Audi S5

Audi S5

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Audi S5 Sportback - Test Drive Review

13/06/2019 | by Mohammed Burman

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The Audi S5 is the most powerful vehicle in Audi’s all-new A5 family. However, does this great power has to be sacrificed for its practicality? This Audi S5 Sportback review will provide you with the answer to this question.

Audi S5 Introduction

Four-door coupes’ segment in India has been developing at a fast speed and give rise to the introduction to a wide range of fantastic cars like the one you are going to read about in this article, the Audi S5. For those who think that traditional sedans do not provide enough excitement, the Audi A5 is the one to go. The standard A5 with the 2.0-litre L TDI diesel motor and an FWD system offers a quite decent journey, but if you want a more powerful vehicle, the Audi S5 will give you the most enjoyable trip.

The Audi S5 is claimed to be the “craziest” vehicle of Audi’s latest A5 family. Serving as a substitute for the previous generation, the new Audi S5 Sportback looks impressive and is expected to offer an exciting drive without sacrificing its practicality. Let’s come to the Audi S5 review to discover this amazing Sportback in terms of its design, specifications and price.

2017 audi s5 black front angle in action

The Audi S5 is the most powerful vehicle in the A5 family.

Also readUpcoming Audi A6 2019 Review - What to Expect On The New Generation A6?

Audi S5 Design

Audi S5 Exterior

The Audi S5 looks so impressive that hardly anyone in the streets can refrain from stopping and staring at it. The test car comes with Audi’s signature black styling package, which has taken the place of the chrome around the DLO and on the grille.

Front

Not only the wide grille but also the smaller elements such as the polishing LED headlights, DRLs and the sloping down bonnet are also sure to catch all the passers-by’s attention. The large air dams contribute to the imposing and broad stance of the car, lending it a muscular appearance.

2017 audi s5 black front angle

The front of the Audi S5 contributes a great deal to the imposing stance of the vehicle.

Side profile

On the side profile, the forward-arching long bonnet adds to the car broad appearance. The sharp, neat shoulder line stretches into the tail lamps; the sloping roof merges into the rear with a gradually narrower width. The sloping roofline with the flat and high shoulder line creates a small window area. The Audi S5 runs on 18-inch rims which are fitted with low-profile 245/40 tyres. Although 11 exterior colours options are offered, only one wheel design option, the 5-twin-spoke star 18-inch alloy wheels, is available.

2017 audi s5 silver side profile

Like the front, the side profile of the vehicle adds to the broad appearance of the vehicle.

Rear

Coming to the rear, you can realize that the narrow roof sits on the large haunches, which contributes to its muscular look. Several sharp touches are also added to its rear such as the sculpted LED taillights and the blade-like spoiler. The pair of the quad exhaust pipes and the diffuser are integrated with the rear bumper, which makes the car look so sporty.

2017 audi s5 black rear

The rear of the S5 makes it sportier. 

Audi S5 Interior

Audi S5 seat layout

To match the sporty appearance of the S5, the interior paint scheme is dominated by the black colour with the option of Brushed Aluminium, Carbon Atlas and Carbon Twill inlays. The test car comes with S Sports seats covered by Magma Res upholstery.

The front seats are well reinforced on the two sides, which gives you a comfortable feeling throughout the journey. These 8-way adjustable seats, along with the rake tilt adjustable driving wheel, help the driver easily find the right position, regardless of his/her size. The rear seat row space is amber enough for two average Indian adults; however, a thin third additional person might also fit in, thanks to the small space between the bench and the central air conditioner vents.

Nevertheless, the back angle is slightly steep, so it will not offer a comfortable experience during long journeys. The legroom is spacious enough, which compromises the headroom, due to the sloping roofline. This low roof combines with the narrow windows indicates that the rear seat is not airy even when the sunroof is open. If the rear passengers have a height of more than 6 feet, they will feel quite uncomfortable during the journey. The 480-litre boot space can store a fair amount of luggage.

2017 audi s5 seat layout

While the front seats are really comfortable, the rear seats do not offer the equal comfort.

Audi S5 interior features

In comparison with the regular Audi A5, the S5 offers a greater sense of personality. The dashboard has a layout which is typical of Audi with a vent-like component running along its length. The leather-wrapped flat-bottom driving wheel does not only offer decent grip but also an excellent control for Audi's virtual cockpit all-digital instrument cluster, audio and calls. A 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system is also available in the Audi S5.

2017 audi s5 interior dashboard

The Audi S5 has a typical Audi dashboard design.

The 12.3-inch instrument cluster comes with a sporty design with big round central tachometer around a speed display, which can be changed to a standard one which provides more information at a glance only by clicking on the ‘View’ button mounted on the steering. The central console features a rotary knob which is used to control the MMI infotainment navigation. The MMI display supports Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, navigation, drive modes and media, etc. connectivity. The buttons for the 3-zone temperature control are also touch-sensitive. Besides, you also have two SD card slots to play your music, 1 sim card slot and a CD player in the glovebox.

2017 audi s5 interior mmi display

The MMI display supports a wide range of connectivity features.

Other outstanding features include a key holder, panoramic sunroof, massage seats and the partially exposed storage room which is positioned under the armrest, which comes in handy for you to store personal small accessories like your wallet or mobile phone.

