Audi A5 and S5 2016 review

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the Audi A5 and S5 with specs and fuel consumption at their international launch in Portugal.

Audi goes for toning rather than bulk in the tasteful two-door spin-off from its compact sedan.

It's a world away from the evolutionary looks of the A4 sedan that introduced the mechanical package under the two-door A5 to Australia.

It has a confident look but it's not looking over-aggressive. It's ... fitting for the GT character as a gentleman's car.

The A5 is more than six months away, with a price likely to hover about $80,000, but the looks alone will create a wave of early orders.

"We have put it in the gym. It has grown muscles," says A5 exterior designer Jakob Hirzel. "It has a confident look but it's not looking over-aggressive. It's ... fitting for the GT character as a gentleman's car."

It's an interesting comment about a car that sells very well to women but Hirzel — who arrived recently at Audi from a VW Group grounding at Skoda — knows "his" A5 will be beefed up into the S5 and then pumped up even harder into the RS5.

He's keen to talk about the design work and philosophy of the car and its positioning relative to the conservative A4.

"There is a strategy to move the A5 from the A4 more than previously. It is a little bit longer but width and height are almost the same. And we have put more space inside the cabin, helped by a longer wheelbase."

The tape measure confirms this, with 17mm more cabin length, headroom improved by up to 26mm and 10L extra in the boot. Weight is down by 60kg and the drag coefficient is 0.25, claimed as best in class thanks to tweaks such as mounting mirrors on the doors rather than the windscreen pillar.

Mechanically, the A5 uses the A4's underpinnings, so expect four-cylinder petrol and diesel turbos, six-speed manual and seven or eight-speed autos, and front or all-wheel drive.

"The final line-up isn't confirmed.. The timing in Australia is in the first half of 2017," says Audi Australia spokesman Shaun Cleary.

On the road

As always, Audi's preview cars on the launch in Portugal are fully loaded, with the brand's great new virtual dashboard and adaptive dampers. Neither will be standard in Australia.

The roads are very different in Portugal, though we mount a concerted search for potholes.

The good looks of the A5 fit in with the sublime design and cabin comfort characterised by the A4. We concentrate on the A5 with 2.0-litre petrol engine and quattro drive that Audi Australia anticipates will be most popular.

It travels well. Switching from an east-west engine layout to a north-south installation pays off in all sorts of ways, from stability to outward vision.

Commendably quiet, the A5 seems to be light on fuel and cruises easily at highway speeds. Cornering grip is good.

The safety package has everything I expect for the price and class. There is a full suite of airbags, auto cruise control and auto safety braking. Expect five stars from ANCAP.

Still, there are a couple of nasty jerky shifts in the full auto, yet the double-clutch gearbox is fine. I found the ride in the basic 2.0-litre petrol car a little brittle and niggly at times. Not awful, but not relaxed.

Rear headroom is also limited. As function is sacrificed to form, the rear-view mirrors look good but intrude into the view to the sides.

At a glance

Price from: $80,000 (est)
Warranty: 3 years/unlimited km
Capped servicing: $1670 for 3 years/45,000km
Service intervals: 12 months/15,000km
Safety: Not tested
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo, 185kW/370Nm
Transmission: 7-speed auto; AWD
Thirst: 6.2L/100km
Dimensions: 4673mm (L), 1846mm (W), 1371mm (H), 2764mm (WB)
Weight: 1500kg
Spare: None; inflation kit
0-100km/h: 5.8 secs

And the S5?

Audi springs a surprise in Portugal with driving time in the new S5. It's the sportier car in the coupe line-up and my driving favourite, although it's likely to cost about $120,000.

The car is obviously quicker but it's a better all-round package with a more compliant ride, good urge in all situations and a little extra bling in the body and cabin. If the A5 is about design, the S5 is about the engine. It's a turbocharged petrol V6 with greater power, torque, efficiency and refinement.

The 0-100km/h time of just 4.7s shows it can really get along.

The man in charge of the program is another Audi youngster, Florian Beck, who talks about everything from tucking the turbo inside the vee of the engine to torque that's up to 500 Newton-metres and 5 per cent better fuel economy.

"I think we did a decent job here. More than 800 parts are new. The only thing it shares with the old motor is the bore-and-stroke," he says.

The seat belt feeder is a boon, as is the onboard Wi-fi. There is upscale leather (I'd never pick dark brown, as in the test car).

The engine always seems to be eager and responsive. Somehow it doesn't sound as good as the 2.0-litre motor, probably because the turbo mutes things, but it definitely gets the job done on all types of roads. And the 0-100km/h time of just 4.7s shows it can really get along.

At a glance

Price from: $120,000 (est)
Warranty: 3 years/unlimited km
Capped servicing: $1670 for 3 years/45,000km
Service interval: 12 months/15,000km
Safety: Not tested
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo, 260kW/500Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto; AWD
Thirst: 7.3L/100km
Dimensions: 4692mm (L), 1846mm (W), 1368mm (H), 2765mm (WB)
Weight: 1615kg
Spare: None; inflation kit
0-100km/h: 4.7 secs

How do you rate the A5's agressive new look? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

Click here to see more 2016 Audi A5 pricing and spec info.

Click here to see more 2016 Audi S5 pricing and spec info.