy RS5's Quattro all-wheel drive with torque vectoring and central diff manages to keep it planted when cornering at speed.