Audi S5 Specifications

Audi S5 Dimensions

As regards the Audi S5 specifications, the first aspect that we want to focus on is its dimensions. The vehicle measures 4,752 mm in length, 1,843 mm in width and 1,384 mm in height with a 2,852 mm wheelbase and a 480-litre boot space. In comparison with the regular Audi A5, it has a greater length and wheelbase as well as a nearly similar width and height. Particularly, the former has a much more amber boot space than the latter, by 160 mm.

 Dimensions

Audi S5

Audi A5

Differences

 Length

 4,752 mm

 4,673 mm

 79 mm

 Width 

 1,843 mm

 1,846 mm

 -3 mm

 Height

 1,384 mm

 1,383 mm

 -1 mm

 Wheelbase

 2,825 mm

 2,756 mm

 69 mm

 Boot Space

 480 litres

 320 litres

 160 litres

Audi S5 Performance

Engine and transmission

The Audi S5 keeps under its hood solely a 3.0-litre turbo V6 petrol motor which can deliver a maximum power of 354 HP at 5400-6400 rpm and a peak torque of 500 Nm at 1370-4500 rpm. The transmission duties are undertaken by an 8-speed Tiptronic AT gearbox, which spreads the power to all the four wheels through the Quattro AWD system of Audi. It takes the Audi S5 only 4.7 seconds to accelerate from a standstill to 100 kmph. This is no wonder since the highly-efficient Quattro AWD system provides a lot of grip and makes it easier for the vehicle to speed up from a standstill. The Drive Select of Audi allows you to preset several driving modes, which help the vehicle tackle many different terrains.

Audi S5 Engine Type

Max power

Peak Torque

Transmission

 3.0-litre turbo V6 petrol

 354 HP at 5400-6400 rpm

 500 Nm at 1370-4500 rpm

  8-speed Tiptronic AT gearbox

Throughout the few hours spent in the Audi S5, the whole experience was very exciting and comfortable. Despite the car’s sporty nature, it offers a quite comfortable ride because of the S-specific damper control, which means that the Audi S5 can serve as a reliable daily commuter’s companion. No noticeable lag can be realized and the 8-speed MT gearbox does a decent job by offering a smooth and quick shifting.

2017 audi s5 engine

The Audi is powered by a reliable motor which is mated to a competent transmission.

However, while the motor can effectively speed up when the vehicle is moving at a fast speed, it has some difficulties in accelerating from a slow speed.  The reason is that the vehicle tends to upshift early when driving at a city speed to optimize efficiency. Therefore, when you want to accelerate, the gearbox needs to downshift as it takes this gearbox a longer time to kick down than Audi’s DSG transmissions. This results in a slow response, particularly when the car is driving in the Efficiency and Comfort modes and even in the Dynamic mode.

The solution is to choose the Sports mode, which helps the gearbox shift more quickly, making city driving easier. On the highway, if the turbo is rotating, push the throttle pedal and the S5 will quickly move ahead. At a triple-digit speed, it still feels very comfortable and gives you a feeling that the vehicle can run at hundreds of kilometres nonstop effortlessly. When driving on the highway, it is powerful enough to quickly accelerate with a maximum power of 354 HP effective until 6400 rpm, which helps the car reach a maximum speed of 250 kmph.

Riding and handling quality

Audi’s cars has sophistication in the way they handle, the Audi S5 is not an exception. Thanks to the Quattro AWD unit, the car offers confidence when cornering by smoothly spreading the power to either the front or the rear wheels. Despite the decent handling quality, the Audi S5 does lack some sporty nature in this department, which is most clearly felt when taking a long corner, as the car shows some laziness due to its heavy weight of nearly 1.7 tonnes. Despite the presence of a very efficient suspension which works independently, an electronic damping control should have been equipped in the car to help it better manage the weight.

The Audi S5 is a performance vehicle but the luxury car maker does not want to sacrifice it for practicality, so it still delivers a wonderful daily performance. Thanks to the independent suspension, the bumps are soaked quite well on the road. Although the car runs on 18-inch rims with low-profile 245/40 tyres, it still offers a comfortable ride. The ride is still flat on the highways whereas the ample weight of the steering helps you have a great sense of control over the vehicle.

2017 audi s5 black rear angle

The Audi S5 offers a decent drive on the high way despite its heavy weight.

Audi S5 Price

The Audi S5 is priced at Rs 72 lakh (ex-showroom). Many alternatives are available at a similar price point. However, what makes the Audi S5 stand out from the other options available in the market is the much more impressive appearance which sets it apart from any four-door sedans. Audi A5 lineup in India also consists of the A5 Sportback (Rs 55.40 lakh), A5 Cabriolet (Rs 69.24 lakh) and the RS 5 Coupe (Rs 110.65 lakh). Audi’s performance lineup includes the Audi R8, the Audi TT, the RS7 Sportback Performance, the Audi RS7 Sportback and the Audi RS6 Avant.

Audi S5 Verdict

Above we have provided you with a detailed Audi S5 review. The Audi S5 is the most powerful vehicle in the A5 family. It does have some limitations such as a limited rear seat row, a slow response in city driving, etc. Nevertheless, for those who appreciate the vehicle’s unique appearance, which helps distinguish itself from other conventional sedans, a decent performance both in the city and on the highways without sacrificing its practicality, then the Audi S5 is the perfect choice for you.

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AUDI S5 LASTEST UPDATES

Audi S5 Sportback Launched In India At Rs 79.06 lakh

by Chandrutpal Kashyap | 23/03/2021

The S5 Sportback is Audi's mid-range performance car, providing a healthy upgrade over the standard model but also not insane like the RS line. Read on for the full details of the new model's Indian launch.

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