Over the years Audi has become known for it’s fine sports cars and it’s no wonder that even in the tough economic times we’ve faced over the last 18 months or so Audi has managed to increase it’s Australian sales figures.
Now with the Audi A5 Sportback … the third variant in the Audi A5 range … there’s sure to be even more interest in this exclusive German brand.
The Audi A5 Sportback is a five-door coupe that comes with a range of TDI and FSI engines and, while a starting price of $78,000* for the 2.0-litre TFSI and $89,000* for the 3.0-litre TDI model, isn’t going to suit everyone’s budget, this is a vehicle that plenty of people will be looking at and Audi expects it to be their volume-selling model in the A5 range.
The body
The design of the Audi A5 Sportback features four frameless doors, a large tailgate and a large luggage area as well. Its flowing lines give the A5 Sportback a drag coefficient of just 0.29 for the four-cylinder models.
The body itself is a combination of hot-shaped steel and aluminium and features invisible joins between the side of the car and the roof.
The interior
The Audi A5 Sportback is designed as a four-seater and the seats that come standard in the vehicle can be replaced with optional sports seats with large side bolsters, extendable thigh rests and adjustable lumber support.
The front seats offer their own individual climate control with small fans with an automatic heating function ensure that the driver and passenger are kept comfortable.
All seats come with leather upholstery fitted as standard but you can upgrade to Valcona leather as an option.
The luggage compartment features a low lip and in normal configuration has 480 litres of storage space. If you fold the rear seats down the storage capacity increased to 980 litres.
The engines
Initially the Audi A5 Sportback will only be available with one petrol and one diesel engine.
The diesel is a 3.0-litre V6 TDI that is definitely state of the art. Its crankcase is made of vermicular graphite cast iron, a sophisticated type of cast iron that is particularly lightweight and strong.
A bundle of complex measures improve efficiency by reducing the internal friction of the crankshaft drive. The V6 TDI unit also features variable geometry turbochargers, common rail piezo injection systems and a high-performance exhaust gas recirculation system.
Power is delivered to all four wheels via a seven-speed S tronic gearbox and this combination produces 176kW of power and 500Nm of torque and will take the diesel A5 Sportback from 0-100km/h in just 6.1 seconds. The top speed is electronically limited to 247km/h.
The average fuel economy for the 3.0-litre TDI is 6.6L/100km.
The 2.0-litre petrol engine features an adjustable intake cam shaft and two balance shafts for low-vibration operation as well as advanced fuel injection technology.
The Audi A5 Sportback 2.0-litre TFSI produces 155kW of power and 350Nm of torque and powers all wheels via the same gearbox that comes with the diesel version. This combination will take the five-door couple from 0-100km/h in 6.6 seconds and give a top speed of 241km/h.
The average fuel economy for the 2.0-litre TFSI is 7.5L/100km
Safety and creature comforts
The Audi A5 Sportback comes with eight airbags, three-zone air conditioning with sun sensor, concert sound system, Xenon Plus headlights, cruise control and a whole lot more.
A full list of the A5 Sportback’s standard equipment appears below.
The Audi A5 Sportback variant will go on sale in Australia in February. You’ll need to contact your Audi dealer for the full on-road price
Full List of Standard Features
– 4 frameless doors
– Large tailgate
– 8 airbags – Full-size airbag for driver and front passenger, with seat position sensors, adaptive airbag for driver and front passenger; side airbags (thorax-pelvis airbag at the front); head airbag system
– Alloys wheels – 17” 6-arm design for 2.0 TFSI and 18” 10 spoke design for 3.0 TDI
– Exterior mirrors of new design
– 6.5-inch colour screen
– Audi music interface
– Electric front and rear windows
– Electromechanical parking brake
– 3 zone Automatic air conditioning, with sun sensor
– Concert sound system with single-disc CD player
– Servotronic – power steering, speed-dependent
– Multifunction, leather-covered sports steering wheel
– ESP with electronic front axle differential lock (for front-wheel drive)
– quattro with sports differential
– S tronic transmission (standard on quattro variants)
– Bluetooth mobile phone prep
– Full keyless entry and start function
– Audi Parking system, rear only for 2.0TFSI
– Audi Parking system, front and rear for 3.0 TDI
– Xenon Plus headlights with LED daytime driving lights
– Cruise control
– Front centre armrest
– Interior lighting package
– Electric front seats with 4-way lumbar support
– Milano leather seats
– Split-folding rear seats
* All prices quoted in this article are manufacturer’s list price and do not include statutory and dealer-delivery charges.