Car Review: New Audi A5 Coupé
It’s been ten years since Audi first introduced its A5 Coupé to the South African market and now, 2017 sees the second-generation, all-new Audi A5 and S5 Coupé…
Audi South Africa is feeling pretty confident and proud about the introduction of their new edition so last week I headed to Hermanus to find out what’s new on the A5.
New A5 Business Class Coupé
Although wider in size, the new Audi A5 Coupé is lighter (less 60 kg) and claimed to be more efficient than its predecessor and while much of it has been upgraded and enhanced, it still looks very familiar and holds quite a presence on the road.
Also read: Audi Q2 and Thando Hopa team up in new campaign
The exterior’s roof-line and muscular stance is still present, but inside you’ll find a brand new interior, based on the A4. The dashboard is sleek, modern and focuses on a simplistic Audi design while extended latitudinal lines, such as wider air vents, add to the feeling of spaciousness.
Other new exterior features include sleeker headlights, a new grille and optional LED or Matrix LED headlights with dynamic turn signals, to name a few.
Driving the new A5 Coupé
Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to drive the new S5, however I did have the opportunity to try out the new A5 2-litre TFSI Quattro model as well as the TDI and a couple of things stood out for me:
- Light steering makes driving a dream when you switch to ‘Dynamic Suspension’ mode. Driving in other modes (like ‘Comfort’) when overtaking on big open roads makes for a bit of an uncomfortable, jittery experience from the front of the vehicle, but I loved that there’s a choice of driver modes in the first place.
- There’s loads of space inside! Way more than you’d expect from a coupé. Tall people might not mind sitting at the back as headroom and legroom is still ample. You’ll also find all sorts of little storage compartments inside.
- The new A5’s interior might not be as dramatic as some other new coupés but the quality of materials used inside is something to note. Everything feels great to touch, it’s soft and refined and some might prefer that it’s doesn’t have a cluttered dashboard and instrument panel.
- The A5 comes with a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and a Damper Control system to adjust the suspension for each road condition to assist Drive Select. In other words, suspension is automatically adjusted for each road condition when using Audi’s Drive Select.
- Lately, my gripe with several new cars has been the struggle with connecting my phone. Thankfully, connectivity in the new A5 is seamless and I didn’t have to spend all of eternity trying to set it all up – thanks, Audi!
So what comes as standard?
As standard in the new A5 Coupé you can expect 17-inch alloy wheels, a luggage compartment lid (which opens automatically), Dynamic Suspension, a space-saving spare wheel, and a multifunction leather steering wheel. Auto drive select, cruise control and ISOFIX child seat anchorage points are also standard.
Engine line-up
Audi has launched three engines for the new A5 in South Africa: two TFSI and one TDI unit. Power output ranges between 140 kW and 185 kW -17% more performance than its predecessor.
The 2-litre TFSI engine, which produces 140 kW and 320 N.m of torque, can sprint from 0 to 100 km/hour in 7,7 seconds. But the engine to mention is the four-cylinder 2-litre TFSI quattro, which produces 185 kW and 370 N.m of torque and is coupled with quattro all-wheel drive. This variant sprints from 1 to 100 km/hour in just 5.8 seconds.
The TDI engine, also in the form of a four-cylinder 2-litre, produces 140 kW of power and 400 N.m or torque. This engine will be available in front wheel drive as well as quattro while Audi notes that customers can choose from a base specification or a Sport Specification.
Pricing
The Audi A5 TFSI range starts at R589 000 and ends at R757 500 while the TDI variants range between R619 000 to R686 500.
The S5 Coupé 3.0 TFSI will cost you R928 000.
Audi hopes to sell around 1 000 units a year. Although the new A5 Coupé has its work cut out for it – it competes with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class – it deserves to do well and I hope it will.
Keep checking WOW’s website for an updated report including the A5’s flagship, the S5!