Audi A5 Sportback 2.7 TDI Multitronic

DW • 66 Audi A5 Sportback 2.7 TDI multitronic The new Audi A5 Sportback is a response to the new wave of 4-door coupés that has been sweeping across the car scene over the last few seasons. The CLS from Mercedes-Benz came fi rst, and now the engineers from Ingolstadt have responded with the Audi A5 Sportback. At fi rst sight, it is a very good looking car, refl ecting its sporting nature with traces of the A5 coupé, but with its own specifi c temperament, with a slender, distinguished-looking rear. Welcome to the fi fth dimension! Concept Built on the A4 and A5 shared platform, it elegance. As witnessed by the number of But is Audi blurring the issue with the A5 has the long wheelbase (2.81 m) of the family heads that turn when the Sportback passes Sportback? Is it an A4 hatchback or an A5 car but, at only 1.39 metres high, it is still the by... with three more doors? Both: the fi rst gives same height as the coupé. Its front end also it its capacity and the second its athletic style comes from the coupé, with its frameless Mechanics and effi ciency. Actually, the A5 Sportback has doors, its wide track and short front and back It was the “small” V6 TDI engine beneath more of the saloon about it than the coupé. overhangs. Certainly, its profi le, character- the hood of the car that we tested. With a ized by the soft sloping roof, is not lacking in capacity of 2.7 litres (although there is also a DW • 67 3-litre V6 TDI), this diesel engine is available rpm!). In use, starting is impressive and it takes for 100 kilometres in the urban cycle, this car in two power levels: 163 horsepower to al- a certain amount of time to adapt compared is content with an average of barely 6.5 litres, leviate the impact of the registration tax and to using a conventional automatic gearbox, despite weighing approximately 1,800 kilos, 190 horsepower. It is the latter that we are because it is not really changing gear. Also a with two people on board and this even goes talking about, in conjunction with the multi- little disappointing is the fact that it is not pos- down to 5.5 or 6.0 litres on the motorway at tronic transmission. sible to change down through the gears to constant speed in “Comfort” mode. slow down … The system does not allow that Audi is practically the only manufacturer operating mode. The car given to Diplomatic-World was in that still has faith in this system which was fact equipped with the “Audi Drive Select” created about fi fty years ago, by Daf, but it Cruising on the motorway is a delight, vehicle dynamics system. By simply pressing a is regularly perfecting it to make it more ef- it is comfortable, and economical consi- button, the driver can choose between three fi cient and more dynamic. Standard on front- dering the performance levels provided. The modes (Comfort, Auto and Dynamic), to in- wheel drive models, this continuously variable 2.7 TDI engine has the appetite of a bird, and fl uence the engine’s response characteristic, transmission is particularly agreeable to use is equipped with a particle fi lter as standard, the shifting points in the gearbox, the suspen- and makes good use of the engine’s consi- as are all of Audi TDIs. And this has been mea- sion setting and the response of the dynamic derable torque (400 Nm from 1400 to 3250 sured Although it just touches the 8 litre mark steering system. DW • 68 Interior Inside, the A5 Sportback’s copies the dash- board in the A5 coupé exactly, in presentation and in the impeccable assemblies. Likewise, there is nothing wrong with the ergonomics. But, at the back, gone is the scantiness of the 3-door model. The amount of headroom and especially legroom – almost on a par with the A4 – indicate significant progress, as does the access. But here, as in the coupé, there are only 2, albeit excellently made, seats, the traditio- nal bench seat remaining, for the time being, the exclusive privilege of the A4. However, the 2 seats can fold down flat to leave a larger luggage area. Despite having a threshold that is quite high, the boot is really very practical, with its hatch opening wide. And they claim the capacity is 480 litres, exactly the same as the A4! As usual, we were particularly pleased with the Audi MMI interface. To date, this system still proves to be the best on-board audiovi- sual system. Thanks to its ease of use and the amount of functions offered and especially thanks to the colour display in the middle of the dials. Our test vehicle was equipped with the Bang&Olufsen audio system, for which we cannot find the words to express on paper what a unique sensory experience it was. A hard disk means that you can transfer CDs and mp3 files to create your own personal jukebox… Conclusion Walter de Silva is quite right to be proud of his design: the A5 range is indisputably one of today’s best success stories when it comes to the aesthetics of a car, even though every- one’s tastes and colours might be discussed ad infinitum. Thanks to the sleek form and technical choices, we can confirm that the Audi A5 Sportback offers both the exclusivity of a coupé and the practical appearance of a saloon. Although this combination of engine and gearbox is ideally suited, above all it is in its everyday use that people will be delighted by its versatility. The A5 Sportback starts at 32,920.00 € ex- cluding VAT. Our test model with its wonder- ful range of options came to a total value of 57,918.90 €. Information: www.audi.be Thanks to Mr. Philippe Somers, Audi Belgium..

Load more