A SMOOTHER KIND OF FIVE (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_audia5coupe_2017

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 54

Audi's second generation F5-era A5 Coupe was lighter, leaner and better to drive, with classy looks, impressive build quality and cutting-edge technology. The styling may have been evolutionary but the objectives here were uncompromising. Back in 2016, Ingolstadt wanted class leadership in this segment and this MK2 model got close to achieving exactly that.

Modelsword count: 20

3dr Coupe (2.0 TFSI, 3.0 TFSI, 2.9 TFSI petrol / 2.0 TDI, 3.0 TDI) [Sport, S line,Vorsprung, S5, RS 5])

Historyword count: 414

'Vorsprung durch technik', Audi's marketing strapline, means 'progress through technology', which is something the brand is very good at. Take this car, the second generation F5-era version of the company's A5 Coupe, a so-called 'intelligent evolution' of the original model and one that was nine years in the making. Actually, the origins of this design go back quite a bit further even than that - to 1979 and the launch of the original Audi Quattro, another two-door coupe with four seats, a distinctive profile and an over-riding emphasis on progressive technology. It democratised 4WD and was itself subsequently democratised by the more affordable two-door Audi sporting models that followed it, the most successful of which was the first generation 8T-era A5 Coupe model, launched in 2007. Based on A4 underpinnings but offering a more individual package to its target market of middle-management business buyers, an A5, as it turned out, could be almost anything these people might want it to be. Alternative Cabriolet and five-door 'Sportback' body styles boosted sales and in Coupe form, there was everything from super-frugal diesel variants to a road-burning RS5 version with performance to equal that original rally-orientated Quattro model. It took rival BMW and Mercedes models some time to catch up, but catch up they did and by 2016, there were plenty of direct alternatives to the A5 model line. More 'Vorsprung durch technik' was needed and, towards the end of that year, with new generation F5-era A5 Coupe, Sportback and Cabriolet models, that was exactly what we got. The Coupe version we look at here might have looked pretty similar to its predecessor but it was actually completely new from the ground up, with significant improvements over its predecessor in size, quality, handling, ride and performance. As before, it differed from its rear-driven BMW 4 Series and Mercedes C-Class coupe rivals in its use of a front-driven platform, but Audi put a lot of work in to make that set-up more responsive, reducing weight, increasing power and providing some sophisticated suspension technology. Like the competition, Ingolstadt offered a 4WD option too, a re-developed quattro system that was standard on the potent S5 and RS 5 variants. Across the range, buyers also got state-of-the-art cabin quality, class-leading media connectivity and the possibility of using over thirty separate driving assistance systems. There was a subtle facelift for the range in 2020; which then took this design through to the end of production in 2024, after which it wasn't replaced.

What You Getword count: 421

If at first glance, you think this car is little different from its MK1 predecessor, then take a second look. Yes, the sharply-drawn wave-like shoulder line references the original 8T-era model but in most other respects, this MK2 A5 Coupe, like its brand, became more mature and sophisticated. Inside, you'll find yourself in a cabin that we think will really sell you this car. Audi copied the 'belt butler' system offered by rival Mercedes and BMW coupes that graciously hands you your belt buckle as you take a seat, but in every other regard, the competition of the time was playing catch-up here. You'll like the seats too, anatomically-shaped with head restraints that can be optionally specified to move not only for height but also for distance from the head. They position you perfectly in front of a magnesium-framed leather-stitched three-spoke multi-function steering wheel - which looks particularly nice in 'R8'-style flat-bottomed form. Through it, from launch in 2016 in standard models, you'd view two conventional analogue dials separated by the usual information screen. Many owners though took up Audi's option of the optional 'Virtual Cockpit' set-up that replaces the entire instrument binnacle with a 12.3-inch LCD colour monitor and has a layout that's fully digital and customisable, with smart 3D graphics and highly detailed effects. This screen was standardised as part of the 2020 model year facelift. Anything this set-up can't tell you will almost certainly be covered by the slimline MMI infotainment display that dominates the top of the dashboard. It's 7-inches in size on standard models - or 8.3-inches if you get a car whose original owner opted for the top 'MMI Navigation Plus with MMI touch' system, with its crisp 3D maps and responsive Nvidia graphics. Getting into the rear is as awkward as it would be in coupe versions of the Mercedes C-Cass and the BMW 4 Series, not helped by the fact that the front seat base doesn't automatically slide frontwards as you pull the backrest forward - in the way it does on a rival Lexus RC from this period. Once inside though, the news is better, this being the part of the car where you most appreciate this second generation design's 13mm of extra wheelbase. That freed up an extra 23mm of kneeroom back here, further aided by the scalloped cut-outs in the front seatbacks. Finally, let's consider the boot. It gained 10-litres in size with this second generation model's longer design and at launch was the largest in the segment at 465-litres.

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