Audi A5: Keeping the 3 Series coupé honest
Newswheel staff :: 21 February 2007 :: Filed under Coupe, Audi, Audi A5, Europe & UK, US
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Return of the elegant Audi?
Better late than never, eh? After seemingly decades of allowing BMW to coin it courtesy of the 3 Series in the compact premium coupé market, Audi has finally produced a competitor. The first official images of the new A5 coupé and its S5 high performance sibling have been leaked, apparently from Audi’s own website…
While the A5 is a dead cert for a Geneva show debut early next month, the S5 is yet to be confirmed for the Swiss event. Styling-wise, the Audi’s new two-door takes a leaf out of the BMW manual on compact coupé design and majors on understated elegance. It’s a slightly surprising move given Audi’s recent track record of favouring fussier but more striking designs, but probably reflects the crushing success of the conservatively-styled 3 Series. Anywho, it certainly lacks the drama and distinctiveness of the Nuvolari concept which presaged the A5 back in 2003.
A5’s frontal treatment has more than a whiff of the A3 hatchback…
…while the way the exaggerated shoulder crease sweeps over the rear wheel arch has a hint of R8
Time will tell whether the elegant new A5 packs enough eye candy to topple the BMW 3. However, there’s no doubting in technical terms it promises to be the most interesting mainstream Audi in memory. How so? Simply scope out that modest front overhang:
It’s symptomatic of the new platform that underpins the A5, known as ‘B8’ in Audi nomenclature. The big news with B8, which will also form the basis of the next A4, is the repositioning of the engine and transmission rearward and toward the firewall. Although it’s unlikely the entire engine has been crammed in behind the front axle line, the result should be vastly improved weight distribution. And that should spell an end to the wooden, nose-heavy ride and handling of most existing Audis. Given the magic Audi has recently managed to work with the fundamentally rather compromised RS4, it all bodes awfully well.
There’s just one catch. Despite the A5’s more balanced architecture, Audi has retained its favoured front- or all-wheel-drive configuration. You really have to wonder why Audi is sticking with front-wheel drive for a car that is so clearly engineered for rear-wheel transmission - i.e. a longitudinal engine installation largely behind the front axle. Why not have rear-wheel drive as the default option and retain the quattro all-wheel-drive option? Almost definitely because a rear-wheel drive A5 would only serve to highlight how redundant quattro has become in an age of sophisticated traction control and stability systems. Nevertheless, with improved weight distribution and a 40:60 front/rear torque split, the Quattro model has all the ingredients of a great drive.
The cabin of Audi’s latest coupe is largely a chip off the A6 saloon block
As for engines, Audi’s petrol and diesel V6s are a given at launch, while the S5 will receive the company’s 4.2-litre V8, probably with direct injection and Audi’s valve lift tech. Once the initial buzz has tailed off, expect Audi to flesh out the range with both four-pot models and a cabrio derivative. An even more extreme RS6 variant is also expected.
No word for now on precise availability and pricing info, but further details should emerge at the Geneva show next month.
Those Audi S5 snaps in full:
