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Out there for an Audi A7 however need one thing a bit smaller? There’s an Audi for that within the type of the A5 Sportback — an A7 that has been shrunk within the dryer only a bit. We’re a bit shocked Ingolstadt’s newest addition to its stateside lineup took this lengthy to get right here: The A5 Sportbacks have been on sale in Europe and different markets since 2009, and so they’ve simply acquired an entire redesign. This implies North America joins this often scheduled program already in progress, with nearly a decade of gross sales elsewhere on the planet having proven demand for the fastback sedan with 4 rings on the grille.
The Audi A5 Sportback is definitely based mostly on the A4 sedan, but it surely trades the three-box sedan method for one thing a bit extra coupelike, full with a positively large hatch, a glossy greenhouse, room for 5 passengers and frameless doorways. BMW has mined this section within the U.S. with the 4-Sequence Gran Coupe (and, as everyone knows, German automakers seldom exploit newly found niches unchallenged). To be honest, Audi was right here first, no less than on this dimension class, and given the nice and cozy reception that its bigger and pricier A7 sibling has acquired, the percentages are already in its favor.
A 2.0-liter turbocharged 4 powers the A5 Sportback, pumping out 252 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque, which is sufficient for sprints from 0 to 60 in 5.7 seconds with a seven-speed dual-clutch computerized. Energy goes to all 4 wheels courtesy of Audi’s Quattro system. A glimpse of the cargo space with the rear seats folded down proves the automotive is something however small on the within: The A5 serves up 35 cubic toes of cargo room with the seats down, and a still-respectable 21.8 cubic toes with the seats on this upright and locked positions, with the beneficiant hatch opening being much more cargo-friendly.
Feels like a station wagon? The A5 Sportback, identical to the upcoming VW Arteon we have simply pushed, gently treads into this IKEA-ready territory all whereas providing a business-like inside that gives over 2 inches extra legroom than the A5 coupe, to not point out extra beneficiant entrance and rear headroom. This child A7 sits 1.6 inches decrease than the A4 sedan, although you would be forgiven for having a tough time selecting it out from a row of A4s — the 2 automobiles observe intently in nearly all dimensions. In terms of inside tech, the A5 Sportback borrows a lot from the A4/A5 vary together with the non-obligatory Audi digital cockpit, adaptive cruise management with site visitors jam help, and customary options together with the newest Audi pre sense security suite.
For many who choose their versatility with a bit extra oomph, Audi additionally gives a meaner S5 Sportback alongside the A5, powered by a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 engine borrowed from the S4/S5 good for 354 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque.
The Execution
Audi introduced us to Seattle to check out the A5 Sportback; no shock it serves up assured dealing with and a stiff chassis whereas nonetheless providing loads of consolation in on a regular basis driving, leaning near the street manners of its A4 and A5 siblings.
The two.0-liter 4 is a relaxed engine that works properly sufficient with the seven-speed gearbox, which may punctutate its shifts with a noticeable pull right here and there; it can be operated by way of the steering-mounted paddles. Simply utilizing your proper foot suffices in most site visitors settings, even Seattle’s, with the four-cylinder refusing to get winded even when referred to as upon for some B-road heroics. The 40/60 entrance/rear torque cut up helps the A5 really feel extra like a rear-wheel drive machine, however Quattro remains to be there to supply grip, even on mildewed Pacific Northwest pavement seeded with pine needles. The A5 gives quick-enough reflexes within the corners and clean cruising on the usual 18-inch wheels. The suspension soaks up the odd pavement cracks with an detached thump from the large tires.
There’s not a lot probability to open up the A5 amid Seattle’s 24/7 rush hour, however just a few fast sprints alongside roads that served because the backdrop to the unique “Twin Peaks” TV collection exhibit the well-tuned suspension and reflexes, particularly when trying to find places from the present. At velocity the A5 retains the street manners of in-town cruising, providing a barely agency however well-damped experience that allows a little bit of float, putting a superb stability between sport and luxury.
The fastback bodystyle is a swimsuit the A5 wears properly, buying and selling only a little bit of a ingress/egress ease for taller rear-seat passenger area for its profile. That is a small value to pay for beauty, and the tighter headroom nonetheless feels properly inside A4 margins, particularly given the additional legroom over the A5 coupe.
The Takeaway
The Sportback takes better of coupe and sedan bodystyles and provides spectacular versatility; it is one of the best of three worlds actually, although the brand new A4 Allroad and its magic suspension will most likely lure away just a few A5 Sportback buyers who want the complete longroof.
General, the A5 Sportback does a superb job of creating the usual A4 sedan look restricted by its twentieth century three-box method. The value premium over a comparable A4 is negligible, with the Sportback touchdown proper in the course of A5 coupe value territory as properly, which can make it a straightforward possibility to select.
Car Mannequin Data
ON SALE: Might 2017
BASE PRICE: $43,575
AS TESTED PRICE: $52,100
POWERTRAIN: 2.0-liter turbocharged I4, AWD seven-speed S Tronic DCT
OUTPUT: 252 hp @ 5,000-6,000 rpm; 273 lb-ft @ 1,600-4,500 rpm
CURB WEIGHT: 3,704 lb
0-60 MPH: 5.7 seconds
FUEL ECONOMY: 24/34/27
FUEL ECONOMY: 29 mpg
PROS: Flexibility, exterior appears, ergonomics, succesful engine
CONS: Transmission will be clunky, barely agency experience on 18-inch wheels
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