FirstDrive: Audi A5/S5Paddy Comyn took the new Audi A5 out for a spin . . .
Once upon a time the Audi range was quite simple. They had a small variety of boxy saloons and one coupé. But like so many manufacturers from their native Germany, they have cast the nets a lot wider and are exploring every niche and cranny to make sure that no customer goes un-hustled.
Audi is enjoying a bumper year for sales across Europe, and indeed on our own shores thanks to their increasing ability to give their customers more choice. However, up to now there was one glaring omission from their range and that was a car to take on the BMW 3-Series Coupé.
Enter the Audi A5.
The new car has the ever-popular BMW variant firmly within its sights and uses styling cues and the platform that will feature in the next A4 saloon, which is due to take a bow at September's Frankfurt Motor Show. The car was designed by Walter de'Silva, Audi's Italian head of design, and the man responsible for some beautiful designs for Seat and Alfa Romeo.
He says it is the most beautiful car he has designed and he can be rightly chuffed with himself. In the metal this car looks elegant and purposeful, with hardly a straight line in sight.
It might not instantly stir the soul like some Alfa Romeo's do visually, but from the reaction of the locals in the Italian town of Verona, de'Silva has not done a bad job.
Despite its links to the next A4, this big coupé is wider than the forthcoming saloon and while there are four seats, as so often is the case with this type of car, the rear seats are for children or small adults only.
Up front, however, there is generous room for driver and passenger and this extra width is welcome, with plenty of shoulder and elbow room.
As you would expect, the fit and finish of the car is first class. Granted our test cars were kitted out with the whole arsenal of Audi options, and you may find that Irish models could be a little less adorned, but in terms of the materials used and the overall fit and finish then Audi's reputation for getting this area right looks set to continue.
When the A5 arrives in Ireland in July, it will come with a choice of engines.
These will be made up of a 2.7-litre and 3.0-litre TDi diesel engines with 190bhp and 238bhp, a six-cylinder 3.2-litre petrol with 265bhp and a Multitronic transmission and at the top of the range, there is the S5 high-performance version with a 4.2-litre V8 putting out 354bhp and adorned with all the styling features that you would expect of a car bearing the S designation.
WE TRIED THREE of these at the launch, starting with the high-performance S6 which firstly looked ferocious and had the soundtrack to match. Audi really knows a thing or two about V8s and the bark from this S6 is audio erotica. The performance, as you can imagine is quite useful too. 0-100km/h takes a mere 5.1 seconds with the speed, as is the norm, limited to a "sensible" 250km/h.
The S5 has the minerals, but straight away two things blotted its copybook, and they were over light steering and a notchy gearbox. There were ferocious levels of grip, but as is so often the case with Audi cars there was just not enough information coming through the steering wheel, and the jerkiness of the gearbox translated into equally jerky gearshifts.
Having said that, for a car of this type the road manners were surprisingly good and there was little of the harsh crashing in the ride that is so often a drawback to this type of car.
In the back of your mind you are aware that this being the S5, there is more to follow in the guise of a 420bhp RS5 version and that is sure to have the full-fat experience.
Until then, the S5 offers a slightly less frantic alternative, but at €85,000 it will be a choice that won't be taken lightly.
Next up was the 3.2-litre V6 petrol. This is a torquey engine and it is mated to an eight-speed Multitronic transmission which is a good unit that doesn't get confused or confusing as this many ratios might imply. It works well as an automatic, and also as a manual shifter via paddles or a tiptronic-style lever, and feels a lot like Audi's excellent DSG transmission.
However, the highlight of the range is without doubt the 3-litre TDi diesel. While many might think that opting for a diesel in a car of this genre is something of a sin, of the cars we tested at the launch, this felt the most accomplished. The steering felt a lot more connected to the wheel than the flagship S5 and the V6 diesel with its awesome 500Nm of torque sounded as good as it felt.
Even the gearbox felt smoother and unlike many diesels, this unit is not afraid to rev either. All this torque and power allows you to munch through bends on a back road and also allow for relaxed motorway driving. Add to this the infinitely better fuel economy offered by the diesel unit and this is the car that would get our vote.
The fact that it is €20,100 less expensive than the S5 might also raise an eyebrow or two. In fact, it is a better car than the flagship model.
All of the models coming initially will be SE spec, and with this you get such items as air conditioning, xenon-plus headlights and 17-inch alloy wheels. The S5 model comes with all the bells and whistles attached, including 18-inch alloy wheels, sports seats and sports suspension.
Prices start at €60,850 for the 2.7-litre TDi, €64,900 for either the front-wheel drive 3.2-litre petrol or 3-litre diesel, €65,250 for a quattro version of the 3.2-litre, and €85,500 for the flagship S5. Expect a smaller engined 1.8-litre with 170bhp this autumn. A convertible will follow next year.
Sales start in July.
Factfile: Audi A5 / S5
PETROL ENGINES: 3.2-litre 265bhp V6 / S5 4.2-litre 354bhp V8
DIESEL ENGINES: 2.7-litre 190bhp Multitronic / 3.0-litre 238bhp 6-speed manual
PERFORMANCE:
3.2-litre V6 - Max Speed 250km/h 0-100 km/h 6.1 secs
4.2-litre V8 - Max Speed 250 km/h (limited) 0-100 km/h: 5.1 secs
2.7-litre V6 TDi - Max Speed 232 km/h 0-100 km/h: 7.6 secs
3.0-litre V6 TDi - Max Speed 250 km/h (limited) 0-100 km/h: 5.9 secs
FUEL ECONOMY:
3.2-litre V6 - 8.7 l/100km CO2: 207 g/km
4.2-litre V8 - 12.4 L/100 km CO2: 298 g/km
2.7-litre V6 TDi - 6.7 L/100 km CO2: 178 g/km
3.0-litre V6 TDi - 7.2 L/100 km CO2: 191 g/km
A5 sales start in July with the 3-litre diesel and S5. The rest of the model variants will enter the market towards the end of the year.