Audi A5
Posted by Paul Horrell at 4:30PM on Friday 20 April, 2007 7 Comments
On the basis that happy designers and engineers build happy cars, we should really enjoy the Audi A5.
Walter de'Silva, chief of Audi design, says this is the most beautiful car he's ever done. (A claim I take issue with - he oversaw the Alfa 156.)
But the fact is designing an all-new coupe for Audi should be a bit of a dream assignment. He gets to pour a bit of his Italian emotional style into a template of rock-solid German build quality.
The chassis engineers say they've had a good time too. They were given the freedom to come up with an expensive new suspension and transmission layout that moves the front wheels forward, reducing Audi's historically nose-heavy proportions. It should make the car feel more agile. This also helped with the looks, so Walter didn't throw an Italian tantrum.
And under the hood, the engine guys were allowed to splash out on something akin to Honda's VTEC valve system. It's fitted to a new version of the 3.2-litre V6, with the aim of getting better high-rev power without sacrificing mid-rev torque.
And so the A5 is indeed a good drive.
But it lacks the sparkle that all these smiling men should have given it.
Design first: yes, there are some great details (get those magical LED running lights, like luminous mascara). But it looks like it's sagging in the middle, and the big ol' Audi grille still doesn't do it for me.
Engines: yup, mark those up to a win. The V6 feels like has deeper lungs than a BMW three-litre, and it's a lot smoother than Merc's V6. The V6 diesel is a bit of a triumph too.
And the chassis has nice accurate new steering. But all-new layout or not, the A5 corners like an old-school Audi. Gentle but unavoidable understeer, little sense of fun, no tweakability at the limit. Audi keeps telling us they make sporty cars, but in the chassis department, they don't really. Fast, easy to drive hard, but not inspiring.
So put Walter's Latin emotion on hold. This is still a bit of a po-faced car.
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7 Comments for "Audi A5"
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As a student of car design, I used to be really inspired by Audi.
Look at the A6 for example, a great design that shows the solidarity of Audis. Now the A5 has come along, the bubble has burst.
Audi are trying to take the design of their cars forward but in doing so they're trying to fix something that's not broken and now the car look as though it has melted in the middle.
With Wolfgang Egger soon to be at the at the Audi helm, let's see what direction they continue in, and I hope it's not a wobbly one...
I currently own an Alfa GT 3.2 and want a little more power, something that Alfa Romeo seems unable or unwilling to give us. I thought the S5 would be a great option.
But just look at the Alfa GT and the A5/S5 next to each other - the Audi can hardly be called 'beautiful'. It's big, bulbous and frankly boring. And the interior too, no different to any other Audi - nothing really 'special'.
I don't understand how Audi could get it this wrong. The RS4 is a fabulous looking car, and even the A6 has grown on me quite a bit.
But why does the A5 look so 'fat' and 'unresolved'? The side profile is too curvy to match that supposedly butch front end.
Audi used to make some great cars, which used to be taken as case studies by us automobile engineering students.
Sadly this product from their stable fails to inspire. It looks better from the rear three-quarters than it does from the front.
They seem to have partially succeeded in their brief... to make the car feel less 'nose-heavy'. I do feel, though, that they won't succeed, at least not until they replace that huge egg-crate grille.
What are you guys talking about? This car looks beautiful, and will also be as solid as a rock. It's about time we had some truly beautiful but reliable cars.
OK, this may not be to everyone's tastes, but this is the sort of car I want to see more of - Italian-type designs from a German company.
Let's wait and see what BMW and Mercedes can offer to match.
Saw this at Geneva - looks great in the metal - solid, stylish, classy and the interior exudes an air of quality and well being beyond its price bracket - better than a BMW or Merc! I wish my new Porsche had an Audi designed interior!!
The big Audi grille has got to go.
It seems that they grabbed the (particularly uninspiring) idea out of thin air one day when they dumped it on the flagship A8. Now it's spread through the entire range. We (the public) just cannot win: these days BMW's look like hell from the back, and Audi's equally tacky from the front, and judging by the new C-class, it's just awfull all round at Mercedes.