"Confused?"
This Audi, and an increasing number of them and their competitors, have the ‘green’ technology that cuts the engine when you are waiting in traffic. It makes a bigger difference than you might think to emissions and because the car starts as soon as you dip the clutch to select a gear it doesn’t have a downside. Except…
…Audi A5s, especially in the sporty S-Line trim, turn heads; they say something about you. I don’t think many Civil Servants or Actuaries buy them. They are – apologies to Audi for this – flash.
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| Audi A5 Sportback |
Audi A5 Sportback |
So when I stopped in traffic, to let some pedestrians through , an attractive woman in tight jeans and high heels checked me and my passenger out. My engine then cut out and she ginned broadly at us.
“Why did she laugh at me Will?” I asked my passenger.
“This is a diesel isn’t it?” He queried
“Yes, what’s you point?” I responded
“The sudden drop in engine noise makes her think that you were so impressed by her swagger, that you’ve stalled.”
“Preposterous!” I exclaimed. I was all for getting out and explaining to her that I am just doing my bit for the planet but a taxi tooted because the lights ahead had changed and we had to move off.
So before you go spending £30,000 or more on a new one, or twenty-something-thousand on an ex-demonstrator, consider what it will do for your image. But also consider if you really expect manually adjustable seats or wing mirrors that don’t fold in for this kind of money?
Because that’s the thing with the Audi A5 Sportback – it’s a string of confusions. The dashboard and controls are beautifully designed and set out around the gearshift. But the radio volume is to the right of the gearshift, so if the passenger is using it, the driver can’t get to the gear lever. How can Audi engineers not know that the DJ sits on the left?
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| Audi A5 interior |
Audi A5 boot |
The rear doors have been added to the original coupe to make it more practical, but the legroom is still very small. The seats, driving position and look –especially on S-Line alloy wheels - make you think this is a sporty car. But once you start moving, it feels incredibly long, especially around town. Not cumbersome, far from it, but not sporty.
It’s not that long (it’s only 100mm longer than the coupe), but there is something about the curvy shape which makes finding a parking space daunting.
And all this takes a bit of getting used to. A 20 minute test drive certainly isn’t enough time, but if you can persuade a dealer to let you have a weekend trial then you will find your heart warms to it.
It looks far more expensive than it is. It has the look of a Porsche Panemera – which is more than twice the price (comparing new to new).
After a little time at the wheel you forget how big it is and start to enjoy the quality of the ride, the quite cruise, the flawless build quality.
And eventually you come to the conclusion that an Audi A5 Sportback is quite a car for the money.
What’s the market like?
There are around 500 A5s in the used market but only 10% of them are the bigger sportback. Most of them were nearly £40,000 when new, if you take into account the specified extras.
Some of these are low mileage ex-demonstrators and there is only a tiny saving to be made. But many have dropped by £5,000 or more and the cheapest in the market can be found for £26,000 with SE spec and just 7,000 miles on the clock.
What else will this budget buy?
The truly direct rival is the Mercedes CLS which has similar price points, styling and appeal. But it feels a bit more spacious in the rear and like a unique design, rather than a stretched coupe.
Likewise Volkswagen’s Passat CC – which for my money is the prettiest of the three – feels like it is a work of design genius rather than a re-hash. The only thing against the Passat CC is that it doesn’t have the same brand reputation – but then it is nearly 40% less than either of the other two on the used market.
Summary
A car that looks more expensive than it is – even though it is far from cheap. Comfortable, quick, stylish – this car has presence.
Words: Matthew Tumbridge