2018 Audi Q5 Order Guide
For the 2018 A5 and 2018 S5, Audi hosted journalists in Porto, Portugal at a hotel attached to a ceramics factory decorated in various shades of concrete with beige flourishes. Strange choice considering the new A5 is arguably even more stylish than the last, but regardless of whether you like the harder creases and sweeping lines more than the old car, the science says it is far more aerodynamic; the slipperiest version emerges from the wind tunnel with an impressive CD of 0.25. Audi's designers say the wave-line running the length of the body at the shoulder evokes the legendary Ur-Quattro, but I don't see it. Porto juts up out of the sea to create mountains within miles of the coast. The roads cover the landscape as though the whole area was built as an enthusiast playground. The new A5 and S5 are as much as 130 pounds lighter than the previous model and it's immediately apparent on the road.
Audi has risen to the usually difficult challenge of simultaneously improving both ride and handling. With every generation, Audi's cars become less nose heavy, although the entire engine is still located forward of the front axle. This car, thanks in part to a torque-vectoring Sport Differential in back, turns in with authority and doesn't suffer from the understeer associated with the previous car. It is worth pointing out that with the abilities of even the A5, performance limits were never really approached during our drive on public roads, but it was still possible to feel both the Sport Diff and Quattro all-wheel-drive systems working their combined magic. Propelling the 2018 A5 2.0T from corner to corner is an updated 2.0-liter turbo-four, now producing 252 hp. In the S5, the new single-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 makes a conservative 354 hp, Audi says. The A5 2.0T is lively and enjoyable— the S5 is quick but so composed the speed really sneaks up on you.
The S5's new turbocharged six has replaced the old supercharged six, which in turn had replaced a naturally aspirated V-8. As much as I liked both previous engines, this is the best yet. The amount of power Audi is producing could have been achieved using a 2.0-liter, but they never would have achieved the linearity and drivability you get with this engine. Europe will see a couple of diesel choices, but don't expect such options in the U.S. The 2018 A5 2.0T is equipped with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and the S5 uses a conventional eight-speed automatic. I would enjoy a manual option and many of you might too, but not enough people buy them when Audi does offer them, so they don't make financial sense anymore. Once you get over that mental hurdle, both transmissions are great examples of self-shifters.
Surprisingly, the shifts from the S5's eight-speed auto don't feel any slower or less aggressive than the A5's dual-clutch. Both are responsive, and feature paddle shifters and sport modes. As with every generation, Audi's all-wheel-drive system is better than before. The A5 and S5 won't be mistaken for rear-wheel drive—if they were, they wouldn't feel like Audis.
The electric power steering has also taken a step forward, feeling quicker and more precise. It certainly isn't bursting with feedback, but it's certainly as good as its contemporaries from and. The variable assist and ratio steering rack is adjusted within the Audi Drive Select system, along with active damping, throttle mapping, and engine sound. Although the driving experience is solid, what really distinguishes the new A5 and S5 from the competition is the Virtual Cockpit digital instrument cluster. Getting behind the 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit is like stepping into a car from a few years into the future. The configurable screen allows you to stare at conventional needles on faces large enough to fill the display or the driver can shrink them down, using the space for other information including a beautiful navigation map. The rest of the A5 and S5 interior is typical Audi.
2018 Audi Q5 Order Guide
The simple and intuitive layout isn't taken to the extreme as in the TT and as a result comes off as more classy, less sterile. The rear seats are still best suited for short trips for short passengers, but trunk space is said to be improved from the 12.2 cubic feet of the outgoing U.S.-spec car. Buyers especially concerned with practical matters will likely opt for the A4 and S4 sedan on which the A5 and S5 are based. Some of you may be mentally racing the 2018 S5 against the and the Mercedes-AMG C63 coupe, but don't. This is the S5 and although Audi hasn't announced any plans of an RS 5, you can bet one is coming.
The natural competitors in performance and price are the BMW 440i with a sport package or the Mercedes-AMG C43 coupe. It is difficult to make a judgment among the three cars without driving them on same roads on the same day. Even so, it's at least possible to say the Audi feels the most high-tech of the bunch and has the performance chops to match. The premium sport coupe category has never been about all-out speed. The A5 and S5 can melt away miles on the autobahn, tear up a twisty road and even transport the family on occasion. More to the point, however, they are personal cars designed to be enjoyable for the driver everyday on every road.
Cars like the 2018 A5 and 2018 S5 don't make you wait for the weekend drive or track day to be entertained behind the wheel; it's about the entire experience every day.
As we know variation of this post incorrectly stated that the A5 was the only Audi model to offer a hands-on transmission with the 252-horsepower inline-four. Audi will supply the exact same combination on the A4 in the future. The text has actually been updated to show this.
When Audi revealed the brand-new A5 as well as S5 coupes, we knew the classy lines of the European version would pertain to the United States. But the large concern was, would certainly the drivetrains, and in particular, the hand-operated transmission, occurred? The response is of course. The 2018 A5, with its 252-horsepower, 273 lb-ft of torque turbocharged four-cylinder, will certainly be offered in The U.S.A. With both a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, as well as a traditional six-speed guidebook.
These combinations will certainly take an A5 to 60 miles per hour in 5.6 or 5.7 secs, respectively. The A4 car will likewise supply the handbook with the exact same engine quickly, in instance you need an added pair of doors. The four-cylinder version is likewise the only A5 version with a manual, considering that the turbocharged V6 S5 only includes an 8-speed automated. To make up for an absence of shifting participation, chauffeurs could capitalize on the S5’s readily offered torque. Like the Euro-spec design, our S5 will include 369 lb-ft of spin, and also it peaks at a strikingly low 1,350 rpm. That torque, incorporated with the engine’s 354 horsepower, introduces the S5 to 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds. Every kind of A5 or S5 also funnels its power with a Quattro all-wheel-drive system with torque vectoring.
A5 proprietors can additionally customize exactly how their autos ride as well as manage, with either a sporting activity suspension with various persuade bars, shocks, as well as springs, or with the comfort flexible damping suspension. The latter uses frequently adjusting digital shocks for improved trip.
The S5 has an offered sporting activities adaptive suspension that works in a similar way, in addition to a dynamic guiding option that can alter guiding proportions. Covering points off is a comprehensive listing of devices and safety and security features, some requirement, such as the LED indoor lighting and also panoramic sunroof, and also others optional, such as Audi’s Virtual Cabin LCD tool cluster as well as lane keeping help. A brand-new function for the A5 line is the MMI touch system, which enables chauffeurs to write in personalities with their fingers.
2018 Audi Q5 Review
Something Audi hasn’t already revealed concerning the A5 as well as S5 is the rates and also accessibility, but those details should come quickly.