Audi Debuts All-New A5 and S5 Sportback

7 years after the birth of the first-generation Audi A5 Sportback, Audi has finally taken the wraps off the second-generation model ahead of its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show next month.

Styling wise, the exterior of the Audi A5 features a combination of sculpted shapes and taut surfaces that combine with a stretched wheelbase, short overhangs and long wraparound lid featuring a power dome to emphasize the athletic dynamism of this 5-door coupé. The trademark Singleframe grille is significantly flatter and wider than in the previous model, with finely-contoured headlights featuring optional LED or Matrix LED headlights with dynamic turn signals rounding up the front of the new Audi A5 Sportback.

The signature wave-pattern shoulder line on the all-new Audi A5 Sportback draws connections with its predecessor, but interpreted in a sharper and more precise manner that traces all three dimensions resulting in a striking interplay of light and shadow. With prominent wheel arches, coupé-style frameless doors and a characteristic spoiler edge of the boot, this svelte Sportback also matches sporting credentials with family-friendly functionality.

The Audi A5 Sportback is lighter than its predecessor based on advances in intelligent material composition and lightweight design that result in an overall weight reduction of 85kg, weighing in from just 1,470kg. The new Audi A5 Sportback is not just light, but it also has a drag coefficient of just 0.26.

The new Audi A5 Sportback will debut with 5 engines; 2 TFSI and 3 TDI units, each developing between 190 hp to 286 hp of power and representing a performance increase of up to 17%, whilst also consuming up to 22% less fuel. These engines are also mated with either a 6-speed manual transmission, a 7-speed S tronic dual clutch transmission or an 8 speed tiptronic.

At the top of the range sits the new Audi S5 Sportback, which is powered by a 3.0 TFSI V6 engine mated to an 8-speed tiptronic gearbox and quattro permanent all-wheel drive. It develops 354 hp of power and 500Nm of torque, which is good for a 0-100km/h time of 4.7 seconds. As a new development, the Audi A5 Sportback will also be available as a bivalent g-tron, which runs on Audi e-gas, natural gas or petrol.

The chassis is one of the highlights of the Audi A5 and S5 Sportback, offering drivers optimal comfort with no compromise on performance or agility. Equally at home whether tackling winding mountain roads or taking long trips with the family on the Autobahn, the new Audi A5 Sportback now comes equipped with an electro mechanical power steering, providing better road feedback and steering precision. Additionally, Audi also offers an optional dynamic that automatically adjust the gear ratios based on speed and steering angle.

As with all Audi vehicles, the Audi drive select dynamic handling system comes as standard, allowing the customization of engine and drivetrain settings to suit the driver’s personal preferences.

The new Audi A5 Sportback has grown significantly inside, resulting in more generous space for the driver and passengers alike.  On top of that, the Audi A5 Sportback also has one of the best in its class boot space with 480 liters of luggage capacity. Additionally, the rectangular-shaped layout of the luggage compartment, with minimal intrusions and irregularities, coupled with its one meter load-area width make it outstanding in terms of practicality and accessibility. The rear seat back also splits 40:20:40 as standard, accommodating up to 1,300 liters of space when fully folded down. Audi also offers the option of sensor control for opening and closing the standard-fit electric luggage compartment lid.

From the driver’s seat, the all-new Audi A5 Sportback allows customers to pick between analog instrument dials of the Audi virtual cockpit, a 12.3-inch high-resolution TFT monitor that presents high-quality graphics in a highly customizable layout. The optional head-up display projects all relevant information onto the windscreen as easily comprehensible symbols and digits, thus enabling the driver to keep their eyes on the road. Customers choosing the top version of the Audi infotainment system, MMI navigation plus with MMI touch automatically also get the hardware module Audi connect and the new Audi connect SIM,  which syncs up many of the assistance and safety systems in the car.

With the Audi smartphone interface, Apple Car Play and Android Auto bring the familiar smartphone environment to the car, if desired. There’s also an Audi phone box with wireless charging in the center armrest available as an option, besides the Bang & Olufsen sound system with 19 loudspeakers.

In terms of driver assistance systems, compared with the previous model, nearly all of the systems are either completely new or have been extensively updated in the new Audi A5 and S5 Sportback.

The predictive efficiency assistant helps the driver save fuel, Audi active lane assist helps keep the car on track in the driving lane, and the adaptive cruise control (ACC) Stop & Go adaptive cruise control including traffic jam assist offers the driver relief in slow-moving traffic up to a driving speed of 65 km/h by assuming the tasks of braking and accelerating the car. New and important safety features include the park assist, cross traffic assist rear, exit warning, collision avoidance assist and turn assist as well as the Audi pre sense systems. Camera-based recognition of traffic signs rounds out the lineup.

The new Audi A5 and S5 Sportback will roll into showrooms in Germany and other European countries in early 2017 with retail price of EUR37,800 for the A5 Sportback and EUR62,500 for the S5 Sportback.