2013 Audi A5 review

The new 2013 Audi A5 luxury sedan

Its appearance alone makes the Audi A5 an Audi masterpiece, with its flowing silhouette, the sharp lines and the muscular surfaces making a powerful statement. The product refresh a few months ago included new and distinctive accents for the elegant five-door.

2013 Audi A5 photo

Design and interior
The new headlights resemble a wedge. The LED daytime running lights of the optional xenon plus headlights constitute a narrow brace; Audi offers its adaptive light system as an option. The tail lights have also been modified. The body impresses with high rigidity, outstanding crash safety, refined vibrational comfort and low weight.

2013 Audi A5 photo

New materials and colors make the interior of the A5 more elegant than ever, and the controls have become even more intuitive. Optional sport seats or deluxe climate-controlled seats with active ventilation are available for the driver and front passenger, and there is a choice of three seats for the back. The luggage compartment under the long hatch holds between 480 and 1,283 liters (16.95 and 45.31 cu ft).

2013 Audi A5 photo

Engines
All engines in the Audi A5 feature forced induction and direct injection, and all come standard with the start-stop system. The lineup comprises three gasoline engines and five TDI units. Their fuel consumption has been reduced by as much as 18 percent, yet performance has increased in many cases.

Even the entry-level engine, the 1.8 TFSI, produces 125 kW (170 hp). The highly efficient four-cylinder unit boasts trailblazing innovations: from the control of valves and their lift through thermal management and the injection system to the turbocharger and the integration of the exhaust manifold. Topping the engine lineup is the 3.0 TDI, a supercharged V6 with 200 kW (272 hp).

The TDI units also offer impressive efficiency. The four-cylinder engines have undergone numerous modifications, and three V6 diesel units round out the lineup on the top end.

2013 Audi A5 photo

The engines:

1.8 TFSI with 125 kW (170 hp)
2.0 TFSI and 2.0 TFSI quattro with 155 kW (211 hp)
3.0 TFSI quattro with 200 kW (272 hp)
2.0 TDI with 105 kW (143 hp)
2.0 TDI with 120 kW (163 hp)
2.0 TDI and 2.0 TDI quattro with 130 kW (177 hp)
3.0 TDI with 150 kW (204 hp)
3.0 TDI quattro with 180 kW (245 hp)
3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro with 180 kW (245 hp)

Audi offers the ideal power transmission for each engine – the six-speed manual, the continuously variable multitronic, and the seven-speed S tronic. quattro permanent all-wheel drive is available either standard or as an option with the four most powerful engines and the 2.0 TDI with 130 kW (177 hp). Torque vectoring makes its handling even more precise. The 3.0 TDI quattro and the 3.0 TFSI quattro can be equipped additionally with the sport differential.

2013 Audi A5 photo

Chassis
The five-link front suspension and the trapezoidal-link rear suspension of the A5 consist largely of aluminum. The arrangement of the rear trailing arms and the shock-absorber tuning have been revised for more precise handling and greater comfort. The new electromechanical power steering is a major contributor to overall efficiency. All front-wheel-drive versions of the A5 feature the electronic stabilization program (ESP) with electronic limited slip differential.

The optional Audi drive select system with its selectable characteristics makes the driving experience even more attractive. Besides the power steering, engine management and automatic air conditioning system, it also integrates the optional sport differential, dynamic steering and chassis with damper control modules.

2013 Audi A5 photo

Assistance systems
The driver information system with rest recommendation is standard in the A5. It detects if the driver is getting tired and issues an appropriate warning. Options include Audi side assist, Audi active lane assist and the updated adaptive cruise control, which uses radar to keep the five-door model at a constant interval to the vehicle ahead. If the threat of a rear-end collision becomes imminent at speeds below 30 km/h (18.64 mph), this system will perform a full brake application.

