“First
drive of the new five-door,
five-seater A5 Sportback, billed as
offering the ‘best of three worlds’.
The third and final model for the
A5 range, which already includes
the two-door, four-seater Coupe
and the two-door, four-seater
Cabriolet, the A5 Sportback costs
from £23,710...”
THE NEW MODEL has the elegant styling of a coupe; the comfort of a saloon,
with its extended wheelbase for better rear passenger legroom; and the practicality
of a five-door hatchback for load and passenger carrying. All A5 models are
based on the floorpan used by the new A4 range but the Sportback has a wheelbase
extended by 60mm to provide that extra rear legroom as well as a huge boot and
load area.
The Sportback uses the same front section from the nose to the A-pillars as
the A5 Coupe although all bodywork from that point back to the rear is new.
Although the new model retains the sleek low roofline and side profile of the
Coupe, the addition of the two rear passenger doors means the new model will
appeal to owners who regularly carry adult rear seat passengers. The neatly
designed tailgate allows easy access to the load area: 480 litres of boot space
with the rear seats in place; 980 litres with the 60:40 spilt-folding rear seatbacks
folded down.
The current engine line-up — all direct injection engines — comprises
of a 2.0-litre TFSI petrol (178 or 208bhp) with start-stop function; 3.2-litre
petrol FSI 261bhp quattro; 2.0-litre TDI diesel (168bhp) with start-stop; 2.7-litre
TDI (187bhp); and a 3.0-litre TDI (237bhp). There will be a main-selling 2.0-litre
TDI 141bhp diesel engine to come and an S5, 3.0-litre petrol supercharged 328bhp
powerplant carrying a near-£38k price tag. Quattro all-wheel drive is available
on a wide choice of these units.
The A5 Sportback's main appeal will be its coupe styling but with the big advantage
of having four doors and a tailgate. The usual competitors are the BMW 3 Series,
Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the underrated and often overlooked VW Passat five-door
Coupe. The BMW remains top for driving refinement and handling; the C-Class
for ride comfort and interior space; the Passat CC is cheaper to buy; and the
A5 Sportback excels for looks, brand value, standard leather upholstery and
the highest resale values.
On the downside, the longer wheelbase seems to have upset the balance and poise
of the car. Consequently the handling is not as precise as that of the A5 Coupe
or the A4 models. On country roads the ride is unsettled, the car floats over
undulating roads and the steering gives little feedback to the driver.
That said, it is a comfortable vehicle and most high mileage owners will appreciate
that. Road noise intrusion on motorways, which appears to enter the car from
the load area, is also a tad irritating.
The sensible engine choice for high mileage users (until the 141bhp TDI engine
arrives) is the 2.0-litre TDI 168bhp diesel unit with 258lb ft of torque from
1,750rpm with start-stop technology. In perfectly adequate SE spec, this car
will cost £27,140. And with the six-speed manual transmission, the CO2 emissions
are a low 137g/km — which means a VED tax bill of £120 (from April 2010,
under the new First Year VED rating, this should go down to £110). Benefit In
Kind company car tax is also rated at a low 18%, and the insurance group is
14.
During my brief test drive session this week, I also tried the 2.0 TFSI 208bhp
quattro version and, because it produces 258lb ft of torque from only 1,500rpm,
this petrol engine would be my recommendation for any private buyer who doesn't
cover huge mileages.
Of course, the advantage of the quattro all-wheel drive is that it provides
year-round security under all road conditions, and sharpens up the car's lazy
roadholding. Even with the seven-speed S-tronic auto gearbox, the quattro I
drove returned 38.2mpg. Only the price — £30,325 — will make your
eyes water. Alternately, you can opt for the same engine with front-wheel drive
in SE specification for £27,415.
Reasons to put an A5 Sportback on your drive include eye-catching and classy
good looks, hatchback practicality, big boot, good rear seat legroom, leather
upholstery as standard, high specification and a great engine. Not so good is
the limited rear seat headroom for adults, a sloppy ride over country roads
and little feedback from the steering. — David Miles
Audi A5 Sportback 2.0 TDI SE with start-stop | £27,140
Maximum speed: 142mph | 0-62mph: 8.7 seconds | Overall test MPG: 39.7mpg
Power: 168bhp | Torque: 258lb ft | CO2 137g/km | Insurance group 14
“First
drive of the new five-door,