In Detail: Audi A5 and S5
Audi’s exciting new interpretation of a classic vehicle concept, the Audi A5, is a modern grand tourer, a touring coupé in the best tradition. It marries sporty dynamism with refined elegance to produce a fascinating car – exhilarating driving and generous refinement all combined with the Audi brand’s legendary sophistication and quality. The progressive design has been perfected to ensure the new coupé an appearance that is both elegant and dynamic. The powerful and economical FSI and TDI engines and the A5’s wholly new high-precision running gear and innovative, luxury-class equipment features make Audi’s new offering in the coupé segment truly peerless.
The A5 extends the Audi range as a new model line, taking up the tradition of classic two-door sports and touring coupés. Expertly styled with a powerful presence, it interprets elements of Audi’s progressive design language. The new coupé is a clear design statement of sportiness and elegance. Moreover, the A5 offers a thrilling dynamic driving experience and excellent long-distance comfort. Handover of the Audi A5 will begin in June.
With a length of 4.63 metres, the Audi A5 clearly belongs to a superior class of coupé. Four comfortable seats and an ample load volume of 455 litres make this car a spacious long-distance tourer. The dynamic performance is supplied by FSI and TDI engines with rated power ranging from 125 to 195 kW (170 to 265 bhp). All engines have high efficiency and eco-friendly characteristics in common: the diesel units already comply with the EU5 standard which will apply in future and, thanks to a range of technical innovations, their fuel consumption and CO2 values are impressively low.
The drivetrain options on offer include front-wheel drive and quattro versions and a six-speed manual gearbox or the multitronic continuously variable transmission. The running gear developed for the A5 is entirely new and combines agile handling with optimum driving safety.
Design – sportiness and elegance
For coupé customers, the design is decisive in their choice of car. And on that point the Audi A5 speaks for itself – it takes Audi’s progressive and stylish design language to new heights. The sporty silhouette, the precisely drawn lines, which gracefully interact with the powerful surfaces, the expressive front face, and the equally distinctive tail end yield a wholly desirable coupé. “The Audi A5 is the most beautiful car I have ever designed,” says Walter de’Silva, Head of Design, with absolute conviction.
The new A5 naturally displays a sporting intent with an emphasis on elegance and power: the proportions of this coupé, for instance, are characterised by a very wide and low stance, a short front overhang and a long, flowing transition from the C pillar to the short rear.
Lines and surfaces play with light and shadows
An expression of determination characterises the features of the front end: the single-frame grille is the distinguishing feature of the front and the A5’s slim, right-angled headlights and large air inlets reinforce the impression of breadth in the car’s face-on view. The same holds true for the rear. Distinct horizontal lines underscore the sporting intent of the A5.
Audi’s customary devotion to detail is particularly evident in the headlights: their elaborate styling perfectly reflects precision and high-tech engineering. The daytime running lights, comprising a strip of eight light-emitting diodes on each side, make the A5’s xenon plus headlights absolutely unmistakeable.
Interior – the luxurious perfection of an Audi
The interior, the interface between person and vehicle, is characterised by ergonomic design and functionality and equally by the exclusiveness of the materials selected and the Audi brand’s typically superb build quality. An atmosphere in which you feel perfectly at ease, even on long journeys – that is the characteristic feature of the A5 interior.
The entire cockpit architecture is clearly focused on the driver and brings together the instruments and the centre console to form one unit. The animated shapes, the precision of the workmanship, and the sophisticated design of the controls – they add up to an interior that is a visual delight and also a joy to touch.
Although the instrument panel comprises typical Audi features, with the characteristic droplet-shaped surrounds for the speedometer and rev counter, it has been developed as a new design in all its details. In the new A5, the screen of the MMI operating system retains its ergonomically perfect high position in the cockpit. A new advanced version of the acclaimed intuitive MMI operating logic makes the wide range of functions easy to understand.
Key with memory
The new key is another elegant design item that also provides sophisticated functionality. With its soft contours and pleasant surfaces, it sits beautifully in the hand. But above all, the innovative key dispenses with the conventional key bit. This is possible because it communicates electronically with the vehicle electrical system as soon as it is inserted into the cockpit. It can also store important information, such as the car’s current mileage or warning messages from the Audi A5’s driver information system. That makes taking the A5 in for servicing that little bit quicker.
Engines – for powerful driving pleasure
A coupé with a distinctly sporty character requires powerful and highly efficient engines. For the Audi A5, power is provided by innovative technology across the board. All engines supplied for the new model series feature direct fuel injection, for which the petrol engines employ the FSI concept and the diesels are equipped with common rail TDI. This gives all engines a thrilling free-revving character, allowing them to effortlessly unwind their generous torque with optimum energy efficiency.
