2009 Audi A5 2.0TFSI launched
May 14, 2009 by David Twomey
Audi’s cool-looking A5 now has the Volkswagen Group’s award-winning 2.0-litreTFSI engine and quattro all-wheel-drive.
For the Australian market the A5 takes up the tradition of classic two-door sports and touring coupés.
According to Audi it is expertly styled with a powerful presence and uses elements of Audi’s progressive design language to make a clear design statement of sportiness and elegance.
Moreover, the A5 offers a great dynamic driving experience and excellent long-distance comfort.
For the first time, the A5 is available with Audi’s sporty, four-cylinder 2.0-litre, TFSI engine which offers a rousing 155kW of power between 4300 and 6000rpm and 350Nm of torque.
The result is strong performance and low fuel consumption from the latest iteration of the engine voted ‘Engine of the Year’ four times in succession by an international panel of experts since 2005.
The engine, developed within the Volkswagen Group, now combines direct fuel injection and turbocharging technology with the new Audi valvelift system (AVS), which varies valve lift for increased power output and optimum fuel economy.
It lets the A5 race from 0-to-100km/h in just 6.5 seconds while delivering 7.5 litres per 100km of fuel consumption.
The Audi A5 2.0 TFSI quattro is available with either the progressive new seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic gearbox, priced at $83,500, or a sporty six-speed manual gearbox, priced at $79,900.
Audi says the A5 belongs to a superior class of coupé; sporting four comfortable seats and an ample load volume of 455 litres make the car a spacious long-distance tourer.
Even when stationary, the Audi A5 makes a dynamic impression: the wide track, large wheels and short overhangs not only point to its muscular appearance, they also form part of the formula that produces its peerless active driving feel.
According to Audi its engineers achieved this by creating an entirely new running gear design and the result is enough to make the Audi A5 the new standard for its class.
A5 Model Range
A5 2.0 TFSI quattro manual (from May 2009) $79,900
A5 2.0 TFSI quattro S tronic (from May 2009) $83,500
A5 3.0 TDI quattro tiptronic (from December 2008) $94,500
A5 3.2 FSI multitronic (from December 2007) $95,300
A5 3.2 FSI quattro tiptronic (from June 2008) $98,500
Great looks and presence, and more than adequate performance with brilliant fuel economy. But how many so-called ‘punters’ will be able to get their heads around the fact that it only has a two litre engine? More fool them I say.
Wow that engine really is well ahead of the front axle. At least that 2.0 is a lightweight compared to the 6’s.
I’m really torn, this A5, e92 3 Series and the new E Coupe are such a divine trifecta!
As far as diesels go I’d probably take the E250 CDI, I’d take the A5 2.0TFSI 6M-Q for an economical petrol, and the E500 for a sleeper cruiser/V8 bruiser over the 335 and S5.
BTW, $80k?
ouch. I need a better job…..
No Devil you don’t need a better job, you just need the same job in a different country. Move to the US, where you’ll earn far more and pay far less for cars.
No, this car best suits a great big diesel, the 3.0 TDI Quattro to be precise. An engine has to suit a car and this car has a very GTish vibe. Reviews for this engine in this car all say the same thing. Audi diesels are always wonderful and the package of the 3.0 TDI with the A5 comes out being very desirable. However, I’m sure this is just fine if you’re on a budget when buying your Audi coupe.
Devil, this is the one to go for. The E Class will be bought by old men, the 3 Series will be updated soon and this is probably the most accomplished right now.
The BMW 3-Series is not a competitor to the E-Class. It was never even a competitor to the CLK.
Its funny how certain people go on about how far the engine is forward of the front axle and i agree it isn`t the perfect scenario but it really doesn`t seem to effect Audi and most drivers will never find the limit where it makes a difference so why go on about something that will never effect you
I think the new E coupe is too polarising for old folk… They might not like the look of it. The 3 series coupe is certainly the more ‘boring’ proposition.
Jason, just got back from the states. They have an amazing range at comparatively stunning prices. Its literally disgusting coming home to see $400k+ on an SL63 where yanks fork out $120k. Test drove the G55. Quite a pimp mobile.
Overall, past revisions of the 3 series coupe and convertible have never been able to compete with the CLK due to size alone, the CLK was a much bigger offering. However with the release of the E92 coupe and E93 convertible, dimensions grew to offer a back seat that was capable of fitting humans over the age of 5, taking the fight right to the CLK, which was mechanically a closer relative of the C class than E. It’s clear BMW had it’s sights on the CLK with the E92/3 range. It is true however that the new E coupe is going bigger again, but until Benz release a rumored C coupe, what else is there? E coupe is still quite a way off the sedan dimensions as well.
