NEW FACES, ENGINES FOR AUDI A5 RANGE

Audi South Africa announced the arrival of a new, updated A5 range. Sorry, it’s not all-new shape, just a facelift or update. The cars are the Coupe, Sportback and Cabriolet. Affected areas include new engines, front and rear changes, and infotainment.

With the A5 a new engine menu was applied, starting with the 3.0-litre V6 TFSI with 200kW and 400Nm of torque. Audi says it will sprint from 0 – 100km/h in 5.8 seconds, averaging 8.1 litres of fuel in the process. There’s also a 2.0-litre TDI pushing out 130kW and 380Nm, sipping down 4.7 litres per 100km and a 180kW, 500Nm 3.0-litre TDI with an average of 5.7 litres per 100km. The rest of the range consists of the same 155kW 2.0 TFSI which also swings out 350Nm of torque. Each engine is matched with either a multitronic or a 7-speed S tronic, front-wheel drive or quattro drive. So there’s no manual in the A5 range. If you can, get the S tronic. Multitronic is based on the CVT system, the least inspiring transmission ever made.

Typical of facelifts, as far as the exterior is concerned, only the front and rear got worked on. A new front end features a single-frame grille in high gloss black, pronounced air inlets and flat fog lights among others. New headlights have been included, with new LED daytime running lights forming the core of their look. The rear lights are also redesigned.

The interior is peppered by upgraded materials which are said to be of a higher quality. The displays are now illuminated in a white colour, making them a bit sportier than before. Audi even fitted a new gear lever for the A5, while the MMI-based sound system now features a 20GB hard drive and a reduced number of buttons, from eight to five. Due to what we assume is customer feedback, A5 Sportback now also comes with the option to sit three adults at the back.

2012 Audi A5 Pricing

Coupe

2.0 TDI multitronic (R437 000)

2.0 TFSI multitronic (R457 000)

2.0 TFSI quattro S tronic (R477 000)

3.0 TDI quattro S tronic (R569 000)

3.0 TFSI quattro S tronic (R571 000)

Sportback

2.0 TDI multitronic (R427 000)

2.0 TFSI multitronic (R447 000)

2.0 TFSI quattro S tronic (R467 000)

3.0 TDI quattro S tronic (R559 000)

3.0 TFSI quattro S tronic (R561 000)

Cabriolet

2.0 TDI multitronic (R497 000)

2.0 TFSI multitronic (R517 000)

2.0 TFSI quattro S tronic (R537 000)

3.0 TDI quattro S tronic (R629 000)

3.0 TFSI quattro S tronic (R631 000)