Audi revealed the details of the 2020 A5 in Europe. Audi is offering the car in three body shapes, a four door Sportback, a two door coupe and a two door cabriolet. The cars has undergone significant changes since the last model was introduced in 2016.
The Looks. I found the coupe gorgeous to look at though the sportback offers more practicality and the cabriolet provides the wind in the air experience. The car expresses motion even when at rest. The bonnet is endowed with all the right creases and power bumps and the grille exudes aggressiveness. To the keen eyes, it has larger air dams in the bumper and a beautiful quartet of exhausts at the rear. There is a character line which connects the headlamp to the tail lamps and the necessary performance skirts between the wheel arches. The rear end is in consonance with the new Audi philosophy with the tail lamps occupying the top portion of the bootlid. The wheels fill the arches nicely and are shod with nice looking alloy rims. The headlamps are topped by eyebrow like DRLs which give a menacing look. All the models are offered with LED headlamps while the LED Matrix headlamps and LED tail lamps are offered as an option.
The Feel. Audi has endowed the cars with high quality interiors. Keeping with the sporty intent, the interiors are all black for the coupe. On the other hand the sportback gets a black and brown interior while the cabriolet gets a black and grey interior. All cars can seat five passengers, though the leg space are a bit constraint on the 2-door cars. The interiors are dominated by horizontal lines and the pride of place is taken up by the 10.1″ MMI display which is angled towards the driver. This display is the control center of the new operating system and the focal point of the instrument panel. With its new MMI touch system, the Audi A5 offers a user experience similar to a contemporary smartphone. The MMI touch display has acoustic feedback and replaces the rotary push button used in previous models. The graphics are clean and reduced and the menu reflects the expectations of the user. A new advancement is that the the MMI search is based on free text input and returns relevant hits very rapidly. The system has a voice control also which understands many words from everyday speech.
Keeping with the trend towards connected cars, the navigation system has been made intuitive and intelligent. In Germany, it can connect with the traffic system of the city to offer information about the next traffic light being approached also. The navigation system also suggests routes based on routes previously driven. Audi connect and Audi connect plus comprise a multitude of online services, including online traffic sign and hazard information, on-street parking and the Car-to-X service traffic light information. The optional digital Audi connect key turns an Android smartphone into a vehicle key that can unlock the doors and start the engine.
The infotainment system uses Audi’s MIB 3 technology which handles activities like telephony and other Audi connect services. The car comes with a built in wi-fi hotspot. The second display is the 12.3″ screen behind the steering wheel which displays the Audi Virtual Cockpit. This technology first offered by Audi is now being adopted by several companies. The virtual cockpit has three display options. In addition, Audi offers a head-up display that projects important information into the driver’s direct field of view. Enough of information in the infotainment. The entertainment part is supported by an excellent Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound System with 3D sound.
The A5 Cabriolet has a classic fabric top. It is an acoustic hood and opens fully automatically in 15 seconds at speeds of up to 50 km/h.
The Push. The cars are offered with options of diesel and petrol engines in inline four cylinder starting with an output of 163 BHP . V-6 options in diesel and petrol are available for the S models. The four A5 engine variants will be equipped with a mild hybrid system (MHEV). Theses engines have a belt alternator starter, which is connected to the crankshaft and recovers energy during deceleration and stores this in a compact lithium-ion battery. For four-cylinder engines, the MHEV system is integrated into the 12-volt electrical system while for the S TDI engines its integrated with a new 48-volt main electrical system. All A5 models are equipped with an automatic transmission, either a seven-speed S tronic or an eight-speed tiptronic. Quattro drive is available as an option for the mid-range engine variants and comes standard with the three most powerful ones.
The S5 and S5 Coupe TDI are offered with a 3.0 litre V-6 diesel generating 347 BHP and 700 N-m of torque. Theses engines push the cars to an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h and provide a very respectable acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h of under 5 seconds. These cars are also offered as 3.0 litre TFSI petrols outside Europe, producing 354 BHP and 500 N-m of torque. These cars claim to achieve a 0-100 time of 4.7 seconds.
The Ride. The standard tuning of the suspension of the A5 models is sporty. A tauter sport suspension and a suspension with controlled damping are offered as options. The steering, automatic transmission and engine management are likewise integrated into Audi drive select. Drivers can choose between five Audi drive options to determine how these components work together. In the S models, a taut S sport suspension is standard; damper control is optional
The Transport Journal 