Photo: Guido ten Brink / SB-Medien
Some people say that 4-door coupes aren't the real deal. However, the all-new Audi S5 Sportback is proof that you can have every cake in the shop and eat it like a hungry gray shark.
Painted in Audi's famous Nardo Gray color and with the insides covered in red, the Sportback that was on display in Paris looked a lot like a shark. Not a Great White but one of those sleek Tiger Sharks.
From the front, the Sportback is identical to the Coupe. However, peer down the side and you notice there's an extra set of doors. All of them are of the pillarless variety, which is classy as heck.
There's a decent amount of space in the back, even if headroom isn't on the same level as the A4 Avant. There are plenty of nice touches, details that show where Audi is spending the extra money. For example, the door handles have both exposed metal (matches the chrome mirrors) and paint on them. There are a couple of swooshes on the doors and a very discreet trunk spoiler.
Like the A7, the S5 Sportback has a hatchback, so getting large items in and out is easy. No more fiddling around with rugs, snowboards, and furniture items. However, all these liftbacks get rain in the trunk when you open them, so you've got to be careful with that.
The S5 is the top dog until the RS5 Sportback arrives. It's got a single-turbo 3-liter V6 engine making 354 horsepower for a 0 to 100 km/h sprint in 4.7 seconds. Oh, and it uses an 8-speed auto, which is a bit of a downer for the twin-clutch fans.
Even the regular A5 Sportback would be a fantastic grand tourer, and you can have that with a 3.0 TDI making 286 horsepower or a rather impressive 2.0 TFSI with 252 PS. But you'll be missing out on all this stylish trim and the V6 soundtrack.
From the front, the Sportback is identical to the Coupe. However, peer down the side and you notice there's an extra set of doors. All of them are of the pillarless variety, which is classy as heck.
There's a decent amount of space in the back, even if headroom isn't on the same level as the A4 Avant. There are plenty of nice touches, details that show where Audi is spending the extra money. For example, the door handles have both exposed metal (matches the chrome mirrors) and paint on them. There are a couple of swooshes on the doors and a very discreet trunk spoiler.
Like the A7, the S5 Sportback has a hatchback, so getting large items in and out is easy. No more fiddling around with rugs, snowboards, and furniture items. However, all these liftbacks get rain in the trunk when you open them, so you've got to be careful with that.
The S5 is the top dog until the RS5 Sportback arrives. It's got a single-turbo 3-liter V6 engine making 354 horsepower for a 0 to 100 km/h sprint in 4.7 seconds. Oh, and it uses an 8-speed auto, which is a bit of a downer for the twin-clutch fans.
Even the regular A5 Sportback would be a fantastic grand tourer, and you can have that with a 3.0 TDI making 286 horsepower or a rather impressive 2.0 TFSI with 252 PS. But you'll be missing out on all this stylish trim and the V6 soundtrack.
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