Photo: SB-Medien
In today’s four/five-door coupe dominated world, the old-school two-door coupes don’t seem to get enough attention anymore. Well, here we are, talking about an important member of the breed, the 2016 Audi A5 Coupe.
You are looking at the first spyshots of the vehicle, with a mule having been recently spotted performing the all-important chassis testing on the Nurburgring. After all, BMW’s 4-Series drives in a very sure-footed manner, so the Ingolstadt engineers are determined to top this. Given the fact that handling wasn’t the top asset of the current model, there’s quite some work to be done here.
In fact, we are talking about a derivative of Audi’s next-generation MLB (modular longitudinal) platform, which will eventually be found under the majority of Audi’s models, from the A4 upwards.
We all got a preview of the architecture in Audi’s Sport quattro concept (it’s called MLB Evo), where we saw how its mix of ultra high strength steel, aluminum and composite materials allow it to shed weight. Expect a weight reduction of about 200 lbs (90 kg).
While front-wheel drive will continue to remain standard, Audi is expected to offer a new form of all-wheel drive. This will scrap the mechanical center diffs of the quattro system, leaving the internal combustion engines to power only the front wheels, while the rear axle will be motivated by a 95 hp electric motor.
In the use, the 2.0 TSI is expected to remain the smallest engine and while the next-gen B9 A4 will also get a 2.0 TDI diesel, it is unclear yet whether the A5 will also receive it.
Things will be more complex than that in Europe, where the A5 could receive a new entry-level engine, in the form of the 1.4 TSI turbo with cylinder deactivation.
At the other end of the scale, the RS5 TDI concept revealed back in June provides a good clue for what we might receive with the hot versions of the next A5. This was motivated by a 3.0-liter V6 TDI working with two conventional turbos and an electric charger, delivering 385 hp and 554 lb-ft (750 Nm). So, what does this mean for the next RS5? Well, we should get the eturbo and we might even see a hot diesel version.
Audi is set to launch the B9 A4 in early 2015, with the A5 set to debut at the same time or soon after that. Six months later, we should receive the A5 Cabriolet, while the five-door A5 Sportback is expected to arrive in 2016.
In fact, we are talking about a derivative of Audi’s next-generation MLB (modular longitudinal) platform, which will eventually be found under the majority of Audi’s models, from the A4 upwards.
We all got a preview of the architecture in Audi’s Sport quattro concept (it’s called MLB Evo), where we saw how its mix of ultra high strength steel, aluminum and composite materials allow it to shed weight. Expect a weight reduction of about 200 lbs (90 kg).
While front-wheel drive will continue to remain standard, Audi is expected to offer a new form of all-wheel drive. This will scrap the mechanical center diffs of the quattro system, leaving the internal combustion engines to power only the front wheels, while the rear axle will be motivated by a 95 hp electric motor.
In the use, the 2.0 TSI is expected to remain the smallest engine and while the next-gen B9 A4 will also get a 2.0 TDI diesel, it is unclear yet whether the A5 will also receive it.
Things will be more complex than that in Europe, where the A5 could receive a new entry-level engine, in the form of the 1.4 TSI turbo with cylinder deactivation.
At the other end of the scale, the RS5 TDI concept revealed back in June provides a good clue for what we might receive with the hot versions of the next A5. This was motivated by a 3.0-liter V6 TDI working with two conventional turbos and an electric charger, delivering 385 hp and 554 lb-ft (750 Nm). So, what does this mean for the next RS5? Well, we should get the eturbo and we might even see a hot diesel version.
Audi is set to launch the B9 A4 in early 2015, with the A5 set to debut at the same time or soon after that. Six months later, we should receive the A5 Cabriolet, while the five-door A5 Sportback is expected to arrive in 2016.
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