2013 Audi A5 photo

Infotainment systems
The infotainment systems in the A5 have also been significantly upgraded. The optional top unit is the MMI navigation plus, which can be combined with the Bluetooth online car phone. Under the name Audi connect, the latter delivers attractive online services to the car and connects the passengers’ mobile devices to the Internet via WLAN.

2013 Audi A5 photo

The Audi A5 Coupé
The Audi A5 Coupé with its enticingly elegant lines is already a modern classic: Audi received the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany for it in 2010. The two-door model also is a very capable everyday vehicle featuring a power rear hatch and split folding rear seats. Thanks to the lightweight steel body with aluminum front fenders, the curb weight (without driver) of the base model is just 1,425 kilograms (3,141.59 lb).

The A5 Coupé received the same exterior, interior and under-the-skin updates as the A5 with the product refresh. Its eight available engines cover a range between 105 kW (143 hp) and 200 kW (272 hp). The compact, high-tech 1.8 TFSI gasoline unit is particularly attractive with its average fuel consumption of just 5.7 liters per 100 km (41.27 US mpg).

2013 Audi A5 photo

The engines:

1.8 TFSI with 125 kW (170 hp)
2.0 TFSI and 2.0 TFSI quattro with 155 kW (211 hp)
3.0 TFSI quattro with 200 kW (272 hp)
2.0 TDI and 2.0 TDI quattro with 130 kW (177 hp)
3.0 TDI with 150 kW (204 hp)
3.0 TDI quattro with 180 kW (245 hp)
3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro with 180 kW (245 hp)

Depending on the engine, available drivetrains include the six-speed manual, the multitronic and the seven-speed S tronic. The quattro lineup includes all of the engines starting with the 2.0 TDI with 130 kW (177 hp) except for the 3.0 TDI with 150 kW (204). The sport differential is available as an option with the most powerful diesel and gasoline engines.

Chassis options include dynamic steering and damper control. The standard electromechanical power steering reduces fuel consumption. The range of standard and optional equipment largely corresponds to that for the Audi A5. This also applies to the driver assistance systems, infotainment and Audi connect services.

The Audi A5 Cabriolet
Sporty, comfortable and drop-dead gorgeous – the A5 Cabriolet is the large, open-top four-seater from Audi. As with its sister models, it is now even more elegant and refined following its refresh a few months ago.

Like every open-top Audi, the A5 Cabriolet has a classic fabric top. It opens and closes fully automatically in a good 15 seconds. Audi also offers an optional acoustic top with a layer of insulating foam. When opened, the top folds up into a small package that leaves 320 liters (11.30 cu ft) of luggage capacity in the trunk (380 liters (13.42 cu ft) when closed). The folding rear seat backs and the load-through hatch expand luggage capacity to 750 liters (26.49 cu ft).

A wind deflector and automatic belt feeds for the front seats round out the comfortable character of the A5 Cabriolet; neck-level heating is available as an option. A special coating for the likewise optional leather seats prevents them from heating up too much in the sun. The surface of the windshield frame is anodized aluminum.

Reinforcing elements integrated into the body of the open-top four-seater compensate for the lack of a hard roof. Head-thorax-side airbags and aluminum plates that deploy automatically as roll-over protection stand at the ready in the event of a crash. The Audi A5 Cabriolet strongly resembles the A5 and the A5 Coupé with respect to the chassis, ergonomics and equipment. The same applies for the drivetrain lineup, which includes front-wheel and quattro all-wheel drive, the manual transmission, multitronic and S tronic.

2013 Audi A5 photo

The engines:

1.8 TFSI with 125 kW (170 hp)
2.0 TFSI and 2.0 TFSI quattro with 155 kW (211 hp)
3.0 TFSI quattro with 200 kW (272 hp)
2.0 TDI with 105 kW (143 hp)
2.0 TDI and 2.0 TDI quattro with 130 kW (177 hp)
3.0 TDI with 150 kW (204 hp)
3.0 TDI quattro with 180 kW (245 hp)