Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 by Vlad Balan
After about a month ago Audi has released teaser photos and a few details on the Audi A5 Sportback and after the car was scooped in the University of California campus, today the car was officially unveiled by the German car maker. According to Audi, the third member of the A5 family (after the Coupe and the Cabrio), the A5 Sportback combines the sporty look of a coupe with the comfort of a sedan and the practicality of a station wagon.
Though we really dig the car, we can’t help wondering if Audi isn’t making a mistake with this model. I mean, the A4 was already a big car, very close to the A6, so we have the feeling the Ingolstadt car maker has three models (A4 Sedan, A6 Sedan and now the A5 Sportback) addressing to the same target. We sure hope they know what they’re doing.
Under the hood, the Audi A5 Sportback will initially be available with six engines (three gasoline and three diesels), with three more engines scheduled for 2010. The gasoline units include the 2.0-liter TFSI delivering 180 kW (132 kW) or 211 hp (155 kW) and the 3.2-liter V6 with a 265 hp (195 kW) output. Diesel choices include the 2.0 TDI which delivers 170 hp (125 kW) and achieves a fuel consumption of 5.2 liters/100 km (45 US mpg), a 190 hp (140 kW) 2.7-liter TDI and the 3.0 TDI unit which produces 240 hp (176 kW). All engines are highly-efficient direct injection models (complying Euro 5 emissions standard) and, beside that, all models are equipped with a recuperation system that recovers energy during braking and deceleration and stores it temporarily in the battery.
Models powered by the petrol units and by the 3.0 TDI will benefit from Audi’s quattro permanent all-wheel drive system, while the two most powerful engines are optionally available with a newly developed sport differential, which variably distributes power between the rear wheels. But customers wanting to order the 2.0 and the 2.7 diesels shouldn’t be envious, because these two models will come with Audi’s new ESP stabilization program with electronic front differential lock, increasing agility and preventing understeer.
The first Audi A5 Sportback will be delivered in September, with orders being already accepted at a starting price of 33,650 Euros ($47,500) in Germany. Audi also mentioned that a specially-priced model will be available next year, which will make the A5 Sportback the entry-level model in the A5 range.
Full Photo Gallery: Audi A5 Sportback
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Read More: “Audi A5 Sportback officially unveiled”
Posted on Jun 24th, 2009 by Vlad Balan
No Comments Category: Audi, Spy Shots
And the mistery’s over. Audi has been trying to hide the new Audi A5 Sportback from everyone’s eyes for some time. But in our days that’s proving to be a really, really difficult task for carmakers to hide their upcoming cars from us. Because here’s the Audi A5 Sportback, photographed by a student from the University of California, San Diego, where the car was brought by the folks from Audi for a photo shoot. The car’s completely undisguised and from what we can see, it’s one amazing vehicle. The silhouette, which kinda reminds me of the Jaguar XF, shows that the A4 and A5’s offspring turned out to be a great car.
Check out one more photo after the jump. Read More: “Audi A5 Sportback scooped without camo during photo shoot in California”
Posted on Jun 17th, 2009 by Vlad Balan
1 Comment Category: Audi, Video
Audi has just released the first official details on their upcoming A5 Sportback, together with a teaser photo showing a part of the car’s rear and a video. The new four-door coupe from the Ingolstadt carmaker will hit showrooms later this year, in September and it will be available for ordering with an entry price of 36,050 Euros for the 2.0 TDI version. According to Audi, the BMW 5 Series GT competitior will also get a version with an even more attractive price in the middle of 2010.
The other engines which will be available at launch will be two more diesels and two gasoline engines. The diesels are the 2.7 TDI with 140 kW (190 hp) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft), and the three-liter V6 TDI with 176 kW (240 hp) plus an enormous 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of maximum torque and quattro all-wheel drive, while the petrol units are the 2.0 TFSI quattro with an output of 155 kW (211 hp) and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque and the 3.2-liter V6 quattro generating 195 kW (265 hp), both equipped with the Audi valvelift system.
Other features the new Audi A5 Sportback will boast are the newly developed ESP control with electronic differential lock on the front axle and the Audi drive select dynamic driving system that allows the driver to choose between three different modes which influences the throttle response characteristics, the shift points for the seven-speed S tronic or multitronic transmissions, and supports the servotronic steering (if the vehicle is equipped with the MMI operating system, a fourth, freely programmable level is also available).
Also, after the jump, there’s a cool video released by Audi, showing Wolfgang Egger, Head of Audi group design, sketching the A5 Sportback concept. Enjoy! Read More: “Audi releases teaser photo, video and details on the upcoming A5 Sportback four-door coupe”
