Sleek & Saline: 2026 Audi Anchovy RS Review

First impressions: small fish, big teeth

At first glance the Anchovy RS feels like Audi took a pocket rocket, dipped it in seawater and gave it a tasteful set of fins. The exterior is compact but aggressive: flared arches, a low roofline and a front fascia that squints like a predator at brunch. Paint options include Deep Kelp Green and Silver Sardine, both of which make the car look faster while it’s still warming up.

Inside, the cabin is Audi: minimalist, taut, and finished with more brushed aluminum than a Scandinavian fishing trawler. Seats clamp you into a supportive hug that says, "you probably shouldn’t eat a full sandwich before the track," and the steering wheel feels like it was hewn from optimism and carbon fiber.

Under the hood: a surprising bit of bite

Engineers stuffed a 2.5-liter inline-five into the nose, turbocharged and tuned to behave like a much larger motor. Output is listed at 480 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque — numbers that make you nod and then grin. Power delivery is linear with a delicious mid-range shove that makes merging onto a motorway feel like declaring dominance.

• Engine: 2.5L I5 turbo
• Power: 480 hp
• Torque: 420 lb-ft
• Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch
• Drive: Quattro all-wheel drive with dynamic torque vectoring

The dual-clutch gearbox snaps shifts with surgical precision when you ask for it, and will happily behave in a civilized commute mode if you resist the temptation to row through gears manually. Quattro all-wheel drive feels less like traction control and more like a driving coach whispering, "Yes, you can take that corner faster." Torque vectoring sharpens turn-in and keeps understeer at bay, even when the road tilts and your grin widens.

On the road: currents, curves and composure

On the open road the Anchovy RS is a paradox: taut and composed, yet willing to be playful. The adaptive dampers do a masterful job of balancing ride comfort and cornering stiffness. Hit a pothole hard enough to send a smaller hatch into existential crisis, and the Anchovy merely blinks and keeps chewing through tarmac.

Steering weight is communicative without being hyper-competitive. You get a nice flow of information through the wheel — surface texture, lateral Gs and the faint memory of every lane you've ever changed in emergency. The car's limits are sharp but generous; flick it into a mid-speed bend and the rear will hint at mischief long before it lashes out.

0–60 mph clocks in around 3.6 seconds in my measured runs, which matches the factory claims closely. Top speed is electronically limited to 186 mph — more than enough for continental cruises and fewer-than-legal fantasies. Braking is exceptional: steel rotors paired with multi-piston calipers deliver repeatable stopping power and a pedal you can trust.

Tech, ergonomics and the little luxuries

The cockpit mixes physical buttons for climate and drive modes with a crisp central touchscreen for navigation and media. Audi’s infotainment remains one of the more coherent systems on the market — quick, intuitive and readable without needing to be an Apollo astronaut.

Driver assistance packages are comprehensive: lane-keeping, adaptive cruise with smooth stop-and-go behavior, and a parking assistant that performs tight-space choreography better than I do after three espressos. Speaker system is robust — hints of bass that make you respect the driver’s playlist decisions without shaking the silverware.

Practicalities and fish smell: how marine is it, really?

Now the question you came for: does it smell like fish? Short answer: no. Audit the cabin and you’ll find no eau de ocean unless you deliberately bring a cooler of sardines. The "fish" motif is mostly aesthetic and marketing whimsy — tasteful trim, knurled knobs named after tackle, and a small embossed anchovy on the drive selector for those who appreciate subtle jokes.

Space-wise, the Anchovy RS behaves like a competent small wagon. Rear seats fold easily, and cargo capacity is generous for weekend trips, surfboard-ish items (depending on your surfboard), or a trunk full of groceries after a particularly enthusiastic market visit. Fuel economy is respectable given the performance — expect mid-20s combined in normal driving and low teens if you treat the throttle like a recommendation.

Quirks and price

There are a few grumpy notes. The rear visibility is compromised by aggressive rear haunches and a sloping roof; the parking sensors help but you’ll want to rely on the cameras. The ride, while composed, can feel firm on city streets with repaired asphalt. Finally, pricing is premium — the base Anchovy RS scratches at the higher end of the segment, and options add up like barnacles on a hull.

1. Rear visibility: limited
2. Ride firmness: may feel firm on rough urban surfaces
3. Options cost: slide toward premium territory

It’s the sort of car that makes you forgive its price because it leaves you smiling at stoplights and annoyed that other cars don’t try harder.

The verdict: a small car with a big bite

The 2026 Audi Anchovy RS is a compact performance wagon that comes wrapped in Audi refinement and tuned with a little extra predatory intent. It’s playful but precise, comfortable yet engaging, and while it borrows maritime branding, the driving experience is rooted firmly in terrestrial joy.

If you want a daily driver that doubles as a weekend grin generator and you don’t mind paying for premium badges and polished hardware, the Anchovy RS is worth a serious look. If your priority is maximum cargo with the softest possible ride and the lowest possible purchase cost, this isn’t the fish for you.

Final thought: when a small car promises bite, it should either chip a tooth or at least make you feel alive. The Anchovy RS does both figuratively and literally — figuratively with its vivid driving character, literally if you clumsily open a sushi box on the passenger seat.