Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE | 25

S AUDI A5/S5 FROM $70,100

THINGS WE LIKE

 Exquisitely designed and crafted

interior

 Strong, smooth engine performance

 Agile handling and assured

roadholding

 Striking coupe styling

 Generous standard specifi cation

 The 465-litre boot is the largest in

its class

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

Firm ride on 19-inch (and up) alloys

with no adaptive dampers

Some cabin squeaks

Weak resale values

Some road/tyre noise intrusion

SPEX (A5 2.0 TFSI quattro)

Made in Germany

2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol turbo/

seven-speed dual-clutch S-Tronic/

all-wheel drive

185kW of power from

5000–6000rpm/370Nm of torque

from 1600–4500rpm

0–100km in 5.8 seconds (claimed)

5.3L/100km highway, 7.8L/100km

city; 95 octane; CO 2 emissions are

149g/km

Warranty: Three years/unlimited

kilometres

Standard: Six airbags, stability

control, autonomous emergency

braking, blind-spot monitoring,

parking sensors, navigation, reverse

camera, adaptive LED headlights,

digital radio, electrically adjustable

front seats, tri-zone air, Virtual

Cockpit, multimedia touchscreen,

Apple CarPlay/Android Auto,

Bluetooth, wireless hotspot, music

storage, ambient lighting, leather

upholstery, front foglights, tyre-

pressure monitoring, 19-inch alloy

wheels, space-saver spare wheel

Redbook future values: 3yr: 46%;

5yr: 28%

compare with ...

BMW 4 Series, Infi niti Q60, Lexus

RC, Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe,

Porsche Cayman

Safety

ANCAP

Performance

Handling

Quality and reliability

Comfort and refi nement

Value for money



Overall



STARS

S

ince 2007, few cars have
been as seductive standing
still as the Audi A5 Coupe. Now,
in (some say too timidly) a
redesigned and re-engineered
second-generation guise, can it
captivate on the move, too?
Based on the medium-sized A4
range, the swoopy two-door three-
box four-seater grand tourer
grows ever so slightly, paying
palpable cabin space dividends.
It’s also lighter yet stronger,
promising raised driving dynamics
and refi nement levels.
The least-expensive model is
the 2.0 TFSI S-Tronic, priced at
$70,100.
Far from being sparsely
equipped, it includes
autonomous emergency
braking, blind-spot monitoring,
parking sensors, a reverse
camera, satellite navigation,
adaptive LED headlights, digital
radio, electrically adjustable
front seats, leather upholstery,
three-zone climate control and
18-inch alloys. Also standard is
an electronic instrumentation
system Audi dubs “Virtual
Cockpit”, as well as a

mechanical arm that extends

the front seatbelts.

The $10K premium over the

equivalent A4 model already

seems justifi ed.

The real clincher though might

just be the knockout interior,

with its almost sensual tactility,

exquisite detailing and rich

ambience. Cars costing twice as

much as this aren’t as beautiful

from the driver’s seat.

Speaking of which, with a

140kW/320Nm 2.0-litre four-

cylinder turbopetrol engine, driving

the front wheels via a seven-speed

dual-clutch transmission base

doesn’t mean slow, either.

Fast off the mark and nimble

through the gears, this powertrain

combo is a sweet-revving gem.

Eager (if slightly anaesthetised)

steering, balanced handling and

surefooted control refl ect the

much-improved chassis featuring

all-new fi ve-link suspension

starring underneath.

Stronger still is the

185kW/370Nm 2.0 TFSi quattro

from $81,700. Ambient cabin

lighting, extra tinsel and 19-

inch alloys might shine in the

showroom, but it is the extra

shove from the uprated four-

pot turbo that shines brightest,

turning what is already a willing

performer into a cracking point-

to-point hotshot, backed up by the

added traction of all-wheel drive.

Yet the real gun in the A5

Coupe artillery is the reborn S5,

lighting a fuse with a blazing

260kW/500Nm 3.0-litre V6

turbo that can hit 100km/h from

standstill in just 4.7 seconds,

a slick eight-speed torque-

converter auto, rear-biased AWD

for contained sideways fun and

blindingly effective brakes to help

harness all that oomph.

Talk about beauty and the beast!

Better still, compared to the

previous iteration, the price has

plummeted $17,000, putting

this Porsche Cayman-shading

slingshot more within (relative)

reach, from $104,400.

That price includes adaptive

dampers, which take the edge off

the slightly harsh ride in

cars wearing bigger wheels. They

don’t help tyre drone though.

Other range-wide bugbears

include a fi ddly transmission

lever, occasional rattles and the

invariable expensive desirable

options.

Five-door A5 and S5 Sportback

are available at the same

specifi cation and prices as

the coupe, while the 2.0-litre

cabriolet costs $83,600 or

$95,300 with quattro. The S5

cabriolet is $117,940.

Audi’s A5 and S5 are

underrated cars that deserve

more attention than they get. If

you’re looking at Mercedes or

BMW, put one of these on your

test drive list as well.

By Byron Mathioudakis