Seven years in the making, the A5 and S5 Sportback are A7 mini-me’s, or four-door versions of the A5 and S5 coupes…depending how you look at it.
Mercedes-Benz truly pioneered the popular four-door coupe trend to the point where Audi made its own competitor, the A7.
Subsequently, other rivals followed suit with mainstream automakers producing their own four-door coupe-like sedans. Eventually, they simply adopted the look entirely.
Because the formula ended up being one of the next biggest things to automotive sliced bread, car makers began making four-door coupes in all sorts of sizes too. BMW led the way with the 4-Series and 6-Series Gran Coupes. Mercedes introduced the CLA-Class.
Now, Audi has the new A5 and S5 Sportback. And the second-generation model was recently revealed ahead of its Paris debut.
Basically miniaturized versions of the Audi A7 and S7 Sportback, the A5 and S5 finally brings Audi to the fight against the BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe.
You may also look at the A5 and S5 Sportback as four-door versions of the coupes.
Either way, both offer a greater amount of practicality than the their two-door brethren.
The exterior sports design cues inspired by the recent Prologue Concept from the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. The interior gains extra shoulder room and overall interior caring length, adding more space to accommodate more occupants. Thanks to the long, sloping roof, more trunk space is readily available.
With a body primarily made of aluminum and a wide variety of other “intelligent” materials, the A5 Sportback takes the title as the lightest in the segment. The result is a diet of around 33.1 pounds than the outgoing model.
The new Audi A5 engine choices range between two TFSI gasoline engines and three TDI versions. Figures start at 190 horsepower and top out at 286hp, with Audi claiming a reduction of fuel consumption by 22 percent with an increase of power by 17 percent overall.
Transmission choices include a six-speed manual, a seven-speed S ironic dual-clutch, or a traditional automatic with eight forward beers. Front-wheel drive is standard across the A5 line with quattro all-wheel drive optional in two variants. Quattro is standard for the 3.0 TDI version with 286hp.
The Audi S5 Sportback is the enthusiast’s choice with a 3.0-liter turbocharged, gasoline TFSI V6. It propels the S5 from 0-62 miles per hour in just 4.7 seconds. Quattro all-wheel drive and the eight-speed tiptronic are both standard.
The Audi A5 Sportback gets a new g-tron model with a 2.0L TFSI gasoline engine. But thanks to clever technology, it can run on either natural gas or traditional gas.
The new A5 and S5 Sportback hit German showrooms and other European countries at the beginning of 2017.
Prices begin at 37,800 EUR for the A5 and 62,500 EUR for the S5.
– By: Chris Chin
Source: Audi
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