Audi A5: First Look

Motoring Channel Staff - 21/Mar/2007

Melbourne, Australia — It was never really a full fledged secret, but now it's official: Audi will build a BMW 3 Series Coupe rival, the A5.

Measuring 4.63 metres long, the Audi A5 can be considered the 2-door A4 model, but its design purports to something more sophisticated. It's a 4-seater, and with a trunk volume of 455 litres the A5 is a 'practical' coupe, that has fewer compromises than the Audi TT.

Launched almost simultaneously at both the 2007 Melbourne and Geneva Motor Shows, the A5 is a sporty and sophisticated new model that probably won't light up the sales charts, but will provide Audi with a very powerful 'image' model.

Though it is a 2-door coupe model, it's a much larger car than the Audi TT, with enough boot space for golf bags to fit horizontally and a range of engines will be offered, spanning 4 and 6-cylinder engines in both the petrol and diesel ranges.

There is also the S5 model, powered by a 4.2-litre petrol V8. Click here to see the images of the S5 and read about its inner workings.

The A5 will be offered with both manual and automatic transmissions, and will be available in both front- and all-wheel drive. It is based on a new platform that gets new front suspension (with 5-link suspension arrangement and upper and lower wishbones), new steering, and the engine is pushed further back than the current A4. Coincidentally, the new A4 will sit on the same platform as the A5 when it launches later in 2007.

The all-new A5 will hit the streets of Europe in June, and Australian deliveries of the smooth German coupe are expected in the final quarter of 2007, possibly as early as November.

Exterior Design

The man behind the A5's design, Italian-born Walter de'Silva, has designed most of Audi's new vehicles since 2002, and he is often regarded as one of the key architects behind Audi's current prosperity.

His latest design, like much of the current Audi range, is conservative, but still sporty and with a visible performance intent.

Audi says that the A5's progressive design gives the new coupé an appearance that is both elegant and dynamic, and that for coupé buyers, emotion plays a major role in their choice of car -- the most important reason to buy, in the case of a sporty 2-door car, is the design. 

"The Audi A5 is the most beautiful car I have ever designed," said Walter de'Silva, the head of design at Audi.

From almost any angle, the A5 is easily discernible as an Audi, and it's design takes cues from the Nuvolari quattro concept car first seen in 2003 (also designed by de'Silva). With its inspiration already there, the A5's progressive design shows off a traditional coupe shape, together with matching proportions: it's low and wide with a short front overhang and a steeply angled rear windscreen that lends has sporty connotations.

The A5's front end is typical Audi, dominated by the large single-frame grille. The headlights are also typical Audi - they're far from daring - though larger air inlets below these reinforce the impression of width.

The rear end of the car sees a more divergent design, with brake lights that appear to borrow a few lines from the BMW 3 Series Coupe. 

Like most modern Audi designs, the wheel arches are somewhat exaggerated to give the car a more muscular stance, but there are a number of smaller details that separate the A5 from both its rivals and its relatives.

The headlights feature a strip of eight integrated LEDs as the daytime running lights, adding a sophisticated edge to the cars face, and the rear end also features a small upward 'kink' that improves aerodynamics slightly, but also looks very trendy.

A lot of attention was also paid to making the A5 an aerodynamic vessel, and Audi says that smooth surfaces of an additional underbody panel enhance this, as do the tiny spoilers moulded into the sides of the tail lights.

Interior Design

Like a prestige A4 model with more style and fewer doors, the equipment levels are high for a car of this size. Standard specification for all models includes 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic air conditioning, the MMI information and operating system, an audio system with CD player and separate screen, and an the automatically opening boot lid. 

The new comfort key and the electromechanical parking brake are also among the items included in the standard package.