Jason Smith, I’ll something weird happened with the naming of the cars at Mercedes but how was the 3 Series not a competitor to the CLK? They were the same size, price and had the same sized engines. They were most definitely competitors. I don’t know about the E Class though, I know it has replaced the CLK but if it’s not a competitor to the 3 Series then it’s a competitor to the 6 Series which is basically a 5 Series coupe and the E Class Coupe is much, much cheaper than that. I’m finding all this quite confusing.
*Ears prick up {BMW mentioned} wonders should she say her bit*
A little bit of wee just came out when I saw this car! My god that is horn with spurs on :D
damn it! another winner from audi :(
I suck.
I can imagine this car like most Audis would be extremely nose heavy and ruin the car’s dynamics. I think I’d rather a 3-series coupe or an E-class coupe. The E-class is based on a C-class and even though it gets E-class badging, I’d consider it a A5, 3 rival.
Regarding the A5 it looks good, but only in black with decent wheels, the one shown in red looks bloated and a bit bland.
Saw one yesterday and it had its daytime running lights on. It looked like the devil had possesed the car and was angrily staring at me. Good this is beautiful and good on audi for putting in the 2.0 litre as it is lighter than the 3.0 litre diesel.
Alex – the two cars were different sizes, prices, and had different sized engines. Going back 10 years to 1999, when BMW introduced the E46 coupe and Mercedes had the first gen CLK, the CLK had a choice of 3.2L V6 and 4.3L V8. The BMW’s top offering was only a 2.8L straight six. Two years later they replaced it with a 3.0L, but it still did not compete with the Merc on power.
I agree with Myke. The red car in the pictures looks bland. The car really needs a big set of wheels for it to look good.
A lot of Audi’s have issues with being nose heavy because the engines are so far forward. I believe they addressed this slightly with the new A4, but if you have a look under the bonnet, the engines are still a long way forward
Charles, you’re clearly an Audi man. Read any review and they will tell you that Audis are nose heavy, due to (as Steve mentioned) the positioning of the engine.
When it comes to luxury cars, my belief is if you are going to pay that amount of money for a proper traditional prestige car, to should be RWD. So yes Merc fits that description, as does BMW and Jaguar.
The coupe is kind of ugly
This a great looking car with a fantastic engine that combines power, loads of low down torque and class leading fuel economy.
Anyone who has driven one of these latest Audi quattro’s will tell that the one thing they do have, is more than enough grip for the road.
The only draw back is the price just like most Audi, BMW and Merc cars.
Lovely car, but I optioned one up last week and the options are more exhorbitant than BMW.
Great buy second hand thanks to Audi depreciation. ;-)
Or a bad buy second hand due to audi reliability =P
I think it does look a little more sedate, much like the new A4, than the previous model, even if it does look a bit more modern. A metallic black, silver or even grey would suit this car much better, this youthful red does not suit this car’s typical conservatively contemporary owners. But of course Audi’s typically great interior combined with all-wheel-drive and a highly efficient and powerful engine makes the package justify the slight nose-heavy understeer and slight lack of exterior panache.
Tom What are you on.
Great Car kinda agree with alex on the 3.0TDi but save a few groats and buy the 2.7TDi is way more economical if you want that.
i have been looking at coupe with some power and performance under 100k. A5 quattro come in mind, 335i is way over 100k unless it is a second or demo version. read alot of review, Audi get good interior and good 2L TFSI engine. BMW got great handling. Nothing from MB tickles me.
what you guys think? how is audi compare to BMW ie look, realibility, servicing cost and repairm resale?
any personal expereince to share?
tks
They are kind of in different leagues Yuyu. You’re comparing a Turbo 2.0 4 with AWD to a twin turbo 3.0 6 with RWD. You would be much better off comparing this to a 325i. The main difference would be between Quattro (AWD) on the Audi and RWD in the BMW. Both great cars but if it’s handling you care about, I would get the BMW.
But still, as I wrote, you’re not comparing similar cars; there’s miles of difference between the two.
If you can stretch to a 335i you WILL NOT be disappointed. Take them for a test drive and find out but if you can’t afford a 335i then don’t test it or the more affordable ones will depress you.
Good Luck.
And to answer your other questions, I would think that servicing costs would be very similar (however, you can find that out before you buy), resale on both will be excellent and they are both very reliable. The 3 Series was recently voted most reliable car on sale in the UK and that tested thousands of different 3 Series’ against hundreds of other cars. Audis are also well known for reliability.
I have not had personal experience with those individual cars (other than driving them) but I have had very positive experiences owning other cars from both those brands.