Audi S5 Review

Audi India have had a fair share of success in India. They were to known to make modern but sophisticated cars. They overthrew Mercedes as the number 1 premium luxury car manufacturer in India. Now, they compete head on with BMW. Also, India remembers Audi from the Ravi Shastri’s TT model back in the 1983. Audi, one who is fabled for the quattro system isn’t one to rest on its laurels. They have got the pricing and equipment list spot on for India. However they lag behind BMW cars only in some engine trims and lack of enthusiast cars. Don’t get us wrong, Audi does have some wonderful machines but it just happens that BMW has something just that better.

To counter this and to project themselves as a manufacturer of sporty and desirable cars, Audi are slated to come up with their own, like M and AMG versions of BMW and Mercedes. This is the Audi S5. It is a 2 door cabriolet or it can be specified as a 4 door coupe. In the cabriolet version, it looks very much like the Audi TT except that it has a long hood. It carries the corporate Audi grill. The face of the car is nothing much to discuss as it is too similar to the other Audis from its stable. It comes with 19 inch standard alloy wheel wearing high performance tires. Its dimensions read as wheel base of 2763 mm, height of around 1392 mm, width is 1854 mm and length of 4645.5 mm.

The engine which would compete with the Mercedes C AMG and the BMW M3 will be the 4.2L Fuel Stratified Injection{FSI} DOHC V-8 engine pumping out 354 Bhp at a high 7200 rpm. The torque figure stands as 325Nm at 3500 rpm. It would have a 7 speed automatic with triptronic functions. It will also feature a 6 speed manual with the dual clutch R-tronic gear box. This offers lightning fast shifts.

The Audi S5 in India will seat 4 people or 2 depending on its body type. It will have a world class interior similar to no other Audi in the country. It will sport Eight-way power front sport seats of silk nappa leather, three spoke leather wrapped steering wheel with audio controls. An Rocksford Fosgate 12 CD player with 16 speakers and ipod and usb slots would be available. This would make it a one off car in the country having such advanced music system. It offers a 4 zone climate control alongwith all heated seats. Navigation control and cruise control are been offered as standard.

The head lamps would be most powerful units in its class. They would be bi-xenons with self head lamp leveling sensors. These detect an oncoming car and automatically level the head lamps so that the other driver is not blinded. It also offers night sensing sensors which automatically turn on the head lights, wipers which sense rain and automatically engage and automatic rear defogger.

Safety is also top notch with the Audi S5 receiving 5 stars in the Euro NCAP ratings and a “Good” from the IIHS in US. It features, auto brakes which work when a vehicle is in close proximity of the car and the driver doesn’t slow down or apply the brakes, 8 air bags and braking is handled by Electronic Stability (ESP), Electronic Brake Force Distribution as well as standard 4 channel ABS. Ventilated Discs at the front and solid ones at the rear ensure optimum braking. Performance is said to be world-class with the Audi S5 reaching the ton mark in 3.2 seconds and at the same time you will also get fuel efficiency close to 8 kmpl in the city, if you drive it with a light foot. It will also feature Audi’s Quattro system which enhances road grip by powering all the 4 wheels at a time. Audi will launch it in January 2011 and it would be costlier than the A4 with a price of Rs.42 lakhs. But you pay for the performance, exclusivity and Audi badge and in short it is all worth it if you are a performance enthusiast.

Audi S5 specifications

Exterior

Length: 183.5 in.
Width: 73 in.
Height: 53.7 in.
Wheel Base: 108.3 in.
Kerb Weight: 3858 lbs.

Interior

Front Head Room: 36.1 in.
Rear Head Room: 37 in.
Front Shoulder Room: 64.3 in.
Rear Shoulder Room: 51.8 in.
Luggage Capacity: 325 liters
Maximum Seating: 4

Performance Data

Base Number of Cylinders: 8
Base Engine Size: 4.2 liters
Base Engine Type: V8
Horsepower: 354 hp
Max Horsepower: 7200 rpm
Torque: 325 ft-lbs.
Max Torque: 3500 rpm
Drive Type: AWD
Turning Circle: 37.4 ft.

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