That the A5 Sportback could fit into three segments without complaint illustrates how Audi is set to become the top dog in premium cars, writes
MICHAEL McALEER
THE SIGHT of convoys of Trabants puttering around Berlin during the 20th anniversary celebrations for the fall of the Wall serves as a timely reminder that not every car to come out of the industrial heartland of Europe was an engineering triumph.
The Trabis spew out more CO2 than the average industrial estate and are not the workhorses some would have you believe. Yet, they are relatively simple to repair. There's a certain honesty in the Trabi's engineering. They might comprise little more than a sewing machine engine and a couple of metal springs, but the Germans in the East still managed to cobble together transport for the masses.
Germans have an enviable ability when it comes to building things well. It's like a nation of MacGyvers, complete with mullets and fondness for 1980s kitsch. Locked behind the Wall, the Eastern engineers simply made do with what was to hand.
In the West, their industriousness proved more financially rewarding. In the market where engineering prowess is demanded as the norm - the premium sector - the dominance of the three brands tells its own tale. No one else has matched the triad of Mercedes, BMW and more recently Audi when it comes to making premium cars.
Audi was for decades regarded as the also-ran in this premium race. Not any more. Arguably since the arrival of the bauhausian-designed TT, the brand has began a full-frontal assault on its Teutonic peers. We are rapidly approaching a time when Audi matches its rivals in terms of sales. Initial estimates for next year suggest they are within striking distance of its rivals in several key markets.
Mercedes lacks viable entrants in the higher volume premium entry segment. BMW has busied itself trying to shoehorn niche models like the X6 and the new 5 Series GT onto the market, with limited success. When it concentrates on the big volume models, it succeeds, but it seems distracted by some of its quirkier models.
Those who work for the four rings seem to be singularly focused. Even when the company does niche, it's only a matter of degrees from the mainstream.
Take this A5 Sportback, which Audi describes as creating a new niche. It claims this car "does not fit into familiar categories. It defines a class of its own." That's true in part, but on the scale of innovation, adding a hatchback format to a coupe is not quite on a par with an SUV sports car. Ignore the marketing spin and the A5 Sportback could fit into three current segments without complaint.
In reality, buyers are more likely to regard it as a smart alternative to a saloon. There may be a few buyers won over from the two-door coupe market, but most will regard it as a compromise in terms of design, and stick with the regular A5.
It's really just the same as the A4 inside, except for a smidgeon less headroom. Even then, adults won't have any problems in the back. Or rather two adults, for there is one glaring error in the interior package: the rear bench is designed for two occupants rather than three. That's a pity, for the whole ethos of the car is to offer coupe exterior styling with saloon interior practicality. Surely that should mean a three-seater bench in the back?
On a more positive note the rear bench does fold flat with a flick of a lever, and this opens up 980 litres, so it meets the demands of A4 owners.
One big boon of the Audi is that there's a strong range of engines on offer. The test car featured the 2-litre TFSI petrol, but the 2-litre diesel with 167bhp is likely to be the big seller here, and having tested it in the A4 format, it has all the punch most drivers will need.
Five engines are offered in Ireland, but it's these two that will dominate sales. Both have ample power on tap, and never feel overburdened or close to running out of pep. We were never a fan of Audi's multitronic transmission, but this S-tronic format performs well.
The revised rear format doesn't change the driving dynamics: it's a taut and relatively agile competitor. There is a little more road noise than in the A4, but it only really becomes an issue on open motorway stretches.
The A5 Sportback is a real challenger to a host of models. It carries on from the chiselled styling of the A5 coupe, but makes it more amenable to family motoring. It's better priced than the regular coupe version, coming in at €1,200 less.
Yet, the recession has thrown Irish new car prices into disarray. Cars once definitively priced outside the A5's environs now come into play, particularly with this 2-litre petrol version. Take the starting price for this car: €42,000 for a smart coupe seems like a great deal. Then consider that you can pick up some versions of the Volvo S80 for just under €35,000. Several versions of the BMW 3 Series are now vying for attention against the entry-level 5 Series.At Mercedes the new E-Class is nearly a price rival to the C-Class.
With this car when you add Quattro four-wheel-drive at €2,800 and S-tronic automatic transmission at €2,950, the A5 coupe 2-litre comes near striking distance of the Jaguar XF.
Cynics may snipe that the A5 Sportback is nothing more than a premium hatchback. Irish buyers do love a separate boot. Yet its styling is just too smart to be dismissed in such a cavalier way.
The ability to garner more practicality from a coupe can be traced recently to the innovative four-door Mercedes CLS. Since then a host of copycat variants have arrived on the market. Unfortunately for Mercedes, the pioneering spirit of its larger coupe has not quite worked its way down to the C-Class range. The CLC is out of its depth and the CLK doesn't match the A5's practicality.
It's likely that A5 buyers will pay a visit to the options list. While the in-car sat-nav system is simply too expensive at €4,047, the 19" alloys at €2,544 are tempting.
The car comes with rear parking sensors as standard, but for the princely sum of €1,387 you get a colour reversing camera display on the MMI screen and help lines that guide you in. Frankly if you can't reverse without guiding lines, you should be buying driving lessons, not a new car. For us the best buy is an exceptionally good Bang & Olufsen sound system for €1,150.
Audi is building its model line-up from a very strong base. The A4 is a firm favourite in this camp and the A5 Sportback adds a little more panache to the offering, while retaining a great deal of practicality.
This is the sort of tweaking to accepted mainstream models that seems to make sense. It seems a perfectly sensible approach for a car brand from the sensible nation.
Factfile; Audi A5 Sportback 2.0 TFSI Quattro
Engine:1,984cc four-cylinder inline petrol engine with direct fuel injection, exhaust gas turbocharging and Audi's valvelift system, putting out 208bhp @ 4,300rpm and 350Nm torque @ 1,500rpm; six-speed manual transmission
Specification:17" alloys, 10-speaker Audi sound system, auto air-con with sun sensor, 6.5" colour screen info display, electromechanical parking brake, ESP, leather multi-function steering wheel, Xenon lights with LED daytime lights and rear LED lights. Options include: MMI navigation (€4,047), 19" alloys (€2,544), Bang & Olufsen sound system (€1,150), bluetooth phone preparation (€868)
L/100km (mpg):urban - 9.3 (30.4); extra-urban - 6.3 (44.8); combined - 7.4 (38.2)
CO2 emissions:172g/km
Tax:VRT - 28 per cent, annual motor tax - €630
Price:€51,700
CC:1,984
BHP:208 0-100km/h: 6.6 secs
Bootspace:480-980 litres
Consumption:7.4l/100km CO2 emissions: 172g/km