Bartek Sikorski

Audi's Newest Coup Is a Coupe.

Now that the 2008 Audi A5 has broken cover, the wait is over at last.

It has never taken more than a few miles with your hands wrapped around the husky steering wheel of any Audi sedan to get the feeling that somewhere within the discretely sporty quartet of doors slumbered a distinctly sporty coupe waiting to bust out. Now the 2008 A5 awakens Audi's inner coupe, and it comes to life with the spirit of the deliciously elegant - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER that Audi unveiled at the 2003 Geneva Auto Show.

This is a glimpse of Audi's future, because the A5's dynamic lines cover a new, more athletic platform that will be the basis of a new generation of cars from Ingolstadt.

An Emotional Appeal
Audi understands that emotion plays a major role when it comes to buying a coupe, and nothing stirs up desire like adventurous styling. At the same time, Audi also has stretched what it describes as its genetic code, taking its standards of sportiness, elegance and dynamic performance to more extreme limits.

A new standard of dynamism comes from stretching the wheelbase of the current - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER sedan by 4 inches. It's been accomplished with a packaging strategy adapted from the all-aluminum - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER sedan. Now the front differential is located forward of the clutch, which allows the wheels and drive axles to move forward while keeping the engine in the same place, effectively producing a more rearward distribution of weight. The result is a better handling balance.

Audi's now-familiar split grille still dominates the A5's face, but it's better integrated into the front of the car, with pronounced air intakes low in the grille and fender forms that sweep back from the headlights (themselves accented with LED running lights). Further grace comes from the A5 coupe's curvaceous body sides, which add a touch of elegance to the typical Audi combination of broad shoulders and muscular wheel arches.

The long wheelbase and short overhangs work together to give the A5 a low, wide stance. It's perfectly complemented by a lean, flowing roof line that adheres to Audi's signature design principle of sectioning the car's profile into two-thirds car body and one-third glass surfaces. The result is a grand touring car, sporty yet elegant. Walter de'Silva, head of Volkswagen Group Design, calls the Audi A5 "the most beautiful car I have ever designed."

An Uncrowded Driving Environment
The A5 interior also lives up to the role of an elegant grand touring car, featuring commodious seating for four plus refined, luxury-level interior appointments. The emphasis is clearly placed on pleasing the person with the thick, leather-wrapped steering wheel in his hands.

A command center that consists of Audi's familiar instrument panel dominated by the speedometer and tachometer surrounds the driver. The center console is home to Audi's Multi Media Interface (MMI) system, which becomes ever more intuitive to use. As in the Audi A8, the center console has a switch to engage the parking brake plus a satin-finished start button for the engine. The A5 also features Audi's new electronic key, which has a memory function that downloads current mileage and other information from the car's computer system.

The A5 trunk has 16 cubic feet of storage as opposed to the 13.4 cubic feet available in an A4. The rear seats can also be folded down separately for increased cargo capacity.

Animated Suspension
The A5's longer wheelbase endows it with more of the qualities you expect in a GT coupe. An added benefit of relocating the wheels farther forward in the platform comes from the ability to also relocate the rack-and-pinion steering, and it's now much closer to the centerline of the front wheels, which produces more precise steering response.

An all-aluminum, five-link front suspension is carried by a front subframe, and the combination reduces unsprung weight, delivers optimum suspension geometry and improves structural rigidity. The trapezoidal rear suspension has also been fine-tuned for crisper response to directional changes, as well as improved control over body roll and brake dive. Speaking of brakes, big 16-inch discs handle the stopping chores for the A5.

An optional sport suspension features firmer springs and dampers, while the S line sport package suspension further ups the handling ante by lowering the ride height 10mm.

Quattro and Gasoline Only for the U.S.
The European-specification A5 includes a roll call of different models and features, including front-wheel drive, a pair of innovative TDI diesel engines and the ultraslick continuously variable transmission that morphs into an eight-speed automatic for sporty driving. Meanwhile, there will be just one U.S.-specification A5 — an all-wheel-drive Quattro with a trick version of the 3.2-liter V6 that features FSI direct injection and a variable valve timing/lift system. This V6 puts out 261 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque between 3,000 and 5,000 rpm, and both a manual and an automatic transmission will be available.

With the six-speed manual in place, the A5 scoots from zero to 62 mph in a tick over 6 seconds. Top speed is limited to 155 mph. Combine the healthy power band with a workable weight distribution (54 percent front/46 front percent rear) and the A5 should be as much fun to drive on short twisty errands as it is on long trips across the American landscape.

Audi dealers will start taking orders for the A5 in July, with initial deliveries coming ashore about the end of November. Depending on options, expect prices to be in the mid-$40,000 range and above.

The Lowdown on the High-Flying S5
Can't wait until the end of the year for the A5? No worries, because the S5 coupe will not only beat the A5 to 62 mph by a full second, it will also beat the A5 into U.S. dealerships by about a month. Examples of the S5 will arrive at the beginning of November, and the automatics are scheduled for February 2008. Prices are estimated to begin in the mid-$50,000 range.

This will be money well spent if only to get a 349-hp version of the free-revving, gloriously vocal 4.2-liter V8 that makes our heart beat faster in - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER and - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. Even though it makes do with 72 horses less than these R-line cars, the S5's V8 doesn't lack for entertainment value, as there are 325 lb-ft of torque at 3,500 rpm, of which 85 percent is ready to rumble by 2,000 rpm.

Other goodies include 245/40R18 performance tires with special 18-inch wheels (255/35R19 tires on 19-inch wheels are optional), massive 17-inch brake discs with black calipers, sport suspension and a low-restriction dual exhaust with quad tailpipes. The ESP system features a two-stage deactivation program for track junkies.

While the aural nature of the V8 leaves no doubt that you are in the presence of an S5, visual clues are a bit more discreet. They include a platinum-gray grille with vertical chrome slats, aluminum-look external mirrors and a slightly more pronounced spoiler lip on the trunk lid. Inside there are contoured sport seats, a multifunction steering wheel and gray-accented instruments. Upholstery and trim come in a number of material and color options.

The Future of Fast
Don't give up hope on a diesel-powered Audi A5 for America. When asked, Audi didn't give a definite negative, but instead simply said it's too early to discuss, as the company is concentrating on the Q7 becoming the first 50-state diesel-powered Audi toward the end of next year.

As for those who definitely need four doors and hope there is a sporty sedan within the A5 coupe ready to bust out, take heart that the long-wheelbase platform is expected to be the foundation for the next-generation 2009 A4.
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Merc1

You beat me to it by a few minutes!!!!!

I do have a question for the Audi engine experts though, isn't the 4.2L V8 the same basic engine in the S8, R8, RS4, A8 etc, + or - some features??? It seems to me that the engine in the S5 is the same from the S4, not the one from the RS4 just detuned.

Edit, same engine got it now.

M

YoUhimhER

i think it's detuned, not sure tho.

as for the article, it looks like they didnt really drive one.

Audi4Life

17 in. brake discs???????

ruff

Anyone know the mileage of this engine?