Audi S5 2007 Review

The first thing a prospective Audi customer should do, but probably won't, is pop the bonnet of their car and have a look at its engine - not to look at what it is, but where it is.

They should do this because if it's not an A3 or TT, that engine will be mounted longitudinally, and most of it forward of the front axle line, hanging out there like the V12 Merlin in a WWII Spitfire. This is good for packaging, but not for weight distribution, or, consequently, handling balance. Audi knows this, which is why the A4-based RS4 uses lightweight aluminium panels up front to redress at least part of its nose-heavy mechanical layout.

It is also why the company has developed the new 'modular design system' platform - MDS - a fully flexible engineering architecture intended for Audis with a longitudinal engine layout, that now sees its first incarnation in the A5 coupe. Ingolstadt believes that MDS will lift Audi dynamics beyond both BMW and Mercedes.

As such, the A5 coupe is not a late-arriving two-door version of the A4 or any existing Audi variant, but an entirely new ball game. With its relatively long wheelbase and short overhangs - the distance between axles is about 100mm more than in the A4 - its new configuration promises a better weight balance than before. This is notably so because the front axle line has been moved forward 100mm to 140mm relative to the engine, depending on whether that engine is a four, a V6 or a V8.

And as for weight distribution? This is as good as 53/47 front to rear in the 1.8-litre quattro, 56/44 for the S5 quattro with its heavier 4.2-litre V8 donk, through to 58/42 for the 3.0-litre diesel quattro.

Look past the sultry body and under the bonnet, as suggested, and there's still plenty of metal up front. But it's a long way from the old days of all cylinders hanging out in the breeze like on the original Quattro Coupe, with which Audi is fond of comparing its new baby. This platform will also spawn the next-gen A4 and A6, so the A5 is a promise of interesting times ahead in Audi land.

Across this platform, Audi's engine and transmission line-up is huge, and models including the 1.8-litre turbo, 3. 2-litre V6 petrol and 3.0-litre diesel will be filtering into Australia over the next 18 months. But the hero of the range is undoubtedly the V8-powered S5, which will be available from launch in October this year, priced between $130-135K. Given that it is up against a proven performer in the BMW 335i Coupe, which costs some $20,000 less, the S5 would want to be a good thing.

So what's it like? Audi's chief designer Walter de Silva reckons it's the most beautiful car he's ever designed, and that comes from the originator of the Alfa 156. Given that coupes are all about style and presence - and why else would anybody forgo the convenience of four or five doors? - the S5's blend of long bonnet, chunky haunches and that cinemascope Audi grille seem to fit the bill. At the press drive in northern Italy, it had Signor de Silva's compatriots ogling from the cafes and footpaths. But then, that might have been on account of the lurid daytime running lights that frame its headlamps - like a pair of devils horns, or, perhaps, a couple of fingers forked at the country that gave us Gran Turismo in the first place.

Indeed, Audi insists the S5 and its less well nourished cell-mates are GT cars; if you want something sportier with four rings on the grille, step into a TT instead, or save up for an R8. As such, the S5 is a reasonably big car, and looks it.

At 4635mm, the S5 is a little longer than a BMW 3-Series coupe, but at 1854mm, it is an astonishing 72mm wider. On the road, it has a fleshy fatness that speaks of space and comfort, and inside there is enough elbow room to keep front seat occupants a polite distance apart.

The S5's engine also has some interesting numbers that continue the Grand Tourer theme. Instead of the RS4's raucously high-revving 309kW V8, there's a variant of the less powerful but more torquey version fitted to the S4. In the S5, it's good for 260kW at 7000rpm and 440Nm at 3500rpm - both enough to put the turbocharged 335i in the shade. Apparently, it'll do zero to 100km/h in 5.1 seconds, but that number applies to the six-speed manual version which was the only model available to drive at launch.

Such a car undoubtedly deserves an automatic gearbox to find the maximum number of buyers, but they'll have to wait six months (until April 2008) when the S5 Tiptronic arrives in Australia.

There's quattro all-wheel-drive, of course, operating through a self-locking centre differential with torque split 40/60 front-to-rear until road surface conditions suggest otherwise. Other notable mechanical features include a new (for Audi) steering system with its rack mounted forward of the front axle line, while at the rear there's a new trapezoidal link suspension that looks set to grace its next line-up of A4, A6 and A8 sedans, and all their variants.

Step into the elegant wraparound driver's seat, push the chunky lump of plastic that replaces a normal key into the dashboard, ignore the strangely superfluous start/stop button on the centre console, and the V8 rumbles into life anyway. Move away gently and a couple of things become apparent even before the first envelope of performance is opened: its steering is very light at low speeds, and the ride on 18-inch, 45-series profile tyres very firm. File that information away for further exploration as you wheel the S5 onto the highway with 260kW at the leash, straining to be released.

Its noise alone is enough to dispel any misapprehension that the S5 is a coupe angled towards luxurious living instead of performance. Listen carefully, and you can almost hear the engine sucking air, combining it with vaporised fuel, consuming the mixture in fire and blowing the remnants out through four chromed tailpipes. The lightest of throttle openings makes the V8 growl; more revs and a bigger shot of juice simply increases the volume, and on approach to the 7500rpm cutout, it almost begins to wail. You almost wouldn't care if this was a slow car.

