AUDI has given its expansive A5 range its first pull-through since the A5 made its debut in coupe form back in 2007, ahead of the cabrio and Sportback variants that broadened the line-up in subsequent years. The German company’s designers have not fiddled with the acclaimed exterior design too much, apart from new headlights, grille, wheels and other touches, instead handing over to the engineers to bring the range up to date with some new engines, fuel-saving technologies such as idle-stop and electric-assisted power steering, as well as new interior trims and improved controls. As one of the older models in the Audi line-up, the A5 and its sportier S5 version still boast a timeless design, but has the latest facelift been enough to keep pace with a galloping opposition?
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8T A5
Released: October 2007
Ended: April 2012
Family Tree: A5AUDI’S A5 arrived on the scene in two-door coupe guise in 2007, tasked with tackling the Mercedes-Benz CLK and BMW 3 Series Coupe models. The high-performance V8-powered manual S5 quattro arrived first in Australia, with other engines, including a 3.2-litre V6 petrol, 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol, and 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel following over the next year. In late 2009, Audi released an S5 cabriolet, with a supercharged TFSI V6, offering 245kW, 440Nm and a 24 per cent fall in fuel consumption over the V8 coupe. In early 2010 Audi launched the A5 Sportback as a four-door A5 Coupe with a longer wheelbase, a tailgate and a lower entry price. The A5 range was crowned in September 2010 by the 331kW 4.2-litre V8 RS5 coupe, identifiable by its gaping air intakes, bulging wheelarches and large twin exhausts flanking the rear diffuser.
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