Audi A5 Sportback

Car and Driver

Rank in Entry-luxury Cars

The next step in Audi’s hatchback rehabilitation program.

Audi won’t fairly confirm that the fresh A5 Sportback is coming to the U.S. market. But trust us, it will. And when it does, it will proceed the work begun by the grander A7: redeeming the hatchback in the eyes of Americans. That’s why we got behind the wheel of this sleek variant of the A4 sedan on its German home turf.

The Sportback is 1.6 inches lower in overall height than the A4, but all other dimensions are within a fraction of the regular sedan’s. Mechanically, the cars are identical, which means the Sportback is powered by a Two.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder rated at two hundred fifty two horsepower and two hundred seventy three lb-ft of torque—the same as in all A4s other than the Ultra. This engine is more than sufficient—it’s so powerful that it renders the upmarket S5 Sportback a luxury, and we predict it will hurl this hatchback to sixty mph in Five.Trio seconds and on to a top speed limited to one hundred thirty mph.

Mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, this long-stroke Two.0-liter is a remarkably impatient and playful companion. It feels like a much larger engine, with virtually no turbo lag, and even the engine note is adequately sporty and aggressive. There are six-cylinder engines on the market that sound far less enticing than this boosted four.

The A5 Sportback’s seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox has its own character that differs from that of a conventional, torque-converter automatic. The torque multiplication during launches from a stop is missing, but it is supremely responsive in the 50-to-70-mph range. The gearbox can be manipulated with shift paddles, but drivers soon will notice that it generally does everything right when left to its own devices. Audi keeps improving this transmission; previously, we found the Sport setting to be a bit too extreme, but here it’s effortless to live with.

We’ve praised Audi’s MLB-Evo chassis before. It yields a car that is light, precise, and graceful on the road. The steering is not artificially strenuous, and the boundaries of adhesion are high, with the various electronic helpers discreetly working to keep the treating near neutral. As introduced for the European market, the A5 Sportback does not yet have Audi’s Quattro with Ultra system, which does away with the center differential and decouples the rear driveshaft to improve fuel economy. That system has been deployed on the A4 Allroad, but we think it’ll be a while before it migrates into the A5 Sportback. The current Quattro setup, which is fully engaged at all times and defaults to a 40/60 front/rear torque split, works in ideal harmony with this car.

The interior is virtually identical to those of the fresh A4 sedan and A5 coupe, and that’s a good thing. It’s a radical departure from the homely look of the last-gen models, and Audi’s Virtual Cockpit TFT-screen instrument cluster is very futuristic. The interior also hits the mark in content, ergonomics, and style. What’s obviously different compared with the A4 is the big hatch at the rear, which makes the cargo hold more lightly accessible; it also can be expanded from seventeen to forty six cubic feet with the rear seats folded.

But the A5 Sportback is indeed all about looks. While virtually the same as the A4 mechanically, it presents a stylish alternative to the familiar proportions of a sedan. In Europe, the fresh Sportback has been criticized for looking too much like its predecessor; that’s not a concern in the U.S., where there was no predecessor. And anyway, the design is beautiful. Like the A7 before it, the A5 Sportback should proceed the redemption of the hatchback in the United States. When it does, pricing should be virtually identical to the A5 coupe’s, kicking off at around $44,000.

Highs and Lows

Highs:

Sleek looks, powertrain feels greater than four cylinders, high-tech interior.

Audi A5 Sportback Reviews – Audi A5 Sportback Price, Photos, and Specs – Car and Driver

Audi A5 Sportback

Car and Driver

Rank in Entry-luxury Cars

The next step in Audi’s hatchback rehabilitation program.

Audi won’t fairly confirm that the fresh A5 Sportback is coming to the U.S. market. But trust us, it will. And when it does, it will proceed the work begun by the grander A7: redeeming the hatchback in the eyes of Americans. That’s why we got behind the wheel of this sleek variant of the A4 sedan on its German home turf.

The Sportback is 1.6 inches lower in overall height than the A4, but all other dimensions are within a fraction of the regular sedan’s. Mechanically, the cars are identical, which means the Sportback is powered by a Two.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder rated at two hundred fifty two horsepower and two hundred seventy three lb-ft of torque—the same as in all A4s other than the Ultra. This engine is more than sufficient—it’s so powerful that it renders the upmarket S5 Sportback a luxury, and we predict it will hurl this hatchback to sixty mph in Five.Three seconds and on to a top speed limited to one hundred thirty mph.

Mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, this long-stroke Two.0-liter is a remarkably anxious and playful companion. It feels like a much larger engine, with virtually no turbo lag, and even the engine note is adequately sporty and aggressive. There are six-cylinder engines on the market that sound far less enticing than this boosted four.

The A5 Sportback’s seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox has its own character that differs from that of a conventional, torque-converter automatic. The torque multiplication during launches from a stop is missing, but it is supremely responsive in the 50-to-70-mph range. The gearbox can be manipulated with shift paddles, but drivers soon will notice that it generally does everything right when left to its own devices. Audi keeps improving this transmission; previously, we found the Sport setting to be a bit too extreme, but here it’s effortless to live with.

We’ve praised Audi’s MLB-Evo chassis before. It yields a car that is light, precise, and graceful on the road. The steering is not artificially powerful, and the thresholds of adhesion are high, with the various electronic helpers discreetly working to keep the treating near neutral. As introduced for the European market, the A5 Sportback does not yet have Audi’s Quattro with Ultra system, which does away with the center differential and decouples the rear driveshaft to improve fuel economy. That system has been deployed on the A4 Allroad, but we think it’ll be a while before it migrates into the A5 Sportback. The current Quattro setup, which is fully engaged at all times and defaults to a 40/60 front/rear torque split, works in flawless harmony with this car.

The interior is virtually identical to those of the fresh A4 sedan and A5 coupe, and that’s a good thing. It’s a radical departure from the homely look of the last-gen models, and Audi’s Virtual Cockpit TFT-screen instrument cluster is very futuristic. The interior also hits the mark in content, ergonomics, and style. What’s obviously different compared with the A4 is the big hatch at the rear, which makes the cargo hold more lightly accessible; it also can be expanded from seventeen to forty six cubic feet with the rear seats folded.

But the A5 Sportback is truly all about looks. While virtually the same as the A4 mechanically, it presents a stylish alternative to the familiar proportions of a sedan. In Europe, the fresh Sportback has been criticized for looking too much like its predecessor; that’s not a concern in the U.S., where there was no predecessor. And anyway, the design is beautiful. Like the A7 before it, the A5 Sportback should proceed the redemption of the hatchback in the United States. When it does, pricing should be virtually identical to the A5 coupe’s, embarking at around $44,000.

Highs and Lows

Highs:

Sleek looks, powertrain feels greater than four cylinders, high-tech interior.

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