Monday, March 15, 2010

Audi reveals A5 Sportback

Audi reveals A5 Sportback
Audi has released details on its new BMW 5 Series GT rival, the A5 Sportback; unveiled today as part of the brands 100th anniversary celebrations.

The coupe-come-hatchback retains the low-slung ride height and width of the A5 coupe but is 6mm shorter than the A4 saloon. Audi admits that the A5 Sportback is slightly compromised on space, but should run rivals and the standard A4 close for rear head and legroom.

The A5 Sportback's engine line up is will consist of two TFSI engines: the 2.0-litre TFSI with 208bhp and the 3.2-litre V6 FSI with 263bhp. There'll also be two diesels, a 2.0 litre TDI and 3.0-litre TDI, offering 168bhp and 237bhp respectively. Both petrol engines and the larger diesel units will come equipped with Audi's S-Tronic seven-speed automatic transmission, while the 2.0 TDI will come with a six-speed manual transmission as standard.

Additional engines and Quattro models will be added to the range steadily throughout the rest of the year. An S5 version of the Sportback is also likely to join the range in the future, developing over 300bhp, and Audi isn't ruling a hardcore RS5 version of the car.

Deliveries of the A5 Sportback will begin in October with prices starting from £25,440 for the 2.0-litre TDI manual and rising to £36,220 for the range-topping 3.0 TDI S Line with S Tronic transmission.