The 2-liter gasoline engine is an unloved hero of the luxury coupe world. In Europe, everybody wants the diesels, while the V6 is kind across the big pond. That's also true for the all-new Audi A5, but we want to show you that shouldn't be the case.
Here we have an acceleration test of the A5. The video says "2016", but considering the vehicle was produced in August of this year and features a digital dashboard, we're obviously dealing with the second generation.
The 2.0 TFSI is available with 190 horsepower too, but that's just for the people who want a cheap car. This 252 PS version is pricey, starting at €49,800. But you do get the quattro all-wheel drive and S tronic twin-clutch transmission as standard equipment.
On its first attempt, the test car manages to reach 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds. With ESC still off, it does it in 5.6 seconds the second time around. For the record, the official number is 5.8 seconds. So the peppy little 2-liter is performing excellently.
The equivalent BMW, which is the 428i xDrive with the 8-speed, will do 0 to 100 km/h in 5.8 seconds. However, it's down slightly on both power and torque. This, in turn, is offset by the fact that the A5 is heavier (1575 kg vs. 1540 kg).
One piece of takeaway from this is both the 4 Series and new Audi A5 are about as fast as FWD hot hatchbacks with 2-liter turbo engines, but slower than the Golf R and everything above it.
Another way to look at it is that the 2-liter has a sporty character that you'll be missing out on if you order the A5 with a 2.0 or 3.0 TDI. We're in love with how freely the TFSI revs to nearly 7,000rpm. Of course, there are ways to go even faster, such as the top-spec 3.0 TDI with over 280 horsepower or the S5 brute that has about 100 hp more.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News