Frankfurt 2009: Audi A5 Sportback earns believers
by Jonathon Ramsey on Sep 15th 2009 at 4:59PM 
2010 Audi A5 Sportback - Click above for high-res image gallery
Although the U.S. market won't be getting the Audi A5 Sportback, based on the reaction here on the floor in Frankfurt, Audi won't have any problem moving them in Europe. It took us longer to get clear shots of the A5 than any other car at Audi (even the R8 Spyder), and when we returned at the end of the day there were still numerous fascinated Euro types examining the car like it was CSI evidence.
The A5 is so beautiful on its own we weren't sure how the Sportback appellation might distort, but like the BMW 5 Series GT, it makes friends with the eyes in person -- and in fact, it's better. The S5 is the top of the heap model, and it will sport a supercharged, 3.0-liter V6 with 333 hp and 325 lb-ft. Just 5.4 seconds takes you to the 60, but whatever speed you travel, you shouldn't be disappointed with how you look doing it. At least, if you're not in the U.S...
PRESS RELEASE:
The Audi S5 Sportback –
particularly elegant sportiness
• Supercharger and FSI direct fuel injection are a powerful combination
• 245 kW (333 hp), 440 Nm (324.53 lb-ft) of torque and exemplary efficiency
• S tronic and quattro drive standard; quattro with sport differential optional
The abbreviation "S" stands for sports and also high efficiency – characteristic Audi features. The S5 Sportback is the top model of the new Sportback model series. The five-door coupe is powered by a highly efficient, supercharged V6 engine with an output of 245 kW (333 hp). Power is delivered to the wheels via the seven-speed S tronic and quattro drive; the innovative sport differential is available as an option.
The Audi S5 Sportback is powered by a three-liter V6 with a mechanically driven supercharger. The supercharger sits in the 90 degree V formed by the banks of the cylinders and produces up to 0.8 bar of pressure. Two downstream intercoolers lower the temperature of the compressed intake air for improved filling of the combustion chambers.
The six-cylinder unit, which displaces 2,995 cc, embodies the Audi philosophy that performance and efficiency are not mutually exclusive but rather complement each other perfectly. The engine delivers a constant 440 Nm (324.53 lb-ft) of torque between 2,900 and 5,300 rpm. The S5 Sportback sprints from zero to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in only 5.4 seconds (provisional figure) and accelerates up to an electronically governed top speed of 250 km/h (155.34 mph). The spontaneous response, the powerful thrust and sonorous sound make for a thrilling driving experience.
The supercharged V6 unit consumes only 9.7 liters (provisional figure) of fuel per 100 km (24.25 US mpg) on average – a top figure in this performance class.
The leading position of the S5 Sportback is further underscored by its drivetrain technology. The top model comes standard with the seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic transmission and quattro permanent all-wheel drive with a slight rear wheel bias. Optionally available is the sport differential.
The high-end rear-axle differential transfers the forces at the rear axle between the wheels as needed for even greater dynamism and stability.
The Audi S5 Sportback has a sports-tuned chassis. The S-design 18-inch cast aluminum wheels are shod with 245/40 tires. Wheels up to 20 inches are available as options. The black brake calipers are emblazoned with S5 emblems. Servotronic speed-sensitive steering is also standard, with dynamic steering optionally available. A strut brace provides the front section of the car with additional rigidity.
A number of features also provide visual cues to the A5 Sportback's sporty nature. The front blade and the diffuser, the single-frame grille, the air intakes, the sill strip, the spoiler lip at the rear and the four-tailpipe exhaust system all sport an exclusive design. The side mirror housings shine in aluminum look and the xenon plus headlights with LED daytime running lights and rear lights are standard.
Inside, electrically adjustable S-design sport seats covered in Silk Nappa leather, a black or silver headliner and brushed aluminum inlays underscore the dynamic style of the high-end model. The pointers in the instrument cluster are illuminated white, and the color driver information system presents the S5 logo when the car is started. A leather multifunction sport steering wheel with aluminum-look shift paddles and a sport selection switch for the S tronic underscore the sporty aspect of this model. S5 badges adorn the door sill trims, the key, the steering wheel and the instruments.
The luxurious, climate-controlled comfort seats are available as an option. The seat coverings are available in black, brown and three two-color combinations. Inlays are available in carbon, fine-grained birch wood and stainless steel mesh. The metallic structure comprising countless steel fibers feels slightly rough – an extraordinary haptic experience.