For those who love options, there's a big list, including the following:

Adaptive/Cornering Xenon headlights
Keyless doors/boot/engine ignition
Tri-zone deluxe auto air conditioning
Panoramic glass tilting roof
 Reverse parking camera
DVD satellite navigation
DAB digital radio reception
DVB TV reception
Premium 500W Bang & Olufsen stereo (14 speakers)

Audi is also espousing a highly customisable interior concept for A5 buyers, where potential owners can specify seat side sections in stone blue Valcona leather, says Audi. This may be accompanied by seat centre sections in star silver leather, with matching interior headlining also in star silver. The options appear to be many, with highlights spanning from aluminium hologram inlays to laurel wood. Audi will also offer its popular "S line" packages, which add motor sports-inspired front and rear bumpers and larger 18-inch alloy wheels on the outside, and sports seats, steering wheel and gear lever for the inside.

The interior design itself is described as ergonomic and functional by Audi, but we'll wait for the Editor's road test before the Motoring Channel passes judgement. Seeing as the A5 is aiming at a more prestigious market than the A4, it will be more expensive and thusly, will have a higher quality interior, characterised by the driver-focused cockpit that brings together the instruments and the centre console to form one unit.

Engine Types

Offered in both front- and all-wheel drive (quattro), the new A5 will benefit from Audi's extensive engine range, featuring four engines spanning from highly efficient diesel engines to high-revving petrol motors. They engine range is as follows:

• Petrol
  1.8-litre 4-cylinder: 125kW (170hp)
  3.2-litre 6-cylinder: 195kW (265hp)

• Diesel
  2.7-litre 6-cylinder: 140kW (265hp)
  3.0-litre 6-cylinder: 176kW (240hp)

Audi has revealed that the top-of-the-range petrol engine in the Audi A5 is a new 3.2-litre FSI. This engine now features new a valvelift system, which provides an appreciable increase in engine efficiency, reducing the running costs of the car(average fuel consumption is only 8.7L/100km).

In total, 195kW (265hp) of power is offered from the 3.2-litre V6 mill, with torque of 330Nm from 3000rpm, ensuring strong acceleration at all times. In terms of real-world performance, the 2007 model A5 3.2 FSI quattro takes 6.1 seconds to go from zero to 100km/h (with the manual 6-speed gearbox), and like all Audi's the top speed is governed at 250km/h.

The second petrol engine in the A5 range is an all-new 4-cylinder turbo engine, which will be coupled with a front-wheel drive setup. Likely to be the entry-level model, the A5 1.8 TFSI delivers 125kW (170hp) thanks to its direct injected and turbocharged structure, but because the engine is still being developed (and won't be available in Europe until the third quarter of 2007)fuel economy figures were not available.

Two diesel engines will be offered, the first being a 2.7-litre V6 that outputs 140kW (190hp) and combines with front-wheel drive and multitronic gearbox (CVT) for the comfort-minded coupé driver. Audi adds that its average fuel economy of 6.7L/100 km will add appeal, as will its decent acceleration time of just 7.6 seconds from zero to 100km/h.

Finally, the 3.0-litre V6 TDI - an engine that has been used in a range of other Audi cars, such as the Q7 and A6 - will be the range-topping diesel model, and hence comes standard with quattro 4WD. The torque distribution is 40 percent of engine power to the front axle and 60 percent to the rear axle at its basic setting, while the central Torsen differential adjusts the power distribution depending on the situation and road surface grip.

Peak power for the 3.0-litre engine is 176kW (240hp) and its maximum torque is a massive 500Nm. The Audi A5 3.0 TDI quattro is also the fastest A5 in the range: Audi claims a zero to 100km/h acceleration time of 5.9 seconds, and a limited top speed of 250km/h like other models. Fuel economy is amazing for something so quick, with an averaged fuel consumption of just 7.2L/100km.

All Audi A5's will get 6-speed manual gearboxes, while only the 3.2 FSI and 2.7 TDI engines can be specified with the option CVT, or multitronic automatic gearbox, which offers a more seamless drive and can be switched to a manual mode with 8 set gears.

The Audi A5 will be a global model sold in most markets, including Europe, Asia Pacific, Australia and the Americas.

Related articles:
- Audi S5 (2007)
- Audi RS 4 (Road Test)
- Audi S4 (Road Test)
- Audi A6 (Road Test)
- Audi A8 (Road Test)
- Audi TT Roadster (2007)
- Audi R8 (2007)
- Audi Q7 V12 (2007)
- Audi S3 (2007)
- Audi S6 (2007)