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      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review

      Vikrant Singh

      Vikrant Singh

      Opening

      This is the new Audi A5. A car that's based on the same platform as the new A4. But if the latter is your well-to-do, sharply dressed analyst at a finance firm hired for a song, the A5 is the rockstar in the same firm. All the A4s want to be the A5. As for the A6s, well, they just envy the A5 for its flamboyance.

      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review

      So as you might have guessed - though the numeric part in the name is a straight giveaway - the A5 sits between the A4 and the A6, be it price or size. But Audi believes that unlike the even numbered cars, the A5 will mostly be an impulse purchase; a desire really to buy something that stands out.

      Appearance Exterior

      And stand out the A5 most definitely does. With its pumped up hood, it's coupe like silhouette, and emotive headlamp design, it calls for attention. We love the design of the wheels too.

      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review

      Now the A5 might be based in the A4, but it is visually longer. And as specs suggest, it also sits on a longer wheelbase. It sits closer to the ground too, which on instances meant we had to be extra careful over poor roads and speed breakers, just so we don't damage its good looking low door sills.

      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review

      At the back, it's typically Audi. Tail lamps run into the boot lid; there isn't too much going on in terms of lines; and you can trace its roots back to the A4 when viewed from the rear.

      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review

      Appearance Interior

      If you have been in an A4 or even the new Q7 for that matter, the A5 will feel familiar. Like the Lannisters from Game of Thrones. The Lannisters have their golden hair, great looks and taut bodies, while the new Audis - at least on the inside - have that awesome full colour instrument binnacle, the never-ending aircon vents, and of course, outstanding quality.

      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review

      The huge plus for the A5 meanwhile, is the visibility. With its slim A-pillar and surprisingly high seating, the view upfront is unrestricted. It also has good, comfy and spacious seats and apart from the gearshifter everything turns, feels and responds like a well-engineered item.

      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review

      And, it’s loaded with equipment; but then that’s something you'd expect from a Rs 50 lakhs or thereabouts luxury car. It gets three-zone climate control, high-end MMI system, scratchpad, sunroof, cruise control, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, parking sensors with a reversing camera, driving modes and the regular suite of safety tech.

      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review

      Space wise, there's good room for four and their luggage and with that hatchback like opening, stuffing bags, suitcases or possibly golf bags comes easy as well. If there's something we didn't like, it is the ingress and egress. It was a little too low for our no-gym, non-yoga lazy bodies.

      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review

      Performance Drive

      The new A5 can only be had with one engine-gearbox combo. You get a 2-litre, four cylinder diesel with near 190bhp and smile inducing 400Nm of peak torque. And it is mated to a seven-speed dual clutch automatic.

      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review

      The engine itself is fantastic. It's quiet, strong and as unobtrusive as money in the bank. The best bit - unless you drive with the throttle pinned to the floor, you'd be hard pressed to tell if this is in fact a diesel engine.

      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review

      As for the gearbox, it works best in Comfort mode. The gearshifts are quick, seamless and early. It goes well with the relaxed nature of the car. You can turn up the volume by switching to Dynamic. The throttle response gets perkier, the gearshifts get a little more pronounced, and the steering weighs up too, though a bit too artificially for our liking.

      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review

      Nothing changes on the suspension front, no matter what mode you select. So the ride is always calm, the occupants are well insulated, and it refuses to wallow or crash into anything. We won't term the ride as plush, but it is well judged so one can spend long hours in the car without feeling uncomfortable or irritable.

      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review

      As far as handling goes, the A5 is as planted as an A380 over Pacific skies. Sure, you can feel some undulations, hear a bit of tyre noise, and get mildly rocked about in the A5, but it never feels anything but solid even in the high hundreds.

      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review

      Now this one is a front wheel drive car and with that sort of torque, it's bound to get into some understeer come hard cornering. Now to be honest, Jaipur didn't provide us with the opportunity to test Audi's claim about the A5's smart diff that gets rid of the whole understeering saga, but given the lack of torque steer, we are inclined to believe Audi here.

      Tech Specs

      Make Audi
      Model A5 Sportback
      Fuel  Diesel
      Variant 2.0 TDI Ultra
      Engine Capacity 1968cc
      Max. Power (bhp@rpm) 190 @ 3800-4200
      Max. torque (Nm@rpm) 400 @ 1750-3000
      Gears  seven-speed DSG
      Length mm  4733
      Width mm 1843
      Height mm 1386
      Wheelbase mm 2824
      Fuel Capacity (in litres)  54
      Tyre size 245/40 R18

      Features

      Features  
      Three-zone climate control Yes
      High-end MMI system Yes
      Scratchpad Yes
      Sunroof Yes
      Parking sensors with a reversing camera Yes
      Cruise control Yes
      Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Yes
      Driving modes Yes

      Competition All Specs

      Make Audi BMW
      Model A5 Sportback 3 Series GT 
      Variant 2.0 TDI Ultra 320d Luxury Line
      Fuel Diesel Diesel
      Engine Capacity 1968cc 1995cc
      Max. Power (bhp@rpm) 190 @ 3800-4200 188 @ 4000
      Max. torque (Nm@rpm) 400 @ 1750-3000 400 @ 1750
      Gears  Seven-speed DSG Eight-speed auto
      Length mm 4733 4824
      Width mm 1843 1828
      Height mm 1386 1508
      Wheelbase mm 2824 2920
      Fuel Capacity (in litres) 54 57
      Tyre size 245/40 R18 225/50 R18

       

      Conclusion

      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review

      We quite like the A5 and can completely understand why one would want to skip the A4 and go straight for this sportback. It's good looking; easy and yet fun to drive; and it has that luxury flavour one so needs when spending around Rs 50 lakhs. It's only competition meanwhile, is the BMW 3 Series GT, which retails between Rs 42 to RS 48 lakhs.

      2017 Audi A5 Sportback Diesel Review


      Pictures: Kapil Angane

      Audi | New A5 | Audi New A5