Next-Gen Audi A5 And S5 Sportback Revealed

Audi has taken the wraps off the next-generation A5 Sportback along with its performance version, the S5 Sportback. The unveil comes as a surprise as these were slated to be revealed next month at the Paris Motor Show. 

What one needs to keep in mind is that the Sportback versions should not be confused with the next-gen A5 and S5 coupes. The Sportback versions features five doors, while the coupe avatars come with three doors. The five-door version have been spied a number of times before and their coupe avatars gave us a fair regarding the design of the cars.

The A5 and S5 Sportback exhibit their design prowess by employing a very aggressive exterior layout, which is seldom seen in Audi cars. As opposed to an elegant set-up that most of the Audis have, the A5 and S5 are more muscular thanks to the sharp creases carved all over the different elements of the body. For instance, the bonnet has prominent character lines that converge towards the grille forming a power dome, the sides feature a sharp shoulder line and prominent wheel arches. The L-shaped taillights complement the front headlamp which carry the similar daytime running light (DRL) set-up. The front and rear bumpers stand true to the overall sporty set-up of the car and are slightly different from those of the coupes. The S5 Sportback can be identified via the wider lower bumper, bigger wheels, rear diffuser and the S badges that the 'S'  version has, but the 'A' doesn't. 

The interiors of the A5 and S5 Sportback follow the latest interior design set-up from the German manufacturer. It is also loaded with the latest tech such as the MMI infotainment system with navigation which responds to the voice commands given by the driver or occupants. It also gets multi-zone climate control, electrically adjustable seats, panoramic sun/moonroof, best-in-class boot space (as claimed by Audi), etc, to further enhance their appeal. 

Platform

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As is the case with every new-gen Audi vehicle, the A5 siblings are also based on the MLB Evo platform, which makes the car stronger and lighter. Both the cars weigh between 1,400-1,600kg and are lighter by approximately 85kg than the outgoing car.

Engines

The A5 will be available with two petrol and three diesel engine options globally. Whereas, the S5 will be available with a 3.0-litre TFSI V6 motor with 357PS of power, which is a good 21PS more than the current car.

The European launch will take place in early 2017 after the Paris Motor Show. The price of the base A5 is EUR 37,800 (around Rs 28 lakh), while the S5 is priced at EUR 62,500 (approx. Rs 47 lakh).

Notably, the current Audi S5 is available in India, so there's a strong possibility that the manufacturer might introduce this all-new Sportback as well. As far as the A5’s launch is concerned, it’s quite unlikely since its price could clash with that of the A6 and lead to cannibalism -- something that Audi will probably not want.