Audi's A5 delights
10/07/08 19:28 Filed in: Road tests
I remember the launch of the Audi A5 last summer. Bravely, Audi unveiled it alongside the stunning Audi R8 sports car - a move that could have eclipsed the new four-seat coupe, but it did not. The A5 held its own with its classic Audi look, given the slightly more edgy style that we have since seen on the new A4.
The result is a car that exudes a air of sophisticated style. This looks like the sort of car many of us would like to be seen in.
But looks are only half the story. I needed to find out what it was like to drive. From that first glimpse in the showroom I looked forward to finding out. It has taken me some time but, after almost a year, I got my few days behind the wheel. The wait was worth it.
The A5 – classic Audi looks but with a sharper, crisper style
The Audi A5 feels good from the very first moment you slide into the driver's seat. Like the exterior, the interior is uncontroversial and hits the right note for a the prestige market. The test car interior benefited from the option of Valcona leather.
The test car was the Audi A5 2.7 TDI fitted with the seven-speed multitronic gearbox. It's list price of £30,850, without many of the tempting options on the test car, pitches it competitively against similar prestige cars.
It is a genuine four-seater coupe with plenty of space inside and a good sizeable boot.
A great place to enjoy all types of road
The A5's road manners match its looks. The 2.7 TDi engine is notably smooth and refined and the engine itself is very responsive. I found the multitronic gearbox a little slow to react to snap throttle openings in the ordinary setting, so I was happier to switch regularly to the sports setting.
CO2 emissions, thanks to the diesel, are quite low at 179 g/m. Fuel consumption on the type of roads I tackle every day was perhaps a little short of what I was expecting, with averages of around 27 mpg. That's still good for a route that includes a fair bit of town driving. Although I did no long distance driving during my time with the A5, I have no doubt that it would sip fuel at a very leisurely rate on substantial motorway drives.
As always, it pays to stop and think about the pros and cons of diesel, especially now with a relatively high price differential. It will probably come down to your average journey length, the type of roads you drive on (motorways are likely to make more sense out of opting for diesel) and your total annual mileage.
On all roads I found the A5 just ate up the miles in effortless style, leaving the passengers feeling relaxed and refreshed. It is equally at home on country roads, feeling superbly balanced - particularly for a front wheel drive car.
You need to upgrade to the 3.0 TDI for quattro four-wheel-drive, but the 2.7 TDI handles superbly without
In the diesel range of Audi A5's you will need to upgrade to the £1,800 more expensive 3.0TDi to benefit from Audi's quattro four-wheel-drive system. Although I might prefer to have the quattro system for potential winter road use, the reality is that just driving the two front wheels seems to lose little, if anything, in terms of handling and Audi really have managed to purge the last vestiges of front wheel drive corruption out of the steering.
Indeed, you can benefit from the torque of the big diesel to provide a good surge of very refined power, on the exit of even tight corners.
Can you tell? Yes, I really liked the Audi A5. It is a very desirable car and fulfilled all the promise from the launch last year!
The result is a car that exudes a air of sophisticated style. This looks like the sort of car many of us would like to be seen in.
But looks are only half the story. I needed to find out what it was like to drive. From that first glimpse in the showroom I looked forward to finding out. It has taken me some time but, after almost a year, I got my few days behind the wheel. The wait was worth it.
The A5 – classic Audi looks but with a sharper, crisper style
The Audi A5 feels good from the very first moment you slide into the driver's seat. Like the exterior, the interior is uncontroversial and hits the right note for a the prestige market. The test car interior benefited from the option of Valcona leather.
The test car was the Audi A5 2.7 TDI fitted with the seven-speed multitronic gearbox. It's list price of £30,850, without many of the tempting options on the test car, pitches it competitively against similar prestige cars.
It is a genuine four-seater coupe with plenty of space inside and a good sizeable boot.
A great place to enjoy all types of road
The A5's road manners match its looks. The 2.7 TDi engine is notably smooth and refined and the engine itself is very responsive. I found the multitronic gearbox a little slow to react to snap throttle openings in the ordinary setting, so I was happier to switch regularly to the sports setting.
CO2 emissions, thanks to the diesel, are quite low at 179 g/m. Fuel consumption on the type of roads I tackle every day was perhaps a little short of what I was expecting, with averages of around 27 mpg. That's still good for a route that includes a fair bit of town driving. Although I did no long distance driving during my time with the A5, I have no doubt that it would sip fuel at a very leisurely rate on substantial motorway drives.
As always, it pays to stop and think about the pros and cons of diesel, especially now with a relatively high price differential. It will probably come down to your average journey length, the type of roads you drive on (motorways are likely to make more sense out of opting for diesel) and your total annual mileage.
On all roads I found the A5 just ate up the miles in effortless style, leaving the passengers feeling relaxed and refreshed. It is equally at home on country roads, feeling superbly balanced - particularly for a front wheel drive car.
You need to upgrade to the 3.0 TDI for quattro four-wheel-drive, but the 2.7 TDI handles superbly without
In the diesel range of Audi A5's you will need to upgrade to the £1,800 more expensive 3.0TDi to benefit from Audi's quattro four-wheel-drive system. Although I might prefer to have the quattro system for potential winter road use, the reality is that just driving the two front wheels seems to lose little, if anything, in terms of handling and Audi really have managed to purge the last vestiges of front wheel drive corruption out of the steering.
Indeed, you can benefit from the torque of the big diesel to provide a good surge of very refined power, on the exit of even tight corners.
Can you tell? Yes, I really liked the Audi A5. It is a very desirable car and fulfilled all the promise from the launch last year!
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