Driving Impression: Audi A5 Coupé

I remember driving the Audi S5 Coupé around the Red Star Raceway on a sunny, Highveld winter’s day in September, 2015. Now this was a car that made my heart pump 100 % Belgian chocolate!

The A5 has been a design icon for Audi ever since it launched in 2007. Apart from the TT which I adore and of course, the raucous R8 which bedazzles me every time I lay my eyes on it, the outgoing A5 was another car that whispered to me softly. Will the new A5 do the same? I attended the local launch in the Western Cape, to find out.


New looks
In my opinion, the newly styled A5 Coupé has lost some of its youthful, classical, sporty character, and seems to morph into more of an executive sedan. Yet, it isn’t a sedan, it’s a coupé. But looking at it doesn’t give me that devil-may-care, coupé feeling -  it’s almost like the new A5 is built to appeal to a slightly more mature audience. I think it’s lovely, but not AS lovely, as the previous.

Frank Lamberty, Audi design boss, had his work cut out. Improving on a winning recipe doesn’t always end well – yet him and his team did their utmost. I find the most appealing part of the new A5 Coupé to be the heavily sculpted, longer, and more rounded engine hood. The single frame grille is flatter and wider too, and the sweeping ‘tornado’ shoulder line is still there, emphasizing the quattro-lineage.

At the rear, I’m quite enticed by the new (optional) Matrix LED tail-lights with sequential turn signals – even though I prefer the actual shape of the rear lights in the outgoing model. On the inside, the horizontal, elongated dashboard is more conservative saloon than dynamic coupé. Of course, it’s all beautifully appointed, minimalistic and elegant, and the quality of materials used can’t be bettered. But I miss that sporty spirit that filled me in the previous A5 Coupé’s cabin. The screen that now sits atop the dash, used to be integrated – and that, too, felt more athletic. 

So, what else is new?
Apart from a brand new chassis and a good 60 kg of weight lost, there’s new electromechanical power steering that adapts to your speed of travel. Dynamic steering is an option which varies its gear ratio, depending on the steering angle. The new A5 Coupé has an all-time-low drag co-efficient of 0.25.

The interior is also more spacious, thanks to the longer wheelbase. Boot size is increased to 465 litres from 455, and if you fit the optional gesture-control option, opening it is as easy as swinging your foot underneath. The Audi Virtual cockpit and MMI rotary dial with pushbutton and trackpad is also carried over into the new A5, while MMI navigation is an option inclusive of Audi Connect, allowing up to 8 devices to be connected via Bluetooth. Wireless charging for Qi-compatible devices is also available. Adaptive Cruise Control with Traffic Jam Assist is also a new in the A5 Coupé. Cameras and radar assist the A5 in stop-and-go traffic, which means it can accelerate and stop autonomously, as well as keep you safely in your lane.

Engines
These have been tweaked for increased efficiency and power as well. In SA, we’ll be getting two TFSI-derivatives and one TDI-unit. Both see an increase in power of 17 percent, while sipping at 22 percent less fuel.

There’s a four-cylinder 2.0T FSI-engine producing 140 kW and 320 Nm of torque, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.7 seconds. This engine has a claimed combined fuel consumption of 5.1 litres per 100 km, while being exempt from CO2 tax with an emissions figure of 117 g/km.

The other petrol engine is also a four-cylinder 2.0T FSI-engine with 185 kW and 370 Nm of torque, coupled with quattro all-wheel drive. 
This variant will complete the 0-100km/h sprint in 5.8 seconds while consuming 5.9 l per 100 km (claimed) in a combined cycle.

The only TDI-engine available, will be a four-cylinder 2.0 TDI producing 140 kW of power and 400 Nm of torque. This diesel engine has a claimed consumption of 4.1litres /100 km, while also being exempt from emissions taxation with a figure of 107 g/km. This engine will be available in front-wheel drive and quattro.

In the driver’s seat
Our first section of the launch route was behind the wheel of the Audi A5 Coupé 2.0 TDI 140kW S tronic (R619 000).
The strange thing was that neither me nor my co-driver could really notice that we were even driving a diesel-derivative. You cannot hear it whilst accelerating, and at standstill, it’s only once the windows are open that you realize you are indeed inside an oil-burner. Acceleration is ridiculously smooth, and quick. Steering is a little on the light side for my liking – even in Dynamic Mode I was left wanting more weightiness. This seems to be a new German trend –  the BMW 440i has the same issue. 

