Audi A5 SportbackSportback – the sort of name conjured up by a marketing person who felt the word ‘hatchback’ didn’t convey the right dynamic image; and of course the car in question could have been about as sporting as a couch potato. But in truth the new A5 Sportback does look the part, every bit as elegant as the A5 coupe and cabriolet which it now joins, but with the added advantage – thanks to an increased wheelbase – of generous space for full-sized passengers with their full-sized luggage.Power choice initially is from four engines: petrol ones of 2.0 and 3.2 litres, plus diesels of 2.0 and 3.0 litres. Coming just after the launch will be one more of each: a 2.7 diesel and a lower powered 2-litre petrol. That description ‘lower powered’ is, though accurate, a wee bit misleading. The time was when an output of 180PS from two litres would have been impressive in a race car; to have it in a road car is still pretty magical, but that combination of turbocharging and direct injection from which the TFSI engines benefit has enabled some very weighty outputs. The higher powered 2-litre, when it comes, will go beyond the 100PS/litre benchmark with 211PS. For even higher TFSI outputs take a look at our review of Audi’s TT RS.My test runs were biased towards the diesel motors, as that’s what Audi had at the time. The 3-litre was, as ever, effortless to drive thanks to the vast torque that propels what is a fairly large car (a couple of inches short of a Mondeo) at rapid pace. With this engine comes quattro 4WD as standard, and our car was also fitted with what used to be known as a DSG gearbox, but is now the curiously named S tronic. Most readers will be familiar enough with the system, which uses two clutches to ensure that the automatic changes, or indeed the manually selected ones if you prefer, are almost instantaneous. The 2-litre diesel proved almost as refined, but needs far greater attention to the gear lever, for choice of too high a ratio can leave you going nowhere fast. It is of course less thirsty than the larger engine, but neither is exactly a guzzler, with the 3-litre showing 42.2mpg average and the 2-litre – the best of the range – an impressive 54.3. It’s helped by the standard fitment (on manual 2-litre cars) of Audi’s automatic Start-Stop function, which does just that. Pull up at the lights, put gear lever in neutral, and the engine stops; depress the clutch and it starts. It works well, and as time goes by the ever greater traffic levels which we’ve been promised will make it an ever more useful and money-saving piece of kit. As for road manners, they’re all we have come to expect from the vorsprung brand: great roadholding, and an immense feeling of solidity.Audi are keen to extol the virtues of their ‘drive select’ adaptive dynamics system. Buyers of the higher spec models can opt for either the ‘damper control’ which adjusts the suspension settings, or ‘dynamic steering’ which alters the steering ratio; if you’re feeling particularly flushed you can have both…..at a discount. In addition to these elements the quattro models can also be specified with a Sport Differential. Active on the rear axle, this new differential enables the quattro system not only to transfer torque between the front and rear axles to counter traction losses, but also between the rear wheels to reduce steering effort and literally push the car through a corner.Interior design of the Sportback is typical Audi, which is to say efficient looking, and slightly dull, though to be fair that’s because our cars weren’t graced with the optional lighter colour fabrics. Black was the predominant colour in ours, and the heavy leather of the seating (itself a tad unyielding) accentuated the severe Germanic feeling. On a more practical note the boot is wide and long, and thanks to the high floor you have an almost flat loadspace when the rear seatbacks are folded down.Audi currently, and for a few years to come, seems to be involved in producing a car to satisfy every possible automotive niche. So the lack of a hatchback – the body style so beloved of Brit buyers – in the A4/A5 size bracket was something up with which they were not going to put. The new Sportback fills that niche successfully, and owners won’t have to feel they’ve joined the ugly brigade for the privilege of that hatch practicality. The car is priced lower than the A5 coupe and cabrio, though some would also point out that comparing like models it looks more expensive than the similarly sized A4 saloon. Maybe, but it’s the better looking motor.Size: 4.71m x 1.85mEngines: Petrol: 2.0 to 3.2 litres – 180 to 265PS Diesel: 2.0 to 3.0 litres – 170 to 240PSGearbox: 6-speed manual, cvt auto, or 7-speedS tronicBest consumption: 2.0 diesel – 54.3mpgPrice at Sept ’09: £23,710 to £36,220Full details of the A5 Sportback available on the manufacturer’s website: www.audi.co.ukPeter CracknellSept 2009
Audi A5 Sportback
Sportback – the sort of name conjured up by a marketing
person who felt the word ‘hatchback’ didn’t convey the
right dynamic image; and of course the car in question
could have been about as sporting as a couch potato.
