A5 Coupe Form Follows A4 Sedan Function

Following the release of a series of official teaser pictures in recent weeks, Audi unveils the second-generation A5 coupe in a media presentation at its headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany.

Styled under the leadership of Audi’s former design boss Wolfgang Egger, the svelte 2-door sports a predictable evolution of stylistic elements established by its 9-year-old predecessor, reinterpreted to give it an arguably more athletic look.

Noticeable changes include a wider and lower-mounted single-frame grille, newly shaped headlights with LED daytime running lights and a dynamic turn-signal function, longer hood and larger wheel openings with more pronounced flares.

Farther back, there is a more angular greenhouse, a flatter roof, a more prominent shoulder with a deep swage line running the length of the flanks, pillarless doors with greater structure within their lower section and taillights featuring a new take on Audi’s traditional LED graphics.

Beyond its familiar appearance, the A5 Coupe adopts the latest version of Audi’s MLB platform, providing it with wider tracks front and rear and a longer wheelbase similar to its recently introduced A4 4-door sibling.

Audi officials say additional high-strength steel and aluminum within the coupe’s body structure helps trim curb weight as much as 132 lbs. (60 kg) compared with the previous A5 coupe. Advancements in aerodynamics also net an impressive drag coefficient of 0.25.

The interior is similar to the latest A4 with a layered dashboard helping widen the cabin visually and high-quality materials providing a premium impression. Audi isn’t specifying volume, but claims increased interior accommodation through the adoption of the longer wheelbase.

A5 interior upgrades mimic A4.

The trunk, which comes with optional gesture control for opening via foot motion, is said to offer a .35-cu.-ft. (10-L) increase in capacity over the old model at 16.4 cu.-ft. (465 L). Levers in the lining of the trunk can be used to lower the 40:20:40-split rear seat.

As with the A4, the virtual cockpit with a 12.3-in. (31-cm) high-definition digital instrument panel is an option, as is the latest evolution of Audi’s Multi-Media Interface Plus infotainment system. The new MMI uses an 8.3-in. (21-cm) monitor, a touch-sensitive rotary controller and LTE connectivity for up to three years free of charge via a permanently installed SIM card.

Other options include the Audi smartphone interface with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a wireless smartphone charging pad and a Bang & Olufsen sound system.

Powertrain Picks Abound

Details of the U.S. range remain under wraps, but Audi says the A5 coupe initially will be offered with a choice of two direct-injection gasoline and three common-rail diesel engines in Europe. The powerplants are said to provide up to 17% more power with a 22% improvement in fuel economy compared with the outgoing model. 

Included is the latest evolution of Audi’s turbocharged 2.0L 4-cyl. EA888 gasoline engine, producing 187 hp in a high-compression setup in which it adopts an Atkinson-cycle combustion process for added fuel savings, or 248 hp in a more conventional state of tune.

The diesel offerings include a 187-hp variant of Audi’s widely used EA288 turbocharged 2.0L 4-cyl. or a turbocharged 3.0L V-6 offered with either 215 hp or 268 hp.

The 4-cyl. engines and the 215-hp 6-cyl. diesel come with a 6-speed manual standard or an optional 7-speed dual-clutch S-Tronic automatic gearbox in both front- and all-wheel-drive form.

The range-topping 268-hp 6-cyl. diesel comes with standard AWD and an 8-speed automatic.

The performance-grade S5 coupe adopts a newly developed turbocharged 3.0L V-6 direct-injection gasoline engine producing 349 hp, 21 hp more than the supercharged 3.0L V-6 in the outgoing model.

Power is channeled through a standard 8-speed automatic gearbox with a Tiptronic paddle shift function and Audi’s quattro AWD system, the latter of which comes with an optional sport differential to constantly vary drive sent to each of the rear wheels for added handling prowess.

Audi claims an official 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of 4.7 seconds, which is a significant 0.7-second improvement over the old S5 coupe. Combined-cycle fuel consumption is improved from 30.5 mpg (7.7 L/100 km) to 32.2 mpg (7.3 L/100 km) on the European test procedure.

Underpinning the new A5 and S5 coupes is a newly developed chassis featuring optional damper control and a variable-ratio electro-mechanical steering system introduced on the new A4 sedan.

The A5 coupe will be followed into showrooms by successor models to the A5 Cabriolet and A5 Sportback.