New Audi Car Reviews
New Audi A5 2.0TDI Car Review

COUPE WITH A CONSCIENCE

The addition of an entry-level 2.0-litre TDI diesel version of Audi’s A5 coupe should help to keep this model’s sales buoyant, thinks Jonathan Crouch

The biggest selling diesels amongst executive coupe models are the most affordable ones with 2.0-litre engines, BMW’s 3 Series Coupe being the market leader in 320d form. Audi’s A5 coupe was launched without a derivative of this sort but with that omission put right thanks to the 170PS 2.0TDI common rail unit borrowed from the A4, sales should steadily increase.

Audi’s A5 coupe range has filled out nicely. Initially, buyers needed a £30,000 budget, with only the most powerful engines being offered but in recent times, the brand has made a couple of more affordable 2.0-litre petrol variants available, plus the version we’re looking at here, the 170PS 2.0 TDI diesel.

Of course, it still isn’t cheap and depending on the variant you choose and the extras specified, you should still allow for that £30,000 budget. Still, this car’s most immediate rival, in this case BMW’s 320d Coupe, is hardly chickenfeed to buy either. Audi has pitched its pricing slightly under BMW’s, plus only the A5 can offer buyers the option of four wheel drive. What you need to know is that you could have an A5 2.0TDI Quattro with Sport trim and all-wheel drive for less than the cost of a two-wheel drive BMW 320d Coupe MSport.

Enhanced by an advanced common rail piezo fuel injection system, this model’s state-of-the art common rail diesel unit makes its impressive 350Nm torque output available from just 1,750rpm and by fully exploiting this via the standard six-speed manual transmission, the 0-62mph sprint can be dispatched in just 8.3 seconds in the front-wheel-drive version. The steering system in the A5 has been designed to offer plenty of feel, though this still isn’t the sharpest car in its class to throw around a series of twisty corners.

The significantly improved refinement of the TDI engine and the sophistication of the aluminium-rich five-link front and trapezoidal link rear suspension makes for unruffled progress in the A5 2.0 TDI, helped by its longest-in-class wheelbase. The repositioned front axle permits shorter overhangs and much improved axle load distribution also works in favour of handling balance and agility, traits which are especially evident in the quattro version with its latest generation system featuring 40/60 front-to-rear power distribution.

Perhaps the most significant factor for most buyers considering an A5 will be the simple fact that here at last is an Audi coupe that real people with legs and a head will be able to sit in the back of, something that could never really be said of the TT. Despite the attraction of the TT’s styling, this one caveat was enough to send many potential buyers down the road, only for them to return with Mercedes CLKs or, more frequently, BMW 3 Series coupes. The A5 will seat four adults in reasonable comfort and still leave room for 455 litres of boot space.

The styling is reminiscent of the Nuvolari concept car, first shown by Audi in 2003, albeit with a good deal more shape in its flanks, the wavy beltline that runs from the headlights right back to the tail lights being the car’s most distinctive feature. The interior is cleanly styled too, with the fascia looking a lot cleaner than some contemporary Audi models, the cowled dash now neatly incorporating the centrally mounted display screen. As with all Audi models, build quality seems peerless with beautifully damped controls and top-drawer materials used throughout.

The A5 range is now very close to being a model for model rebuttal of the 3 Series coupe. In it’s favour is the fact that it looks a little longer and appears a bigger, more substantial car. A5 models include as standard 17-inch alloys, Milano leather upholstery, an MP3 compatible CD stereo, acoustic parking sensors, xenon lights, light and rain sensors and an automatic opening boot.

For around £1,000 more, you can opt for Sport trim, which includes 18-inch V-design alloy wheels and sports seats, plus sports suspension lowered by 20mm. Just over £2,000 will net you the S line package which includes the lowered suspension plus S line alloy wheels, and S line styling treatment for the front and rear bumpers, side sill extensions and the interior. You also get trendy daytime running lamps. At this level, you can sharpen up the suspension even more but to be honest, we really wouldn’t recommend it.

The 2.0 TDI model’s strong performance is underpinned by fuel economy that, at 53.3mpg on the combined cycle, is 20 per cent better than the already sparing A5 2.7 TDI (44.1mpg), and a CO2 output that, at 140g/km, is 9 per cent down on the next lowest producer, the A5 2.0 TFSI (154g/km). For comparison, you’d get 5mpg more and improve on CO2 emissions by around 12g/km in a BMW 320d Coupe, so you’ll need to do your sums to see if that’s a crucial difference.

If there’s one thing we can take as read with Audi coupes, it’s a strong residual value. The A5 will, as a genuinely fresh and not merely an evolutionary product from Audi, also enjoy the benefit of being perceived - rightly or wrongly - as a more modern product than its CLK or 3 Series rivals, with this perception helping to beef up used values. Great news if you’re looking to buy one or lease a car for, say, three years but possibly not what you’d want to hear if you were holding out for a bargain on a low mileage example.

It was tremendously important for Audi to add this 2.0TDI variant into the A5 coupe line-up, even if its performance and running costs aren’t quite to the benchmark established in this class by BMW’s 320d. Still, the Audi is slightly more affordable and, crucially offers the advantage of the option of four wheel drive.

Otherwise, all the existing A5 virtues remain with this variant. The shape, which looked a little conservative when first it appeared, now seems uber-cool. Plus, as usual, this car is marketed cleverly, beautifully finished, well-equipped and will also work out comparatively affordable to run once the purchase price has been swallowed. If you’re looking at an A5, you can’t ignore this version.

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