Audi has revealed the all-new A5 Coupe and all-new S5 overnight at an event held in their corporate headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany, taking the latest version of the A4 saloon and crafting a sportier, more stylish two door version.
The exterior design – and there’s no getting around it – is an evolution of the body that we’ve grown quite used to seeing from Audi. A similarly reserved approach was given to the A4 and the R8 when they were the generational revision. Like those cars, the A5’s lines have been sharpened up, departing from the rounder and subtler undulations of previous Audis – for better or worse.
The front fascia will be instantly familiar if you’ve seen the new (B9) A4, and to a lesser degree, so will the car’s rear. To those acquainted with the previous A5 Coupe, the silhouette remains almost untouched. While it’s easy to gripe over these lapses in opportunity for meaningful and exciting designs, Audi says that the A5 has got it where it counts, and that the true measure of their achievements lie under the car’s familiar skin.
Speaking of which, the new A5 has a very low drag coefficient of just 0.25 Cd, which should be very helpful if fuel conservation is a priority. Buyers of the A5 Coupe can customise it with multiple trim lines for that sportier look, but for the full treatment, we’d have to look at the new S5 Coupe that was revealed alongside.
Until the even hotter RS5 arrives, the S5 is the king of the Audi coupe hill, sporting a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 TFSI engine that generates 260kW and 500Nm of torque, which is 15kW more than the outgoing car, and good for a 4.7 second sprint to 100km/h. The S5 gains quad tailpipes, new front air intake trim, and a larger rear diffuser.
As for the rest of the A5 range, it will be available globally with up to five engine choices: two TFSI petrols and three TDI diesels, carried over from the A4, with power outputs ranging from 140kW to 210kW. Audi claims they offer up to 17 percent more performance while using up to 22 percent less fuel.
The 2.0-litre TFSI petrol and TDI diesels will paired with either a 7-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch transmission or a 6-speed manual whereas the larger 3.0-litre TFSI in S5 and the 3.0-litre V6 TDI can be optioned with an eight-speed tiptronic that replaces the S-Tronic. The smaller-engine versions will be front driven while the 3.0-litre cars will have Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive as standard.
The A5 sits on Audi’s new and improved MLB platform (MLB Evo) shared with the B9-generation A4, shedding up to 60kg over the previous car due to its use and distribution of lightweight materials in manufacturing.
Audi is also bringing their Virtual Cockpit to the A5, letting a high-resolution screen replace the analogue gauge cluster with dynamic information, while the dashboard (including 7-inch central infotainment screen), switchgear, and front seats seem to be lifted directly out of the four door saloon, which is no bad thing.
Audi Australia said that the all-new A5 Coupe and S5 will arrive on our shores during the first half of 2017, with specific pricing and variant information due to be revealed as the local introduction nears.
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