The Rawsonville to Hermanus-leg of the route was perfectly suited to the Grand Touring-nature of the Audi A5 Coupé 2.0T FSI 185kW Quattro S tronic Sport (R757 500). What makes the all-wheel quattro-derivatives so easy and fun to drive is the wheel-selective torque control function, which complements the quattro-system. It works by applying the brakes ever-so-slightly on the inside curve of the wheels before they start spinning, thereby sharpening the turn-in. In other words, you don’t have to be a fantastic driver to truly enjoy the A5’s sporty characteristics. And if you never find yourself in the driver’s seat at all, but in the passenger’s, the A5 has a multitude of other talents, such as its supremely quiet cabin, cool connectivity features, and if selected, the sublime Bang & Olufsen sound system. We were blown away by the sound quality which rivals any German concert hall.

Audi S5 Coupé
The svelte new S5 has arrived too, with a completely redesigned engine. There shall be no more supercharging here – with the recent advancements in turbo-tech, Audi was able to squeeze more power and efficiency out of the latest TFSI 3.0-litre V6 powerplant purely by turbocharging. It’s up by 15 kW and now has 260 kW available to the lucky driver. Watch this space for a road test soon! 

Standard spec in the new A5
The following equipment is available as standard on the 2.0T FSI 140 kW and 2.0 TDI 140 kW:

•    17-inch alloy wheels 
•    Luggage compartment lid, automatically opening
•    Dynamic suspension
•    Space-saving spare wheel
•    Leather steering wheel in 3-spoke design with multifunction plus
•    Audi drive select
•    Reinforced bumpers
•    ISOFIX child seat mounting anchorage point for outer rear seats
•    Folding rear seat back
•    Rear head restraints
•    Interior mirror, automatically dimming, frameless
•    Full-size airbags with front passenger airbag deactivation
•    Side airbags at front and head airbag system
•    High-gloss package
•    Inlays in Micrometallic Silver
•    Exterior mirror housings painted in body colour
•    Indirect tire pressure monitoring system
•    Door sill trims with aluminium inlays
•    Xenon plus headlights and LED rear lights
•    Cruise control
•    Headlight washers
•    Automatic air conditioning
•    Driver information system with colour display
•    Audi sound system
•    Bluetooth interface
•    MMI radio plus
•    Leather/artificial leather combination
•    Ambient lighting package
•    USB and Aux interface

In addition, the Sport-models will feature the following equipment:

•    18” alloy wheels
•    Inlays in Aluminium Ellipse
•    Reinforced bumpers
•    Front sport seats
•    Line specific radiator grille, air intakes with tailpipe trims in chrome

Over and above, the following equipment will be available for the 2.0T FSI 185 kW quattro:

•    Front seats, electrically adjustable 
•    quattro, with self-locking centre differential 
•    Rear parking aid 

The Audi S5 Coupé will have the following standard equipment over and above the rest of the range:

•    19 inch alloy wheels
•    LED headlights
•    LED rear lights with dynamic indicator
•    Audi pre-sense basic
•    Comfort key
•    Door sill trims with aluminium inlays and S rhombus emblem, illuminated
•    Electrically adjustable front seats
•    Lumbar support, pneumatically adjustable with massage function
•    Fine Nappa leather trim
•    High-gloss package
•    quattro with self-locking centre differential
•    S front sports seats
•    S sports suspension
•    Sport contour leather steering wheel, 3-spoke design, flattened at the with multifunction plus


Pricing
The Audi A5 range will be priced as follows, standard with the 5 year/100 000km Audi Freeway Plan and inclusive of all taxes:

 

Audi A5 Coupé 2.0T FSI 140 kW S tronic:	R 589,000
Audi A5 Coupé 2.0T FSI 140 kW S tronic Sport:	R 623,000
Audi A5 Coupé 2.0 TDI 140 kW S tronic:	R 619,000
Audi A5 Coupé 2.0 TDI 140 kW S tronic Sport:	R 653,000
Audi A5 Coupé 2.0 TDI 140 kW quattro S tronic:	R 652,500
Audi A5 Coupé 2.0 TDI 140 kW quattro S tronic Sport:	R 686,500
Audi A5 Coupé 2.0T FSI 185 kW quattro S tronic:	R 723,500
Audi A5 Coupé 2.0T FSI 185 kW quattro Stronic Sport:	R 757,500
Audi S5 Coupé 3.0T FSI 260 kW quattro S tronic:	R 928,000

 

Audi A5 range
The introduction of the Audi A5 and S5 Coupé will be followed by the launch of the Audi A5 and S5 Sportback in May and the Audi A5 and S5 Cabriolet in July. The model range and pricing of the Audi A5 Sportback will be the same as the Audi A5 Coupé.