I was impressed with all the A5's breathtaking seems to be when it debuted for 2008, but I didn't like its 3.2-liter V-6. It lacked excitement, and even although it is the more strong of two readily available engines, the coupe felt too heavy with it inside. Fellow editor Kelsey Mays reviewed the A5 Cabriolet convertible last year and discovered the A5's base 2.0-liter turbo maladjusted, which is strange because our staff universally loves that engine inside A4, too as other Audis and VWs of a variety of shapes and sizes.
I discovered that the car or truck is at its finest in its most affordable, least impressive guise: the A5 two.0T. This one's just appropriate.
See all A5 trim levels and entire body styles in comparison here.
Efficiency
Inside the car or truck earth — specifically the sports car entire world — the thinking is that the more powerful the motor, the far better the driving expertise. Audi's a couple of.0-liter turbo four-cylinder is one exception, in particular compared while using other engine offered inside A5: the 3.2-liter six-cylinder. (If you desire brute force and enthusiast thrills, check out our review with the Audi S5 here.)
The a couple of.0-liter revs happily and gets you up to speed lickety-split. It may possibly not have the low-end power from the a few.a couple of, but neither does it have any of the accelerator lag exhibited by the A5 3.two I drove. My test car or truck had the normal six-speed manual, which can be a joy to drive. The clutch is light and also the shifter pops into each and every gate with precise, light throws.
This may be the manual transmission you desire if you do a lot of commuting — and as the master on the 60-minute commute within the Cars.com offices, I am finest qualified to provide this assessment.
Steering is from the classic Audi vein: power-assisted to an extreme at low speeds, having a more precise think at higher speeds. What this does is rid you of the heavy lifting you have to do to navigate a BMW 3 Series up a parking structure.
The ride was also fairly comfortable in everyday driving. The structure feels rigid, but you don't feel main road imperfections, like bridge joints, as severely as you do in the BMW competition. The Infiniti G37 also carries a great balance of ride comfort and ease and performance, with a nicer exhaust and more grunt under the hood.
Seems to be
What neither the BMW 3 coupe nor the G37 coupe has, even though, may be the A5's seems. The auto is spectacular, and right after additional than a year about the market, it nonetheless received praise from my neighbors and loved ones members.
I don't believe I should elaborate on this section; just take a appear at the very pictures.
Interior
Audi's interior appears neat, orderly and basic. Could it be a little bit far more luxurious for its as-tested $40,000 value tag? Maybe, in particular around the doors, but overall I was focused for the stylish gauges, the sophisticated entertainment and navigation system, as well as the road, as being a driver really should be.
Those features also make up for the two small rear seats, which are almost impossible to use.
A person drawback, however, is having in and out. The A5 is a step much better than the Chevy Corvette in terms of having to fold your entire body to obtain in and out of it, but that's not a lot of a compliment. A lot more extreme sports cars are easier to jump into than the A5, which may make this otherwise mainstream vehicle attractive to fewer buyers. My wife in particular can't stand this attribute — she nonetheless remembers/loathes the Corvette Z06 and BMW 6 Series — even when she's not wearing high heels or a dress.
Cargo
The trunk carries a great, rectangular shape that makes the 12.0 cubic feet of cargo space in there really usable, as there aren't any odd cutouts or wasted room. The rear seats may be useless for passengers, but at the least they fold down to expand the cargo area.
Safety
The A5 comes with common front airbags, seat-mounted side airbags for your driver and passenger, and side curtain airbags for both rows. The A5 has not been crash-tested by either the National Highway Site visitors Basic safety Administration or the Insurance Institute for Highway Protection.
Audi A5 inside Current market
It's rather simple to pen this section, simply because the A5 has currently proved itself inside the industry like a strong seller. The 2.0T would be the the very least high-priced version, starting at $36,000 while using the manual transmission. Our test automobile had navigation and an optional Prestige Package, which ratcheted the price up above $43,000. That's a lot of cash for a four-cylinder engine, even if it is usually a genuinely good a single.
But at the least you don't should go any greater than that; the styling and mixture of everyday driving comfort and just-enough thrills make a convincing argument not to upgrade to a 3.2.