The Audi S5 Sportback will be arriving at German dealerships in spring 2010 with a base price of 57,900 euros.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
meh 5:09PM (9/15/2009)
But now I am all confused....
The A5 is simply a 2 dr A4, as they are built on the same platform.......so wouldn't a 4 dr A5 just be an A4?.....but this is a "sportback" so it's entirely different......umm.
Whoops! I mean:
UGh! it's ugly! this sucks ! that car sucks! Audi sucks! it looks like a Civic! it's a car for IDIOTS! stupid! I hate it! I hate AUDI! and I should know because I am a true car fan!
There. now I'm cool.
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coolremo 5:23PM (9/15/2009)
I too am confused. What is the difference between this and the A4?
BoxerFanatic 5:24PM (9/15/2009)
A5 is a coupe.
Audi is jumping into the hot tub with MB and BMW, etc... trying to classify 4-seat, sleek-roof sedans, both 4-door and 5-door, as the oxy-moronically named "4-door coupes"
That is why this isn't called A4 5-door, or A4 Sportback. Plus it shares the A5 front fenders and lights, rather than the A4's front end, which is ever so slightly different on the skin-deep level, as a means of differentiating between A4 and A5 on essentially derivatives of the same body structure.
fmwso 8:01PM (9/15/2009)
I hope you're joking because this car is way better than lots of cars out there. No, Audi does not suck.
Freeman 8:23PM (9/15/2009)
The A5 chassis is inches wider than an A4. hard to tell in pics but put them side by side and the A5 is far sleeker and mean. Other evidence of the far wider track is the size wheels/widths that can be installed on an A5 vs the A4. If I could buy an S5 four door, believe me there would be one in my garage!
DJ 5:09PM (9/15/2009)
WANT! WANT! WANT! WANT! WANT! WANT! WANT! WANT! WANT! WANT! WANT! WANT! WANT! WANT!
This is so much BETTER looking than the BMW 5-series GT or X6 or even the new A4/S4. Why Audi won't bring it here makes absolutely NO SENSE whatsoever!
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Silly Pickle 6:59PM (9/15/2009)
...and better looking than a crosstour. Wonder how one company can screw it up so bad (Honda) and another can make something so beautiful I want it like what you said...lots of "wants". I'm tellin' Santa. Maybe he'll drop one of in Canada. (don't wake me up)
BoxerFanatic 5:19PM (9/15/2009)
Agreed.
When I bought a sedan last, I shopped between A4, Mazda 6 5-door, and Subaru Legacy GT. Legacy GT won on power over both, beat the then A4's rear seat room, and won out over Mazda 6's better practicality, but worse FWD.
THIS CAR is the confluence of all three.
Power - check, especially S5
Manual gearbox - check.
AWD, rather than FWD... check.
5-door practicality rather than a choke-point at the trunk opening, regardless of how big the trunk might be... CHECK.
slick looks - CHECK.
Subaru has gone the other way. Mazda has denied the lithe 5-door to the American market as well, and the USDM Mazda 6 is bulky and without a manual gearbox, nor AWD optional.... No longer such a thing as Mazdaspeed 6.
Audi A4/A5 is the only one left standing that has AWD and a stick shift, in a reasonably attractive package. Subaru Legacy GT could have been, but it has been ruined, and the GT 6-speed is probably not much longer for this market by SOA's choices to destroy it's appeal.
But now you have this 5-door beauty, with looks and skills... and the US market doesn't *expletive deleted* get it........
color me angry. Even if I can't afford one this year, doesn't mean I won't always, and doesn't mean that I won't be able to afford a 2-year used car.... no new cars also means NO USED CARS later. There have to be some folks who would buy them new.
Frankly, I wish the coupe A5 would learn a lesson from the 5-door, and go to 3-door, with a sleeker side window profile, and a sleek lift-back.
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reflexxi 6:17PM (9/15/2009)
To me, Audi's have always been a Subaru's European cousin. AWD, tunable forced induction engines, and manual transmissions - recipe for practicality, fuel efficiency (well, not really in my STi...), and plenty of fun.
As a current 06 STi owner, Audi has always been the natural progression for me. It's a shame they won't bring this model to the states. Granted, a 2010 S4/MT would suffice.
Alex Hobbs 5:19PM (9/15/2009)
I don't see why anyone is surprised it looks so nice, all of these "4 door coupes" that are so hot with the kids today pretty much look like they could be hatchbacks anyway, this one just actually has the door.
