Audi A5 Sportback

Several features in the A5’s interior can be customised according to your needs to achieve a more personalised Audi experience. Seats are designed to optimise comfort by enhancing posture for long rides. Furnished with a black dashboard and carpets alongside titanium-grey headline the interior is covered in Fine Nappa leather. The tech department comprises of a display screen of 7 inches with sat nav, Qi wireless phone charging, live traffic along with five map updates, support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, two USB ports, a 10-speaker stereo with subwoofer, two SD card inputs, two USB ports in the rear seat, a rotary dial controller, DAB+ digital radio, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming and Audi connect online services. Other features include seat adjustment (electric - with memory) for front seaters, smart key / push-button start, cruise control and more.

The A5 Sportback powered by 40 TFSI strides on 19-inch alloy wheels along with several other attractive attributes like Audi’s S line styling pack, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, automatic headlights and wipers, LED headlights (High-beam assist) and LED daytime running lights and a Panoramic glass sunroof.

The Sportback’s all-wheel-drive offers excellent traction control which henceforth eases handling. The quattro drive provides more stability on roads that are hard to get a grip on, especially wet surfaces. Audi adopts automatic power distribution from the front to the rear wheels (the front receives almost 70 percent of the drive while 85 percent reaches the wheels in the rear) to enhance the overall handling of the A5. The torque is distributed asymmetrically to the wheels that helps in its quick modification according to varying surface conditions.

The A5 Sportback offers two engine options: 40 TFSI S tronic (TFSI petrol engines used by Audi allows the combining of turbocharging and direct injection whereas S tronic refers to dual-clutch transmission which helps in changing of gears at high speeds without reducing net power output) and 45 TFSI quattro S tronic (The quattro all-wheel drive technology efficiates handling and increases stability). The 40 TFSI engine produces a maximum power of 190 hp at 4,200 to 6,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 320 Nm at 1,450 to 5,200 rpm while offering a top speed around 238 kph and accelerating to 100 kph in 7.5 seconds. On the other hand, the 45 TFSI quattro engine produces a maximum power of 251 hp at 5,000 to 6,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 370 Nm at 1,600 to 4,500 rpm while offering a top speed of about 250 kph and accelerating to 100 kph in 6 seconds.

The A5 Sportback is equipped with eight airbags - four in the front and front side, two curtain airbags, and the rest at the back that provide protection to the rear side of the vehicle. The other safety features present in all the A5 models include a camera for reversing, blind spot monitoring, an exit warning system that alerts passengers if they are about to open the car’s door into approaching traffic, lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking (AEB) along with a pedestrian detection system that functions up to a speed of 85 kmph, tyre pressure monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors and driver drowsiness detection system.

With a turbocharged petrol engine having attractive specs, the Audi A5 Sportback offers a comfortable ride and composed drive (on addition of adaptive suspension). A handsome interior and an intelligent infotainment system act as the cherry on top. But the dual clutch does not seem to offer a consistent level of performance and the steering fails to reach expected standards. A considerable absence of essential accessories can be felt even though the overall price adds up to be quite high.