Audi stages Aussie A5 surprise!

AUDI Australia will bring its sleek new A5 and S5 coupes to Australia a couple of months earlier than expected, with sales starting in October.

The all-new A5 will be a major offensive for Audi, with projected sales of 600 to 1000 vehicles a year that it hopes will eat into the dominant BMW 3 Series coupe.

Audi’s first coupe range for 11 years will kick off with two petrol-engined models in October: a front-drive-only 3.2-litre FSI V6 with multitronic continuously variable transmission (CVT), which will be priced at around $90,000 and the mighty S5 quattro manual with a 4.2-litre FSI V8, which will be priced between $130,000 and $135,000.

In April next year, the S5 will get a tiptronic sequential-shifting semi-automatic transmission that will add $4000 to the price.

April will also see the introduction of the A5 price-leader in the form of the 1.8T, which will be powered by a turbocharged 1.8-litre FSI four-cylinder engine developing 125kW of power and driving through a multitronic CVT. It will be priced from $70,000 to $75,000.

Before the entry-level model arrives, Audi will offer a 3.2 V6 FSI quattro version that will come with the tiptronic transmission as well as four-wheel drive, for an extra $5000.

Diesel buyers will have to be patient because the A5 3.0 TDI quattro with standard tiptronic transmission (Audi expects no demand for a manual) will not arrive here until August next year. It will be priced at between $90,000 and $95,000 when it finally gets here.

With some 176kW of power and 500Nm of torque, the turbo-diesel will race to 100km/h in just 5.9 seconds – two-tenths faster than the V6 petrol-engined car with a six-speed manual gearbox – while also meeting EuroV emissions levels and returning average fuel consumption of 6.7L/100km.

There is also a 2.7-litre turbo-diesel engine available in Europe, but this 140kW/400Nm unit will not be coming to Australia.

The 3.2-litre V6 petrol engine, which develops 195kW and 330Nm, has a fuel economy rating of 8.7L/100km when connected to the multitronic CVT.

S5 buyers will be able to bask in the glory of the grunty and high-revving 4.2-litre FSI V8 that develops 260kW at 7000rpm and 440Nm at 3500rpm when installed in the coupe.

This powerhouse of an engine propels the S5 from 0-100km/h in just 5.1 seconds.

Audi first unveiled the A5 simultaneously at the Geneva and Melbourne motor shows in March, but for the international press launch chose Verona in northern Italy – not far from the Milan home of the car’s designer, Walter de’Silva, who describes the A5 as "the most beautiful car I have ever designed".

There is no doubting that the A5 is a sleek gem of a design and it certainly turned plenty of heads on the roads around Verona.

Left: TT Roadster.

Once the model range is essentially settled from late-2008, Audi Australia expects that 35 per cent of buyers will opt for the 1.8 TFSI entry-level model, 30 per cent will opt for the 3.2 V6, 25 per cent for the mighty S5 and only 10 per cent for the turbo-diesel.

Regrettably, there is still no confirmed timing for an A5 convertible, while Audi execs will not comment on the likelihood of a red-hot RS5 version – only that the twin-turbo V10 engine rumoured for the next-generation RS6 will not fit in the S5’s tight engine bay.

In other Audi news, next month the company will launch two new models – the sporty S3 variant of the A3, and the convertible version of the latest TT that was launched in coupe form last November.

The S3 quattro is powered by a 188kW/330Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged engine driving through a six-speed manual gearbox to all four wheels and is distinguished by a sports bodykit, 18-inch alloys and twin oval-shaped exhaust pipes.

Inside, it features sports seats with silky Nappa leather upholstery, electric lumbar support, an S-specific steering wheel, instruments and gearlever, Bluetooth, an alarm, auto headlights and wipers and a Bose sound system.

It will be priced at $65,500 and is expected to account for only 100-plus sales a year.

The TT Roadster will be launched next month with two models that will both feature the S-tronic transmission, magnetic ride suspension, an electric rear spoiler, powered roof, heated front seats, wind blocker, sports seats with electric lumbar support, auto headlights and wipers, sports steering wheel with paddle shifts, Bluetooth and 17-inch alloys.

The front-drive 147kW/280Nm 2.0-litre turbo variant will be priced at $77,500 – $5000 more than the equivalent coupe version – while the 3.2 quattro is to be priced at $92,900 (a $4000 premium).

About 30 per cent of the 150-plus TT Roadster buyers are expected to opt for the 3.2 quattro version, which additionally comes with fully electric seats, 18-inch alloys and leather upholstery.

Finally, in October Audi will introduce a long-awaited V8 turbo-diesel version of its big Q7 SUV, with a 4.2-litre V8 TDI engine producing 240kW and some 760Nm of torque – enough to launch it from rest to 100km/h in just 6.4 seconds while returning an average of 11.1L/100km.

With a similar specification level to the petrol 4.2-litre version launched last September, the Q7 4.2 TDI with tiptronic transmission will be priced about $5000 higher at an estimated $124,000.

Audi Australia expects a take-up rate of up to 10 per cent for the V8 turbo-diesel.

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