Many of you might be amazed that the current generation of the Audi A5 has been around for about nine years now. Here to end one of the firm’s longest product cycles, Audi has introduced its brand new 2017 A5 Sportback ahead of its official debut at the Paris Auto Show.
Under the sheet metal, the A5 Sportback is built on the same MLB Evo platform as the A4 and the Q7. The sharper-looking front end falls in line with its manufacturer’s present design cues but its overall silhouette carries over from the existing model with only minor tweak. This creates an overall feeling that the Sportback’s design is more of a careful evolution that a revolution. So Audi, so typically A4…
The A5 Sportback receives roughly the same interior as the new 2017 A4 that bowed in Frankfurt about a year ago. That means the cabin is more luxurious and high-tech than before, and the passengers benefit from additional space. A dash-mounted screen runs the infotainment system, while a configurable digital instrument cluster — virtual cockpit in Audi-speak — is offered at an extra cost.
Audi suggests that buyers of the A5 Sportback will have access to no less than five gasoline and diesel-burning engines. Interestingly, one can also order a 126kW 2.0-liter TFSI capable of running either on gasoline, natural gas, or the e-gas that Audi produces in-house.
Further engine specifications for our market haven’t been announced yet but expect it to be launched initially with a 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine rated at 187kW and 370Nm of torque.
The S5 ups the ante with a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine tuned to produce 264kW and 498Nm of torque. The S5 gets to 100km/h from a stop in 4.7 seconds in its fastest configuration. The RS5, expected to follow soon after, should cleave some time off that.
Nothing is official yet, but it’s not far-fetched to speculate that we’ll see the convertible in Los Angeles later this year and the RS5 next year at the Geneva Motor Show.
