What an interesting state of affairs. Another test drive has come and gone and here I am, having to share my opinion on it as one of the self-professed leaders of the motoring journalism world. It sounds delusional, doesn’t it? It sounds like I give myself way too much credit. I bet it sounds like I’m up my own fanny (read in American English of course, this is a family friendly space after all). If this is what you think of my statement, then I am in perfect company because I have finally driven at least one model from each of the ‘German big 3’. They all feel a bit stuck up.
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The most recent hoity-toity German I got to bond with belongs to the VW family. It would be a bit ironic for a company literally dubbed ‘The People’s Car’ to have pompous proclivities but we have lived long enough to see the humble ‘folks wagon’ become a status symbol, especially in the South African market. This, then, is the perfect time for me to tell you all about the product of a VW descendant whose main role within the stable is to grant entry level posh to people who like VW products but also want luxury.
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After that long preamble, the car I’m talking about is the Audi A5. The one I got to get acquainted with is the 40 TFSI model. That’s just a fancy way of saying it’s got a 2 litre engine. We could spend hours on Audi’s current designations as it relates to engine size, but it would be a waste of time because the car market proves, these days, that engine size doesn’t matter (keep a straight face. Don’t be childish), even in premium products. Old me would have been upset. New me just goes with the flow. How the mighty have fallen.
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Before I go on with the business of the drive, let us start somewhere you would ordinarily start before you hit the road. The licensing department. You might be wondering what the licensing department has to do with the current gen Audi A5. The answer is nothing. I’m just reminding you to go and get your licence LEGALLY before you hit the road. The second place you find yourself, before docking yourself in the driver’s seat, is the exterior. What an exterior it is.
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What would you call someone who had a pretty face coupled to a gorgeous body? My crush.
On paper and at first glance, then, this child of August Horch is my dream girl. I must say I find it strange how Audi can have the same basic design on all of their products and have it looking better on some cars than it does on others. This car is a classic case.
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Let’s start with the immense grille. This is a staple of all Audis and it has been since the days of Need For Speed: Most Wanted where the 2005 Audi A4 makes an appearance. It was ground breaking back then and still makes heads turn to this day (that may be a stretch). When the first gen A5 came out it took the same head turning concept and mated it to the even more head-turn-worthy 4 door coupe shape. I made up the phrase “head-turn-worthy”. It sounds silly. Almost as silly as a four door coupe, but look at all the other car manufacturers having at least one in their product line-ups and even offering them as SUVs. Who sounds silly now? When the A5 was first introduced it became the first car that made people believe that even Germany could produce a beautiful car, not just a desirable one.
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The current gen A5 picks up the mantle and carries on running with it as relay runners do. The shape creates a look of chic elegance that really does not have to be carried by the rest of the car. By that I mean that even with the car’s most Spartan configuration, in the most basic spec, such as the one I drove, it still exudes class and exclusivity. The rear looked a bit aggressive and untidy but that’s not necessarily a bad thing but I do feel that they could have made it flow better with the rest of the shape of the car. My word is law on such things.
Moving on to the interior, that bit of the car feels, or rather looks Spartan. I hope that when you spec it up a bit more the cabin feels and looks better than this one did. Sometimes less is more but on the A5 less feels like less. It doesn’t look bad by any means but it did feel like I was not getting some options and buttons I should have been getting. That being said, I do know that Audi does like to remind you of your poverty when you buy a base model. Even the seat controls had old school levers. Go be underprivileged elsewhere! I would, however, be doing a disservice if I didn’t give the digital dash an honourable mention. It is the best looking of the segment. It’s new and digital but still looks uncluttered, conventional and old-school
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I have to mention though that the cabin is quite spacious and comfortable even for a fat-cat such as myself. I didn’t feel like my movement space was limited, quite like hoy I did in the A5’s rivals from BMW and Mercedes. That is a big plus. I’m talking about me, but so is the car. The rear bench also has quite a bit of space to boast as both the legroom and headroom are absolutely alright. It doesn’t sound like much of a compliment but it really is given the sloping roofline owing to the coupe body.
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On to the meat of the experience now: the drive! I must be candid; I did not quite know what to expect in terms of the driving dynamics but it must be said that I was definitely not expecting what I got. I expected the car to feel and handle like a potbellied government official but it actually felt like a nimble young athlete. I will try my best to explain.
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The A5 did not feel as serious and as heavy as the BMW 4 Series and it did not feel as invasive as the, more expensive, Mercedes Benz C Class. The throttle responses were immediate, the braking didn’t feel like I was trying to stop a truck and the gear changes in manual mode were almost instantaneous and not at all jerky, even when there was no official ‘sport mode’ button. The ride was comfortable and there was minimal engine noise in the cabin, even with the radio turned off. I honestly don’t know how they managed to make the car feel so light, without feeling cheap and still have it feel so solid and affirming on the road. The A5 has 187 horsepower but it feels like more. I felt confident to enough to swiftly overtake anything on the road and still be comfortable.
The road feedback on the steering wheel is not noticeable, which I thought was going to be a bad thing but as it turns out, I did not miss it. The agility of the entire package and the swiftness of all the movements of the steering made me forget that steering feel was even an option. I know that I expected a boring, mediocre drive but I was met with engagement. I hope the same goes for my actual crush.
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The last aspect I must mention, which I think may be more crucial to the person who is looking to buy this car, is the dealership experience. From the moment I walked in I was met by rather attractive ladies (pardon my primitiveness) and their warmest of smiles as they offered me hot beverages on a warm Durban spring day. I finally managed to get a bottle of water. They would not stop treating me like I’m a famous male model, even when I told them I was taking them for a ride and I didn’t actually want to buy anything. My chaperone this time was a lady called Shelley at Audi Centre Durban. Shelley surely believes in the brand and knows her product so much better than I could ever attempt to explain here. Kudos to everyone.
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To sum up this base model A5. The looks are classic and draw attention (It’s usually a good thing but take that as you please). The interior is dull and a bit basic (get richer). The drive is the most fun you will have in an executive compact German sedan, the sales support is stellar and we all lived happily ever after.
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