Audi A5 Sportback 2.0 TDI SE review
by David Finlay (29 October 2009)
To begin with, I couldn't quite see the point. Audi already builds the A4 in saloon and Avant (estate) forms, and there's a coupé alternative in the form of the mechanically identical A5, which is also available as a Cabriolet. Then, on July 16 this year - Audi's 100th birthday - the company confirmed that it was launching yet another variant in the form of the A5 Sportback.
German manufacturers have a long tradition of creating niche models, but this was starting to seem ridiculous. Wasn't there enough choice of body styles in the A4/A5 line-up already? Is there actually a need for the A5 Sportback?
I could have gone on like this for some time, but there comes a point where you have to stop philosophising and drive the car. Having done so, I'd say that there is indeed a place for the Sportback, and that I can see how some people might favour it over its close relatives.
For a start, it has the quietly classy look already seen in other A5s (though it will take me a long time to get used to the rear-end design, which I don't think is as elegant as it might be) combined with considerable practicality. Open the tailgate and you find an austerely - but usefully - cuboid luggage compartment whose space amounts to 480 litres and can be extended to 980 litres with the rear seats folded; the first figure is equal to that of the A4 saloon, the second slightly superior.
One nice touch is that the larger section of the two-part parcel shelf is attached to the tailgate, so you get the effect without having to bother with it since it's not in your way.
There's also a through-load facility for the rear seats, but in familiar Audi fashion it's an optional extra and will cost you a further £155. Also optional are the test car's electrically adjustable sports front seats, which will set you back £1200 more. They're very good, but perhaps not absolutely necessary, since the A5 (in any form) is splendidly comfortable anyway, with a fine range of seating positions. Only the badly-placed footrest, which is also a black spot on the escutcheon of the A4, remains a mystery.
Audi is not completely trustworthy when it comes to ride and handling, but in 2.0 TDI SE form the A5 Sportback gives no cause for complaint. Like many German cars it's slightly underdamped at the front, so on UK roads it is neither as precise nor as comfortable as it might be, but we're talking details here. There is nothing about the driving dynamics which would make me walk away from the car and buy something else instead.
Likewise, I would be perfectly happy with the Volkswagen Group's two-litre turbo diesel engine, used here in 168bhp form. It's by no means the most exciting unit in the range (the 3.0 diesel will always hold the key to my heart) but as has been proved time and again in other applications it's very good, with enough power to give decent performance without ever being unduly noisy. And combined fuel economy of 54.3mpg and CO2 emissions of 137g/km are very impressive.
There isn't a lot of rear visibility (though more than in the coupé) and the room available for back-seat passengers is not generous, but you don't get much of these things in other A4s or A5s either, so Audi enthusiasts won't be any more disappointed than they are already, if at all.
Nor will they be surprised that the A5 Sportback range is shaped in a similar to manner to that of other Audis. The SE tested here is the mid-range model, with an un-named version available for less money and an S line for more. All of them come with climate control air-conditioning, split folding rear seats and a Driver Information System, and in addition the SE gets leather upholstery, an audible parking warning and automatic headlights and wipers.
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