Audi announces new A5 lineup, pricing

The new, expanded A5 lineup will go on sale in Australia in April with two new drivetrains, a freshened up exterior and a raft of updates outside and in.

It will remain available in three body styles – coupe, five-door Sportback and cabriolet – with no less than six powertrain options.

The petrol lineup now starts with an all-new 1.8-litre TFSI four and extends up through the familiar 2.0-litre TFSI four and 3.0-litre TFSI V6, while the sporting S5 gets its own 3.0-litre supercharged V6. The diesel lineup starts with the 2.0-litre TDI four introduced late last year in the new A6, along with the 3.0-litre TDI V6.

Improvements to output and fuel efficiency across the range contribute to an aggregate reduction in fuel consumption of 18 per cent across the fleet.

The lusty 125kW 1.8 TFSI uses a distinctive combination of direct and indirect fuel injection to deliver a peak 320Nm from just 1400rpm – enough to get it from 0-100km/h in 7.9 seconds while sipping just 5.7L/100km combined. The 2.0 TFSI retains its 155kW and 350Nm, but useful tweaks see it limboing in under the low-LCT threshold of 7.0L/100km, which Audi has used not to cut prices but to bump up kit levels.

The 200kW 3.0 TFSI V6 gets a torque boost of 21 per cent, to 400Nm, while fuel consumption drops nine per cent to 8.1L/100km. Improvements to the 245kW S5 bring it into the sub-five second club in coupe form with a 0-100km/h acceleration figure of 4.9 seconds.

For the oilers, Audi claims a class-leading combination of performance and economy for the 2.0 TDI with 130kW and 380Nm while consuming just 4.7L/100km combined, while work done on the 180kW 3.0 TDI V6 sees fuel consumption down from 6.7 to 5.7L/100km combined, with its peak 500 Newtons available at lower revs and across a broader rev band.

Upmarket models now also get switchable engine mapping, allowing drivers to move between dynamic, comfort, efficiency and individual ECU programs at the touch of a button.

On the outside are new, crisper panel lines and new light clusters all round. The tail-lights are tidier, while up front, alongside subtle tweaks to the grille, are new headlamp clusters with distinctive new running light lines. Xenon headlamps and 18-inch alloy wheels are now standard across the range.

Inside, the updated A5 sees substantial ergonomic modifications with tidier switchgear on the console and centre stack and a simplified MMI central control system. This generation of A5 inherits the new Drive Select system introduced upmarket in the A6 and A7 models. All models now get an update to the Bluetooth telephony connection, which the company has extended to cover audio streaming.

A5s now also get a slew of new safety systems. Its Attention Assist system is similar to the fatigue detection package parent company Volkswagen introduced in its Passat in 2011. At the start of each journey, the system spends a few minutes monitoring driver behaviour, effectively creating a profile of the driver. From there, if it detects aberrant behaviour suggesting inattention, it alerts the driver with beeps and steering wheel vibrations. If it detects the car heading off the road unintentionally, its lane assist system can co-opt the new electro-mechanical steering box to gently get it back on track. Blind-spot monitoring is also available.

In keeping with the company’s strategy of taking customisation to new levels for its class, the new lineup offers money-no-object buyers in almost limitless array of paint and trim combinations from a grab-bag including timber, piano-black and brushed aluminium console and door trim, three grades of seat leather, ten wheel options and ask-and-ye-shall-probably-receive paint (the latter with the caveat that paint in the available hue has to live up to Audi’s quality standards).

Visit motoring.com.au again soon for our full launch review of the 2012 Audi A5 range.

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