But in truth the new A5 Sportback does look the part,
every bit as elegant as the A5 coupe and cabriolet which
it now joins, but with the added advantage – thanks to an
increased wheelbase – of generous space for full-sized
passengers with their full-sized luggage.
Power choice initially is from four engines: petrol ones of
2.0 and 3.2 litres, plus
diesels of 2.0 and 3.0
litres. Coming just after
the launch will be one
more of each: a 2.7
diesel and a lower
powered 2-litre petrol.
That description ‘lower
powered’ is, though
accurate, a wee bit
misleading. The time was
when an output of 180PS
from two litres would
have been impressive in
a race car; to have it in a
road car is still pretty
magical, but that
combination of
turbocharging and direct
injection from which the TFSI engines benefit has
enabled some very weighty outputs. The higher powered
2-litre, when it comes, will go beyond the 100PS/litre
benchmark with 211PS. For even higher TFSI outputs
take a look at our review of Audi’s TT RS.
My test runs were biased towards the diesel motors, as
that’s what Audi had at the time. The 3-litre was, as ever,
effortless to drive thanks to the vast torque that propels
what is a fairly large car (a couple of inches short of a
Mondeo) at rapid pace. With this engine comes quattro
4WD as standard, and our car was also fitted with what
used to be known as a DSG gearbox, but is now the
curiously named S tronic. Most readers will be familiar
enough with the system, which uses two clutches to
ensure that the automatic changes, or indeed the
manually selected ones if you prefer, are almost
instantaneous.
The 2-litre diesel proved almost as refined, but needs far
greater attention to the gear lever, for choice of too high
a ratio can leave you going nowhere fast. It is of course
less thirsty than the larger engine, but neither is exactly a
guzzler, with the 3-litre showing 42.2mpg average and
the 2-litre – the best of the range – an impressive 54.3.
It’s helped by the standard fitment (on manual 2-litre
cars) of Audi’s automatic Start-Stop function, which does
just that. Pull up at the lights, put gear lever in neutral,
and the engine stops; depress the clutch and it starts. It
works well, and as time goes by the ever greater traffic
levels which we’ve been promised will make it an ever
more useful and money-saving piece of kit. As for road
manners, they’re all we have come to expect from the
vorsprung brand: great roadholding, and an immense
feeling of solidity.
Audi are keen to extol the virtues of their ‘drive select’
adaptive dynamics system. Buyers of the higher spec
models can opt for either the ‘damper control’ which
adjusts the suspension settings, or ‘dynamic steering’
which alters the steering ratio; if you’re feeling
particularly flushed you can have both…..at a discount.
In addition to these elements the quattro models can
also be specified with a Sport Differential. Active on the
rear axle, this new differential enables the quattro
system not only to transfer torque between the front and
rear axles to counter traction losses, but also between
the rear wheels to reduce steering effort and literally
push the car through a
corner.
Interior design of the
Sportback is typical Audi,
which is to say efficient
looking, and slightly dull,
though to be fair that’s
because our cars weren’t
graced with the optional
lighter colour fabrics.
Black was the
predominant colour in
ours, and the heavy
leather of the seating
(itself a tad unyielding)
accentuated the severe
Germanic feeling. On a
more practical note the
boot is wide and long, and
thanks to the high floor
you have an almost flat loadspace when the rear
seatbacks are folded down.
Audi currently, and for a few years to come, seems to
be involved in producing a car to satisfy every possible
automotive niche. So the lack of a hatchback – the body
style so beloved of Brit buyers – in the A4/A5 size
bracket was something up with which they were not
going to put. The new Sportback fills that niche
successfully, and owners won’t have to feel they’ve
joined the ugly brigade for the privilege of that hatch
practicality. The car is priced lower than the A5 coupe
and cabrio, though some would also point out that
comparing like models it looks more expensive than the
similarly sized A4 saloon. Maybe, but it’s the better
looking motor.
Size:
4.71m x 1.85m
Engines:
Petrol: 2.0 to 3.2 litres – 180 to 265PS
Diesel: 2.0 to 3.0 litres – 170 to 240PS
Gearbox:
6-speed manual, cvt auto, or 7-speed
S tronic
Best consumption: 2.0 diesel – 54.3mpg
Price at Sept ’09: £23,710 to £36,220
Full details of the A5 Sportback available on the manufacturer’s
website: www.audi.co.uk
Peter Cracknell
Sept 2009
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