The refined TDI engines with their outstanding sporting talents suit the A5 just as well as the petrol units. Which type to go for depends entirely on the driver’s personal preference. All of the engines impressively demonstrate that efficiency and driving pleasure are by no means mutually exclusive.
FSI – The high-tech engine with variable valve lift
The top-of-the-range petrol engine in the Audi A5 is a new 3.2-litre FSI with innovative valve gear comprising the Audi valvelift system. The effect is an appreciable increase in engine efficiency. The driver benefits from greater power and improved driveability, while enjoying a marked reduction in fuel consumption. At the wheel of an Audi A5 3.2 FSI there is a whole 195 kW (265 bhp) of power output available and a superb torque of 330 Nm in a broad rev band of 3,000 to 5,000 rpm, ensuring blistering acceleration at all times. The 3.2 FSI quattro with 6-speed manual gearbox sprints from 0 to 100 km/h within 6.1 seconds. Its top speed is governed to 250 km/h. This thrilling performance potential contrasts with the 3.2 FSI multitronic’s very moderate fuel consumption of only 8.7 litres per 100 kilometres.
The all-new high-tech four-cylinder unit in the A5 also does full justice to Audi’s reputation for leading engine technology. The 1.8 TFSI, delivering 125 kW (170 bhp), will be available from autumn 2007. It combines turbocharger technology with petrol direct injection and provides a burst of acceleration and pulling power unrivalled in its class from virtually every rev band. Just as it did with its TDI engines, Audi has accomplished a pioneering feat of engineering with its turbocharged petrol units, taking spark-ignition engines to a new dimension in fuel consumption and driveability.
TDI – Impressive performance combined with exemplary eco-friendliness
The V6 TDI engines from Audi also set the standard in their segment. Their copious torque and outstanding economy accompanied by superb refinement mean that they score highly on all counts. In addition to all this, they offer eco-friendly performance that is hard to beat. The TDI engines fitted in the Audi A5, for instance, are equipped with diesel particulate filters as standard and already comply with the Euro 5 exhaust standard which will apply in future.
The sporty top-of-the-range TDI in the new Audi A5 is the thoroughly revised 3.0-litre engine. It now delivers a power output of 176 kW (240 bhp) and its maximum torque is an immense 500 Nm. But that is not all: with its supreme 0 to 100 km/h acceleration time of 5.9 seconds and a maximum speed of 250 km/h, the Audi A5 3.0 TDI quattro stands out as a high-performance coupé of the first order. Added to this, it also offers an average fuel consumption of just 7.2 litres per 100 km!
The second TDI engine in the Audi A5 range is even more economical. The 2.7-litre V6 engine delivers 140 kW (190 bhp) and is an ideal complement to the multitronic transmission for the comfort-minded coupé driver. Nevertheless, its performance figures are more than impressive: it offers a top speed of 232 km/h and an acceleration time of 7.6 seconds contrasting with an average fuel consumption of just 6.7 litres per 100 km.
As in numerous other Audi models, in its basic setting the quattro permanent four-wheel drive in the Audi A5 distributes 40 percent of engine power to the front axle and 60 percent to the rear axle for optimum handling characteristics. The system instantly adjusts the power distribution depending on the situation and road surface grip.
multitronic with eight forward gears and sport mode
The multitronic continuously variable transmission offers unparalleled power transmission comfort. At the same time its high efficiency and now even taller maximum transmission ratio make it very economical on fuel, since it operates in the most efficient range at all times. Whenever the driver prefers a more sporty driving style, the gearbox can be switched to a manual mode that now has eight defined gear ratios.
Running gear – precise and agile handling
Even when stationary, the Audi A5 makes a dynamic impression: the wide track, large wheels, long wheelbase and short overhangs not only characterise its muscular appearance, they also form part of the formula that produces its peerless active driving feel. The Audi A5 defines the new standard in its class for precise steering response, outstanding directional stability and superb agility, while also offering first-class ride comfort.
Audi engineers have achieved this with a completely new design of running gear: the front wheels are located by a five-link suspension arrangement with upper and lower wishbones. Another completely re-engineered component is the rack-and-pinion steering. It is positioned in front of the front axle close to the wheel centre line, and enhances the car’s very agile handling by its direct transmission of the steering forces.
Overall, the front axle is located a long way forward for a longitudinal engine configuration with front- and four-wheel drive. This new vehicle architecture makes it possible to have a long wheelbase with a short front overhang, and to optimise the axle load distribution. These are all additional elements that enhance the supreme handling qualities of the new Audi A5.
A key element of the rear running gear is its trapezoidal-link rear suspension with completely new kinematics. It provides a high degree of ride comfort combined with excellent directional stability. At both the front and rear, the main components of the suspension are made of aluminium. The generous dimensions of the brakes are designed to match the car’s high performance ratings. The standard electromechanical parking brake, familiar from the A8 and A6, is activated via a button next to the gear lever.