THE CAR IN FACTS
At this rate Audi will very soon make a totally oneoffcarforeveryoneofus. You want an A4? Here you go. It’s not sporty enough? OK, try an A5. But we want five doors? Ok,a5sportbackshoulddothe trick. With four wheel drive? We’ll add quattro. And sportiness? We’ll make it an S line.
You see how it goes. Audi are not only calculating what we want, but they are actually beating us to it. Before you even recognise what you may desire, some marketing genius at Audi is already shipping it off to a forecourt near you.
That’s why we have this incredible car with an even more incredible title. Audi A5 Sportback2.0tdiquattro190ps S line S tronic.
Essentially, it’s like a sporty A4withoutallthepracticalities of an A5. It drives well, looks good and is difficult to fault.
Difficult. But not impossible. Getting in and out of the narrow front doors takes a little practice to be elegant. And the rear window view is slightly limited, meaning a reversing camera would have been welcome,especiallyasthecarcosts £42,310. That’s a lot of money, even if very few people pay up front. More than likely these are business purchases.
That said, it’s actually not expensive at all, at least not when you compare it with the best Lexus, BMW, Mercedesbenz, Infiniti and Jaguar can throw at it. It is, as you would expect from such a meticulous company, very well priced: not too expensive, not too cheap.
So, how does this Audi measureup?it’sabeautifulcar,which shouldn’t surprise you. With the exception of the R8, Audi make incredibly handsome cars which are flash but not too flashy,modernbutnottoomodern.thea4isgood-lookingand the A5 adds a growl here and a purrthere.it’sathleticanddashing and easy to love.
Like most Audis, it is two cars in one. It is a sensible family motor capable of pottering around, ferrying passengers and accoutrements, thanks to anadmirablebootandcomfortable cabin.
But it is also a sporty beast: unleashthepoweranditwillrip to 60mph in 7.4 seconds and on to 146mph where legal, thanks toanenginewhichisresponsive and smooth. It’s diesel but you would never know. It sounds like petrol and it is as smooth as any two-litre engine could be.
Because it’s a hatchback, it’s more versatile than the A4 saloon.ok,soaudithinksportback sounds sexier but it is the same thing and it means the boot is huge and easy to use.
Equipment wise, this car is well equipped. A central command button runs the stereo, satellite navigation and other ● Price: £38,970 (£42,310 as tested) ● Engine: 2.0-litre, fourcylinder diesel ● Power: 187bhp ● Torque: 295lb/ft ● Transmission: Seven-speed automatic with sequential ● Top speed: 146mph ● 0 to 60mph: 7.4 seconds ● Economy: 62.8mpg ● Emissions: 117g/km features. It is so intuitive you wonder why other manufacturers don’t do the same.
It has leather and Alcantara seats which are smart and comfortable, three-zone climatecontrol,cruisecontroland parking sensors. It has elegant 18-inch alloy wheels and, love it or hate it, a powered tailgate.
Now, I can see why a big 4x4 might need a powered tailgate but this door is light enough to operate by hand.
Sportbackhasbeendescribed as a saloon from the front with the rear of an A5 coupe but with the wheelbase of an A4. It is said to be more of a designer’s car than the conventional A4 saloon.itiscertainlyinteresting andsuccessfulmeldingofideas.