Yahoo Finance 2018 Audi S5 Sportback Drivers' Notes Review | Pretty, practical, powerful
Audi recently expanded its A4/A5 lineup with the A5 Sportback, continuing the trend of German automakers adding coupe-like four-door cars, and also finally giving the A7 a little brother. And of course because the traditional coupe and sedan versions have S variants, Audi created an S5 Sportback. It features the same turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 as the S4 sedan and S5 coupe with the same 354 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. And despite being bigger than the S5 coupe, the S5 Sportback is just 0.1 second slower to 60 mph. That sacrifice of course brings more practicality. It certainly sounds like the S5 Sportback could be the ideal blend of style, practicality and performance, and we spent a week with one to find out.
Editor-in-Chief, Greg Migliore: The S5 Sportback is a powerful, elegant car. Audi nailed the design. The lines are strong and the proportions are spot-on. It's a great base to work with, but the 19-inch wheels, red brake calipers and LED lights make everything pop. It's a complex look, and the "sportback" segment is strong right now. Audi translates all of the S5's character into this hatch.
The turbo V6 is strong, and its 354 horses run effortlessly from launches. I think this is one of Audi's better engines, and it's got some good ones. I punched up dynamic mode and enjoyed the chassis' sportier feel. The S5 Sportback is a big car, but it handles well despite its size. The interior is quiet, looks and feels premium and is well-laid out. The latest Audi MMI is pretty intuitive. I had no problem figuring out audio or mapping screens.
The S5 Sportback is handsome and clever. It's a nice complementary player for Audi, and in the near term, this is where I think the sedan market is heading: upscale and probably with a hatchback cargo area.
Associate Editor, Joel Stocksdale: I pretty much agree with Greg on all accounts here. The S5 Sportback, or the A5 for those who don't need the power, really seems like the best of all worlds. It looks much more aggressive and exciting than the formal A4/S4 sedan, but isn't as compromised on practicality as the A5/S5 coupe. In fact, it's probably more practical than the sedan, since the hatchback provides a massive opening for awkwardly shaped items. It made it easy for me to haul a set of tires up to the office that I needed to put on my Miata.
The S5 Sportback is seriously quick, too. The 354 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, though not world-beating on paper, feel like a lot more from the driver's seat. The turbo hits hard and fast and provides good power to redline. The automatic transmission shifts smoothly and pretty quickly, if not as fast as dual-clutch units. The S5 is amazingly grippy and stable, too. You can keep adding power and speed in corners and it keeps hanging on. There isn't much body roll, and the ride is comfortable even in the sporty "Dynamic" setting. The steering is a bit of a disappointment, though. It's really well-weighted, but it's lacking in feedback and precision. Also, while the stability is nice, it doesn't feel as engaging as rear-drive and rear-biased sports sedans like the Jaguar XE and Kia Stinger.
In addition to the styling, practicality and performance, what really makes the S5 Sportback such a great package is the interior. Audi makes some of the best interiors in the business, and the A4/A5/A5 Sportback line has one of the best Audi interiors. The modern design and the high-end aluminum, carbon fiber and wood materials are superb, as is the integration of high-quality screens. And, as Greg mentioned, everything is really easy to understand and use right when you sit down.
Even though there are some cars that do individual things better, few cars have the total package like this Audi.
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2018 Audi S5 Sportback Drivers' Notes Review | Pretty, practical, powerful originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Mar 2018 10:00:00 EDT.