The thing is, though, the S5 feels very quick indeed. At 1630kg, it is reasonably light, then there's all-wheel drive and generous expanses of rubber to ensure a quick getaway. The long rev range extends the fun, but sensible gearing and a strong spread of torque also mean rapid in-gear acceleration is present, too.

Audi claims a combined fuel consumption figure of 12. 4L/100km, which you can choose to believe or not, but the 63-litre tank capacity is a little less than generous for a V8. To assist, there's a dashboard display that recommends gear selections that will aid economy.

The manual gearshift is precise enough, but notchy and none too quick. It'll be interesting to see how the whole package performs against the clock later in the year and, a little later after that, whether the auto is as exciting in a straight line.

Audi's quest for better handling through weight redistribution seems to have worked, though, because on public roads, there's not much in the way of understeer to slow progress, unless you're really pushing. Grip levels are huge, and it takes some determination to activate the S5's ESP. It corners with ruthless efficiency, but that can also somehow leave the driver feeling a little detached. There's no fight for traction on tight roads, but with the right ratio selected, it's simply a matter of twirling the wheel, feeding in the power and waiting for the next corner to arrive.

Its steering firms up with speed, and with a little lock on, the S5 provides more feedback to the driver than any Audi in recent memory. But there's a transition period away from the straight-ahead position to the quarter turn that can cause a re-adjustment of line, which is less than perfect, as there's no strong self-centering at lower speeds.

Then there's the ride quality - or rather, a lack of it. This is one stiffly suspended car that will crash over expansion joints on freeways, fidget over rows of seemingly innocuous corrugations, and generally never fail to let the car's occupants know how busily it is working away at the road surface. The S5 comes with the stiffer 'sports' suspension as standard, but even the standard 'comfort' setting on other models seems uncompromisingly firm.

There is, perhaps, a pay-off in rock-solid body control over longer undulations and virtually no roll in corners. However, if grand touring is meant to equate to comfort on less-than-perfect tarmac, the S5 fails to meet that definition. Thankfully, though, so solidly built does it feel that while the suspension can be felt and heard, nothing induces rattles or creaks within.

Maybe some owners will mistake it for sportiness, but it's a pity about the firm ride, as its refinement is otherwise very pleasing, with virtually no tyre roar or wind noise, even at such speeds that can be so readily achieved, if not explored legally in Australia.

There's plenty else to like, too. The S5's front seats are perfectly supportive without being outrageously overbolstered; its steering wheel is neither too fat nor thin for a comfortable grip; and its driving position is almost infinitely variable but intuitively correct.

For information, the driver is faced with quite conventional circular dials and an unmistakable level of Audi style and efficiency in its minor controls. These include a familiar version of Audi's MMI interface for satellite navigation, stereo adjustment and the like, but important functions, such as ventilation, are separate and easy to find and adjust quickly. In other words, if iDrive is not for you, then this just might be instead.

Rear seat passengers are less well looked after. There's nothing wrong with the available leg room, or ingredients such as the twin air vents in the rear, or a comfortable folding centre armrest with its own cupholders and storage bin. But the S5's low, sloping roofline does little for headroom, and a six-footer will have their head tilted forward just to fit in. Rear access past the fully powered front seats is none too easy to achieve, either.

Still, there's a long and deep boot big enough to accommodate golf clubs, and there's a ski port for loading long objects through to the back seat.

All up, in the S5, Audi has created less a grand tourer than a muscle car - a perfectly built German Mustang or Monaro, with all the chest-prodding attitude those names evoke. Its major shortcomings remain its lack of ride comfort and rear-seat headroom, with a certain numbness in its handling that comes about more through sheer efficiency of grip than a lack of corner speed.

But if it's a heady combination of V8 power, the right noises, equipment level, restrained good looks, and a cossetting interior that are required, the S5 delivers in spades. It isn't cheap compared with some rivals, but then there are less expensive models in the range. The diesel seems particularly delicious, with even more torque than the petrol V8, and a longer touring range.

And don't forget that from an engineering point of view, this is a car that opens a whole new chapter for Audi, of which the A5 and its powerhouse S5 big brother are simply the beginning.

Platform view
Entry-level A5 with a 1.8-litre turbo engine, front-wheel drive and multitronic (CVT) arrives in April 2008, costing $70-$75K. So if it's just the style you're after, wait and save $60K over S5.

The 3.2-litre, 195kW petrol V6 and FWD and multritronic arries in October '07 at the same time as the S5, priced from around $90K; Tiptronic quattro version arrives next March.

Torque steer is absent on dry tarmac in the front-driver, and its V6 is commendably powerful and sweet. But despite the CVT's eight pre-programmed ratios, it's hardly the sporting choice.

After driving the 3.0-litre V6 diesel however, it's not hard to think of this as pick of the bunch. There's not much it lacks: 176kW and a thumping 500Nm from 1500rpm give it the pulling power of a big V8, not a 4.2-litre one. We'll get the Tiptronic auto version. Price for the diesel is tipped to be between 95 and 100 grand, but it doesn't arrive until August 2008.

Origin of the species
A5's design began with the Nuvolari concept shown at Geneva in 2003 but Audi dates its lineage back to 1980's 'master' Quattro, even 1969's 100S coupe. A5's shape obviously more flowing than the square Quattro, but the earlier car had a bigger back seat. In 1980, 2.2-litres of turbo five-cylinder engine gave 147kW; now a 4.2-litre V8 is good for 260kW.

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