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Audi S5

Hot coupe gets a new V6 plus sportier handling, and we’re first to try it out

Audi S5

By Paul Bond

September 2011

  • Rating:
Is this hot coupe the most fun A5 you can buy? Audi has refreshed its A5 line-up – and that includes giving the potent S5 version a new engine.

Out goes the old 4.2-litre V8, and in comes a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 from the current S4, complete with a seven-speed automatic gearbox. Other changes include a sharpened front end that features a single-frame chrome grille, tapered air intakes and sleeker foglights.

The new engine is designed to both improve the S5’s emissions figures and curb its considerable thirst for petrol – and the newcomer does well on both counts. Stop-start is now standard, and a new ‘efficiency’ mode on Audi’s adjustable ‘Drive Select’ system means combined fuel economy has leapt from the low twenties to 34.9mpg. Plus, the tax benefits of cutting the S5’s CO2 output by 93g/km to 190g/km are hard to ignore.

Yet performance is still the most important part of any Audi wearing the ‘S’ badge, and the S5 doesn’t disappoint. Despite losing around 12bhp by dropping two cylinders, the new S5 is quicker off the line, reaching 0-62mph in only 4.9 seconds, two-tenths faster than before.

The V6 can’t quite match the heady soundtrack of the old engine, but is hardly lacking in aural drama, with the snarling note from the exhausts punctuated by a pleasing snort on full-throttle upshifts.

The quattro four-wheel-drive system provides great grip, too, and this generation gets a new optional sports differential from the RS5. The combination of grip and supercharged performance makes it a very easy car to drive fast, but the new electric power-steering doesn’t offer a huge amount of feedback. Combined with the S tronic twin-clutch system, you can feel a little isolated from the action. The auto attempts to offer the best of both worlds, blipping the throttle aggressively in Sport mode, or swapping seamlessly between ratios when cruising.

Despite the claims made about improved economy, if you drive it hard, don’t expect to travel too far between fill-ups. The S5 isn’t perfect – but it’s certainly the best-driving A5 in the line-up.

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1 Comment

nope

Don't like the front redesign...this is a car that when seen around town has aged faster than the Dodge Challenger...definitely not a classic and is showing its age quickly. This won't help.

By coladin on 21 September, 2011, 3:38pm

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FIRST OPINION

    In many ways, the S5 feels better to drive than its bigger more expensive brother, the RS5. The new V6 engine is more efficient without any drop in performance, the ride is more compliant and it’s nearly as fast, too. This revised version looks and feels like an even more polished product, and it’s a devastatingly quick all-rounder, with a decent 455-litre boot hidden beneath the head-turning bodywork. However, without the V8, there’s little to differentiate it from the S4 saloon, which is not only £5,000 cheaper, but is also available in estate car guise.
 

AT A GLANCE

    Price: £42,790
    Engine: 3.0-litre supercharged V6 
    Power/torque: 328bhp/440Nm
    Transmission: Seven-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
    0-62/top speed: 4.9 seconds/155mph 
    Economy/CO2: 34.9mpg/190g/km
    Equipment: 18-inch alloy wheels, climate control, Bluetooth, MMI media system, leather multifunction steering wheel, sports front seats, auto lights and wipers, ESP, leather upholstery, rear parking sensors 
    On sale: Now
     
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