PS - I think I'm the only person that thinks the design of the A5 (2-door) is nice but completely overhyped, seen a bunch in person and was not blown away at all.
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BoxerFanatic 5:33PM (9/15/2009)
No...
I would agree with you there.
For a 2 or 3 door 2+2 Coupe Genre, the A5 is a bit staid and under-stated. Not ugly, but certainly not flashy. The A5 would not win a beauty contest that the G37 also entered, I'll put it that way...
Usually a 2 or 3-door coupe is that genre that doesn't require the practical aspects of rear side doors, that can afford to be more flashy and sleek, and can pull off a sexier look, without having to bow as much to practical dimension considerations.
As I mentioned, I kind of wish that the A5 coupe went from 2-doors and trunk, to 3-doors like this "sportback" 5-door, with a sleeker quarter window design, more in tune with R8's faux-window line that the upper part of the side-blade creates...
...which I would be a better choice than the simple angle-change on the A5 that ends up looking a bit bulky in the C-pillar area, or the simplistic triangle shape and tiny size of the quarter windows on the TT coupe, which would look out of place on a car the size of the A5.
A5 could be converted to 3-doors, with a few familial touches handed down from big sister R8, and do quite well with them, if they are done right.
Alex Hobbs 5:41PM (9/15/2009)
Yeah I agree that's its understated and sophisticated without a doubt, its not ugly at all but I've been surprised by the number of people calling it beautiful which is an overstatement IMO. I also agree with you about the idea of a true hatch, the c pillar design is very bulky, the car has nice details and an agressive front end but the overal shape and design is very average to me especially when you compare it to its big brother the R8 which is actually worthy of being called beautiful IMO
Rev 6:37PM (9/15/2009)
I agree. The 5's I've seen on the road are big, blobby and uninpressive to say the least. I like this boat even less. Wonder how much it weighs...
Freedman 8:27PM (9/15/2009)
Hmmm maybe... But I own an S5 after owning only BMW and Mercedes for a long time. I have never received more looks and compliments with any car, and it's not even an exotic.
The S5 is beautiful and sorry the G37 will not stand a chance next to one in a looks contest (sorry Boxerfanatic) especially if we get into the convertibles, S5 convertible vs G37 convertible...
fixitfixitstop 12:01AM (9/16/2009)
Funny, the A5 never fails to attract my attention no matter where I see it. That car is gorgeous like Elle McPherson, 1994.
Typesbad 5:28PM (9/15/2009)
There is a lot to like here. That is one beautiful profile, and the fornt and rear are really clean. It is hard to imagine how BMW got so far off the mark. At least aesthetically.
One question I've always wondered about Audis: Behind the four rings in the grille they always have a tight grouping of grill slats that is mis-matched with the grill itself. Mercedes Benz often does this too and it always bugs me. Does anyone know what the reason for that is?
And as long as I am asking questions, That plain multi-media panel in the top of the center stack. Does that open to reveal the audio controls? Because all that blank space sure makes the climate controls a reach.
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BoxerFanatic 5:44PM (9/15/2009)
About the 4 rings... not sure. Previous generations of A4 have had a lever masked into the second ring, to release the hood latch. I don't know if that is still true.
Otherwise it could be to hide some sort of structure behind the badge, or to create air pressure build-up to push air around the badge into the rest of the grille... who knows why they wouldn't just leave them open, completely closed, or with matching slat intervals to the rest of the grille.
The space on the dash looks like an optical drive door, but there could theoretically be buttons on it, when it opens. There looks to be an eject and and open button on either side.
The climate controls may be run through the buttons on the shifter panel, or through the interface on the touch screen, or both, I am not sure how Audi does that... but I doubt auto-climate-control is a hidden, obscured control function.
nony 5:52PM (9/15/2009)
Having driven a 2009 A4 as a loaner, the HVAC controls aren't too bad of a reach for me. It's actually a bit better of a reach than the controls on my 2004 A4 (which are recessed, not flush to the audio controls as in the >= 09 A4/S4/A5/S5).
Most of the audio controls are done via MMI or the redundant controls on the steering wheel and some on the center console. Not perfect by any means as I'm very used to the layout in my A4 and I can change most settings without looking down at the audio control display.
Randy 5:33PM (9/15/2009)
Damn You, Audi! I want this car. But I'm on the wrong continent :-(
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sparrk 5:47PM (9/15/2009)
Ha-ha ! :P