Seven years after the first generation A5 Sportback revolutionised this segment, the new A5 makes its debut. The five-door coupé blends elegant, emotional design with high functionality and abundant interior comfort.
The second generation comes with a completely re-engineered suspension, enhanced performance and innovative driver assistance systems. This family-friendly Audi is perfectly connected, offering the latest infotainment features.
Exterior design
Audi designers have brought together dramatic shapes and athletically taut surfaces in the design of the new A5 Sportback. The dynamism of this five-door coupé is brought to life through the stretched wheelbase, the short overhangs, the long wrap-around front lid with power dome and the wider, flatter single-frame grille.
The wave-pattern shoulder line imparts the A5 Sportback with a timeless elegance and perfectly accentuates the sharp design of the car. The pronounced curves over the wheel arches underscore Audi’s quattro® DNA.
Interior
The new Audi S5 Sportback has grown significantly inside. Its interior length has gained 17 millimetres, the shoulder room for driver and front passenger by up to 11 millimetres and the rear knee room by 24 millimetres. The horizontal design of the instrument panel creates a sense of spaciousness. The optional ambient lighting with 30 colors to choose from always evokes a fitting interior mood.
With 480 litres of luggage capacity, the A5 Sportback rates among the best in its class. Audi also offers the option of sensor control for opening and closing the standard-fit electric luggage compartment lid.
Suspension
The front axle features redesigned five-link suspension, while a five-link construction replaces the trapezoidal-link rear suspension used previously. The adaptive dampers available optionally are integrated into the standard Audi drive select dynamic handling system. They make for a driving experience that is both dynamic and comfortable. The new electromechanical power steering delivers enhanced road feedback and steering precision.
Engines and drivetrain
Customers can choose between two TFSI and three TDI engine versions for the new Audi A5 Sportback. These engines produce between 190bhp and 286bhp of power. Compared with the previous model, Audi has reduced its fuel consumption by as much as 22 percent while increasing power output by up to 17 percent.
Six-speed manual transmission, seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission or eight-speed tiptronic are available. The V6 turbo engine in the new Audi S5 Sportback, featuring quattro® and eight-speed tiptronic as standard, accelerates the model from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds, and up to an electronically governed top speed of 250 km/h.
Body and equipment
The body of the new Audi A5 Sportback is the lightest in its segment. An intelligent mix of materials makes it 15 kilograms lighter than that of the predecessor. The overall weight of the new generation has fallen by as much as 85 kilograms to just 1,470 kilograms, excluding the driver.
Display and controls
Audi’s virtual cockpit will be available as an option. The fully digital instrument cluster with various display options giving the driver added convenience by putting everything in view, directly in front of the driver via a large, high-resolution TFT monitor (12.3 inches) that presents richly detailed graphics.
Infotainment
The Audi smartphone interface integrates iOS and Android mobile phones in an environment specially developed for them in the MMI. The Audi phone box connects smartphones to the on-board antenna in order to provide a superior reception quality. It also charges the smartphone inductively, without any wires, using the Qi standard.
The Bang & Olufsen Sound System with innovative 3D sound opens up the spatial dimension of height and gives the driver the sense of sitting in a concert hall. Its amplifier supplies 755 watts of power to 19 loudspeakers.
Driver assistance systems
The driver assistance systems cover a wide range of functions in the new Audi A5 Sportback. An intelligent combination of different technologies enhances safety, comfort and efficiency.
Playing a central role here is the adaptive cruise control (ACC) Stop & Go system including traffic jam assist. It assists drivers in slow-moving traffic up to a driving speed of 65 km/h by assuming the tasks of braking and accelerating the car.
The predictive efficiency assistant, which evaluates GPS information from the car’s immediate surroundings, helps to save fuel by giving specific driving advice – a unique feature in this segment.
Collision avoidance assist intervenes if the car needs to drive around an obstacle to avoid an accident. Based on data from the front camera, ACC and radar sensors it computes a recommended driving line within a fraction of a second.
The lineup is complemented by other assistance systems such as turn assist, park assist, cross traffic assist rear, exit warning, camera-based traffic sign recognition, Audi active lane assist and Audi side assist.
The new Audi A5 and S5 Sportback will roll into Irish showrooms at the start of 2017.
