Wheels Australia — August 2016

@wheelsaustralia 59

across-the-board upgrades

that go into everything rolling

off the Ingolstadt production

line. These include front

seatbelt feeder mechanisms,

Audi’s Drive Select system,

LED rear lights and xenon

headlights (with different

grades of LED headlights

either standard or optional,

depending on model).

Superbly styled, and better to drive

Audi A5/S5 Coupe

FREQUENTLY – and justly –

Audi is praised for the

precisionandbeautyofits

interiors. Now, with the

new A5/S5 Coupe, hymns

to Ingolstadt’s mastery of

metal will need to be composed.

Torunafingeralongthe

join between the four-seater’s

clamshell bonnet and its front

guards is to encounter pressed

perfection. The curving gap

nevervaries,allthewayfromthe

uppermost outer corner of the

headlight to the door shutline at

thebaseofitsA-pillar.Fromsome

angles the gap is invisible, seeming

to merge seamlessly into the

distinctive wave-shaped shoulder

line – styling DNA inherited from

the previous model – that runs the

length of the car.

Yetthisisjustonedetailtobe

savoured. Compared with the

visuallyblandA4,theA5coupe

is a richly detailed and lusciously

proportioned feast for the eyes.

With the local launch so far off

FIRST
OVERSEAS
DRIVE

(first half of 2017), Audi Australia

has not yet finalised the line-up,

but it’s likely the slow-selling

2.0-litre turbo-diesel will be

dropped and a 140kW front-drive

2.0TFSI will become the entry

point. There will be a 3.0TDI V6

quattro, but the choice between

160kW and 210kW outputs is yet

to be made.

The S5 Coupe, equipped with

the same turbo V6, eight-speed

auto and quattro drivetrain as

the S4 sedan and Avant, will top

the line-up at launch, and a much

more affordable 2.0TFSI quattro

is a certainty.

External dimensions are

little changed and, while slight

increases in cabin length and

shoulder room are welcome, rear-

seat headroom remains tight.

The instrument panel and

centre console are straight from

the A4, which is no shortcoming,

especially when optioned with

Audi’s superb Virtual Cockpit

instrument display. This is a

profoundly imp

There’s a gru

unpleasant exh

the 2.0TFSI qua

turbo-petrol four-cylinder, which

doesn’t lack for torque and

revs out willingly. The ride is

acceptable on Portuguese roads,

but may prove a shade too brusque

on our often second-rate blacktop,

while the handling is grippy and

nicely balanced.

Strangely, the supposedly

sportier S5 Coupe has a more

rounded ride. And with 260kW on

tap, acceleration is in a different

league. Audi’s new turbo 3.0-litre

V6 is refined and torque-rich, and

the car’s chassis has the quattro-

enhanced grip and handling

finesse to make the most of it.

With dynamics and

performance to go with those

looks, the S5 Coupe is undoubtedly

destined to become the most

desirable version of Audi’s lovely

new two-door.

JOHN CAREY

Stiff ride of regular A5 Coupe; rear seat headroom PLUS &

MINUS

Exterior

Model

Engine

Max power

Mt

Audi S5 Coupe

2995cc V6 (90°), dohc, 24v, turbo

260kW @ 5400-6400rpm

Setting new standard

Standard equipment will be

better than the current A5.

Audi has made a number of

pressive interior.

uff but not

haustgrowl from

attro’s 185kW

esign;interior quality;performance of S5 vari

Maxtorque

nsm

Weight

0 -1 00 km/h

Econom

Price

Onsale

500Nm@ 1370- 4500 r

8-speed automatic

161

4.7sec(claimed)

7.4L/100km(EU)

$125,000(estimate

First half 2017