With frameless windows and a fast, sloping roofline, the A5 Sportback is a handsome car, but a new concept it is not—sleek hatchback variants derived from their sedan brethren were common in the 1970s. Audi's own original Avant models, for instance, arrived as fastback hatches in 1977 and remained as such through the third-generation Audi 100/5000 sedans, until they were finally replaced with a conventional boxy wagon style in 1990.
The "Sportback" concept goes back quite a ways inside of Audi Design, too. Initially proposed in the late 1990s—down to the name—by designer Marc Florian (now at GM), it morphed through several iterations over the years before it finally emerged as this car and the upcoming A7.
But before you decide you want one, know that the A5 Sportback won't come to the U.S. Audi thinks the market would be too small, and U.S. crash regulations would have required the roofline above the rear passengers to be about 1.5 inches thicker, so extensive reengineering would have been in order. Audi is planning to produce 40,000–50,000 units annually, most of them for Western Europe.
So Many Engines
On the Continent, a whole range of engines is offered. Audi figures the two 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesels, rated at 143 hp and 170 hp, will be the most popular and account for 40 percent of sales. The 2.0-liter, four-cylinder TFSI gasoline engines, in 180-hp and 211-hp iterations, will account for 25 percent. The remainder will be split between two TDI V-6 turbo-diesels—a 190-hp, 2.7-liter and the ubiquitous 240-hp, 3.0-liter (of Q5, A6, Q7, A8, VW Touareg, and Porsche Cayenne fame)—along with a normally aspirated, 265-hp, 3.2-liter gasoline V-6.
We drove all of them and liked the 211-hp, 2.0-liter four and the 3.0-liter TDI six best. With the turbo-four, the A5 Sportback feels like a huge, premium GTI: 0 to 62 mph takes in the mid-six-second range, and top speed is 150 mph. You hear a low-pitched, sporty note instead of the typical four-banger drone, and response to throttle input is rapid. The 2.0 TFSI works well with both the six-speed manual and the optional seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual gearbox. It's a light engine, and the A5 Sportback is a very balanced car thus equipped.
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 5-door wagon
ESTIMATED PRICE AS TESTED (Germany): $60,033 (base price: $47,912)
ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, cast-iron block, aluminum head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 121 cu in, 1984cc
Power (SAE net): 211 bhp @ 4300 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 258 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual, 7-speed dual-clutch automated manual
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 110.6 in Length: 185.5 in Width: 73.0 in Height: 54.8 in Curb weight (C/D est): 3700 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 62 mph: 6.0 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.5 sec
Top speed (drag limited): 150 mph
FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 22/28 mpg
You can't quite say the same about the 3.2-liter V-6. It is more powerful, but offers hardly more torque than the burliest 2.0-liter, and you can't help but notice the extra weight during turn-in. On twisty highways, the 3.2 feels clumsier than the 2.0 TFSI. The sensible choice among gasoline engines is the entry-level 2.0-liter TFSI with 180 hp, but the horsepower deficit compared with the more powerful version dilutes the fun. An even less expensive A5 Sportback is coming later, a 1.8 TFSI with 160 hp. This engine is great in the A3, but we’re not sure we’ll like it as much in the bigger and heavier A5 Sportback.
Pass Diesel, Collect $200 (In Saved Fuel Costs)
If you’re more mileage-minded, you can go directly to the diesel versions. The four-cylinder TDIs are strong enough to move the A5 Sportback smartly, but their noise, vibration, and harshness never let you forget that you have a small oil-burner under the hood. The two V-6 diesels almost sound melodious by comparison. The 2.7-liter is great for effortless, long-distance cruising, and its CVT transmission makes you forget the (well-founded) prejudices you might have harbored about those boxes. But for real authority, go for the 3.0-liter V-6 TDI, which is a lot quicker and can be mated to the quick-shifting seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. With 369 lb-ft of torque on tap, it simply leaves the smaller V-6 TDI—and every gasoline-powered model—in its dust.
The chassis nicely blends great handling and coddling comfort, even when equipped with 18-inch wheels. We like the Drive Select chassis-adjustment option that lets you tweak the chassis and steering to be either harder-edged or softer according to your preferences, and we love the Sport differential, which you can get with the top-level gasoline and diesel engines and which helps mitigate any understeer that the heavier engines might produce.
Audi arguably makes the nicest interiors in the industry, and the Sportback cockpit is carried over unchanged from the A5 coupe. As in the A4, rear seating isn’t particularly generous but neither is it uncomfortable. This, after all, is a relatively compact sedan by U.S. standards. The A5 Sportback does offer more trunk space than a conventional sedan, and it's easier to access, but this body style clearly is no alternative to a Volvo V70 (or even an A4 Avant).
Based on the A4, but You Probably Knew That
You likely know that the Audi A5 is based on the A4 (much like the Mercedes E-class coupe is based on the C-class). Indeed, the A5 Sportback is a sedan with the front end (including an identical S-line look) and taillights of the A5 coupe, but the wheelbase of the A4.
What's the point? After all, why have two sedans roughly the same size? The answer is simple: the A5 Sportback is a designer's car. It may sport a hatchback, like the portly BMW 5-series GT, the Porsche Panamera, and the Aston Martin Rapide, but the A5 Sportback also will be compared with some of the more elegant, conventionally trunked sedans, such as the Mercedes-Benz CLS and Volkswagen CC. These are all cars for which marketing departments invented the nonsensical “four-door coupe” moniker.
Technological highlights include optional LED light strips up front and in the rear, including a third brake light with 24 LEDs. The front fenders are made of aluminum to save weight. If one feels the need to more closely track their carbon footprint, there is a driver information system which shows the energy flow in the car, including the juice sucked up by the air-conditioning unit and the rear window defroster. Give us a boost gauge for the turbo instead.
In Germany, pricing starts at €33,650 ($47,912) for an A5 Sportback with front-wheel drive and a manual gearbox, with most of the range slotting just under respective A5 coupe models and above the A4 sedans. It's fast, cool, and distinctive, and we think it is a good deal. If only they’d found a way to lower the rear seats by an inch and a half—we wouldn’t mind seeing this car in America.
