Audi A5 Sportback 2.7 TDI multitronic

The new Audi A5 Sportback is a response to the new wave of 4-door coupés that has been sweeping across the car scene over the last few seasons. The CLS from Mercedes-Benz came fi rst, and now the engineers from Ingolstadt have responded with the Audi A5 Sportback. At fi rst sight, it is a very good looking car, refl ecting its sporting nature with traces of the A5 coupé, but with its own specifi c temperament, with a slender, distinguished-looking rear. Welcome to the fi fth dimension!

ConceptBut is Audi blurring the issue with the A5

Sportback? Is it an A4 hatchback or an A5 with three more doors? Both: the fi rst gives it its capacity and the second its athletic style and effi ciency. Actually, the A5 Sportback has more of the saloon about it than the coupé.

Built on the A4 and A5 shared platform, it has the long wheelbase (2.81 m) of the family car but, at only 1.39 metres high, it is still the same height as the coupé. Its front end also comes from the coupé, with its frameless doors, its wide track and short front and back overhangs. Certainly, its profi le, character-ized by the soft sloping roof, is not lacking in

elegance. As witnessed by the number of heads that turn when the Sportback passes by...

MechanicsIt was the “small” V6 TDI engine beneath

the hood of the car that we tested. With a capacity of 2.7 litres (although there is also a

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3-litre V6 TDI), this diesel engine is available 3-litre V6 TDI), this diesel engine is available in two power levels: 163 horsepower to al-leviate the impact of the registration tax and 190 horsepower. It is the latter that we are talking about, in conjunction with the multi-tronic transmission.

Audi is practically the only manufacturer that still has faith in this system which was created about fi fty years ago, by Daf, but it is regularly perfecting it to make it more ef-fi cient and more dynamic. Standard on front-wheel drive models, this continuously variable transmission is particularly agreeable to use and makes good use of the engine’s consi-derable torque (400 Nm from 1400 to 3250

rpm!). In use, starting is impressive and it takes a certain amount of time to adapt compared to using a conventional automatic gearbox, because it is not really changing gear. Also a little disappointing is the fact that it is not pos-sible to change down through the gears to slow down … The system does not allow that operating mode.

Cruising on the motorway is a delight, it is comfortable, and economical consi-dering the performance levels provided. The 2.7 TDI engine has the appetite of a bird, and is equipped with a particle fi lter as standard, as are all of Audi TDIs. And this has been mea-sured Although it just touches the 8 litre mark

for 100 kilometres in the urban cycle, this car is content with an average of barely 6.5 litres, despite weighing approximately 1,800 kilos, with two people on board and this even goes down to 5.5 or 6.0 litres on the motorway at constant speed in “Comfort” mode.

The car given to Diplomatic-World was in fact equipped with the “Audi Drive Select” vehicle dynamics system. By simply pressing a button, the driver can choose between three modes (Comfort, Auto and Dynamic), to in-fl uence the engine’s response characteristic, the shifting points in the gearbox, the suspen-sion setting and the response of the dynamic steering system.

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InteriorInside, the A5 Sportback’s copies the dash-

board in the A5 coupé exactly, in presentation and in the impeccable assemblies. Likewise, there is nothing wrong with the ergonomics. But, at the back, gone is the scantiness of the 3-door model. The amount of headroom and especially legroom – almost on a par with the A4 – indicate significant progress, as does the access. But here, as in the coupé, there are only 2, albeit excellently made, seats, the traditio-nal bench seat remaining, for the time being, the exclusive privilege of the A4. However, the 2 seats can fold down flat to leave a larger luggage area. Despite having a threshold that is quite high, the boot is really very practical, with its hatch opening wide. And they claim the capacity is 480 litres, exactly the same as the A4!

As usual, we were particularly pleased with the Audi MMI interface. To date, this system still proves to be the best on-board audiovi-sual system. Thanks to its ease of use and the amount of functions offered and especially thanks to the colour display in the middle of the dials. Our test vehicle was equipped with the Bang&Olufsen audio system, for which we cannot find the words to express on paper what a unique sensory experience it was. A hard disk means that you can transfer CDs and mp3 files to create your own personal jukebox…

ConclusionWalter de Silva is quite right to be proud of

his design: the A5 range is indisputably one of today’s best success stories when it comes to the aesthetics of a car, even though every-one’s tastes and colours might be discussed ad infinitum. Thanks to the sleek form and technical choices, we can confirm that the Audi A5 Sportback offers both the exclusivity of a coupé and the practical appearance of a saloon. Although this combination of engine and gearbox is ideally suited, above all it is in its everyday use that people will be delighted by its versatility.

The A5 Sportback starts at 32,920.00 € ex-cluding VAT. Our test model with its wonder-ful range of options came to a total value of 57,918.90 €.

Information: www.audi.beThanks to Mr. Philippe Somers, Audi Belgium.

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