Audi A5 Sportback: A Close Look

Sportback

It's no secret many consumers are switching from cars to SUV's. One of the reasons is the ability to transport more cargo in the cabin. Audi has now given us the ability to eat our cake and have it too with their A5 Sportback. It has plenty of storage space, and it still retains a beautiful sporty proportion.

Photos by Chad Haire

Rear Seats

With the rear seats up, the A5 has a roomy 22 cubic feet of trunk space.

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Cargo

Lowering the second row seats provides a larger 35 cubic feet of cargo capacity, and that large hatch door allows wide cargo to be placed inside. Compare this to the trunk room of the standard A5 sedan with 10.5 cubic feet, and the extra utility can be appreciated.

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Horsepower

Currently, there are some late manufactured 2018 cars like this one on Audi dealer lots, with little difference with the newly arrived 2019 models. The only variation noticed would be engine specs. The 2018 model shown here is rated at 252 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque at 1,600 rpm. The 2019 model has the same torque, but claimed 248 horsepower. Since both engines have a 27 mpg overall fuel consumption, and a 0-60 time of 5.7 seconds, the difference is not significant. Either one will give exceptional performance up to the limited 130 mph top speed!

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Transmission

The S-Tronic 7-speed dual clutch transmission can be shifted manually. But in the sport setting, the automatic mode shifts quicker and choice of gears is near perfect. The computer is smarter than the driver! This is one area where Audi cars are superior to the competition.

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Tires

Standard wheels are 18-inch with 245/40 all-season tires. Here are the optional 19-inch wheels with 255/35 summer tires, a $1,200 option. They provide better performance and are worth the extra fee.

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AWD

Excellent tires combined with quattro 4-wheel traction provides plenty of grip on curved roads, dry or wet.

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Interior

The cabin has a simple yet comfortable design with excellent quality.

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HVAC

The climate control system is simple with two main knobs and a few buttons.

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Gauges

The instrument panel is well designed and gives lots of useful information.

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Navigation

You can also remove the instrument picture completely, and program a navigation screen instead.

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Navigation Screen

A separate navigation screen is found on top of the center console. With two maps in front of you, the chances of getting lost are slim!

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Controls

The steering wheel controls are well-placed and large enough to use when wearing gloves.

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Maroney

The base price of $42,600 is reasonable for a performance German sedan. Options will naturally increase the price, as the total $56,450 tab demonstrates.

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Model

The Audi A5 Sportback is a good choice if you don't want an SUV, but need to have room to haul lots of gear.

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For help with service on your car, check out the how to section of AudiWorld.com.