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Audi S5 News & Reviews

   2009 Audi S5 Road Test Review

Is there anything more intriguing than a high performance coupe that reeks of luxury and practicality at a rational price?

Audi's

Audi's S5: Simply gorgeous! (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

2009 S5 coupe handily fills that bill, with its lusciously drawn bodylines draped over a permanent all-wheel-drive S4 quattro-based platform, powered by a happily willing V8 engine and stirred with a 6-speed manual transmission. Delicious! 

While much of the incitement lies under that stretched and supple body, at first look the S5 is only mildly advanced from its A5 sibling, sporting winglets at the front, matte gray and a chrome grille opening, LED running lamps that complement the S5's bi-xenon headlights, subtle side sills, tipped rear deck winglet and rear diffusers. 

Anyone viewing the S5 can see the chrome V8 and red S5 emblems that announce the coupe's performance capabilities. Larger P255/35ZR Dunlop tires ride on twinned 5-spoke 19-inch alloys at all four corners, and four exhaust pipes complete the visual cues.

Under the S5's hood (on a single strut) lies the motorized magic: a 354-horsepower 4.2-litre V8 engine with direct injection, that has 325 lb-ft of torque at a thoroughly usable 3,500 rpm, en route to redline of 7,000 rpm; good enough to move this as tested 1 765-kilo (3,891-pound) coupe to 100 km/h in just over five seconds. <Read More>

   Audi to enter plug-in hybrid market in 2014

With BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and other premium carmakers already selling hybrids, and more on the way including

It's highly possible that Audi's first EV will be based on its new A1 subcompact, like the A1 e-tron concept shown here. (Photo: Audi)

two from Audi, a hybrid A8 and Q5 already announced, it should hardly be unexpected that the German carmaker will be releasing a plug-in variant shortly thereafter. Thanks to its efforts in electric car development, witnessed by the R8-based e-tron, a plug-in hybrid will be ideal to bridge the gap before its full electric program gets underway.

And how serious is Audi about electric cars? According to quote from Franciscus van Meel, the brand's manager for electric mobility, as reported by AutoWeek after attending a technical workshop at the company's headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany, Audi hopes to be the "leading premium seller of electric vehicles" by 2020. No less than 5 percent of Audi's vehicles will be electrically powered, says the report.

The plug-in hybrid will hit the road in 2014, and Audi remains tightlipped as to any specifics. <Read More>

   2010 Audi A3 2.0 T Road Test Review

Audi raises the standard for the new 2010 A3 by offering the S-line package standard in all versions. The S-line package includes

Good looking A3 now comes standard with S Line package. (Photo: Automotive Metrics)

such attributes as a sport tuned suspension, front fog lights, sport leather seating, aluminum accents, front lower lip spoiler and rear upper deck spoiler. Throw on some sporty 17" alloy wheels and you have one great touring-car styled wagon.

The A3 comes with a couple of engine options such as the new 2.0-litre TDI engine which was introduced this year, and the 2.0-litre turbocharged TFSI engine shared with its VW companions.

Audi's 2.0-litre turbo produces a nice punch with 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque which is the model I tested, matched with the S-Tronic dual clutch 6 speed DSG transmission, that can shift gears faster than you can even realize you touched the paddle.

Also <Read More>

   Audi Hits Two Million Mark in US

Audi nearly went out of business in North America after their early '80s unintended acceleration debacle, and that's despite being

Audi started off in North America with two cars, one of which was the 100 LS. (Photo: Audi)

exonerated like Toyota recently was, with the cause cited as driver error.

To look back at these times must seem like a previous life for Audi's longtime staff, now with the automaker past the two million mark in unit sales for the US market.

"The story of Audi in the U.S. is really a story written by the hundreds of thousands of people who've invited our brand into their lives," said Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America. "We're grateful for those opportunities.

Entering our market forty years ago, Audi's North American beginnings were humble compared to its current full and premium range. Always respected for leading-edge technology, Audi's first attempts across the Atlantic included the Super 90 and 100, four-cylinder cars with <Read More>

   Audi Debuts 2011 A7 Sportback in Munich

Call it a sleek sedan or the new term for cars in this burgeoning segment, a four-door coupe. Call it whatever you want. Just don't

From the front, the new 2011 A7 doesn't look all that much different from other Audi products. (Photo: Audi)

call it ugly. The new 2011 Audi A7 is a beautiful car, without question.

This can be said for most four-door coupes on the market. As much as some critics pooh-pooh the idea, it really makes sense. Most luxury car buyers would rather have a sporty coupe than a sedan, but choose the four-door for practical reasons. The option of a four-door coupe lets them have their proverbial cake and eat it too.

Recent additions to the genre include Porsche's fabulous new Panamera, Aston's otherworldly Rapide, while Mercedes-Benz's stunning CLS, the forerunning in this segment, will soon be updated.

Audi showed <Read More>

   2010 Audi TTS Roadster Review

I had a bit of a chuckle when I read an article on the Audi TT where it was described as more of a male hairdresser's car than

The Audi TTS Roadster is one hot little convertible. (Photo: Automotive Metrics)

a sports car. Having never been a fan of the VW Beetle new or old, I couldn't help but place the original TT in the same category as the Beetle. Seems Audi was trying to steal a page out of VW's history books when introducing the TT as a concept vehicle back in 1995.

But for 2010, Audi took the design stage of the new TTS to a whole new level. They made the lines less bubbly looking, with an upswept feature along the sides, complemented with a raised trunk and a discreet rear deck spoiler. The front has a lower open grille accented with a lip spoiler for air distribution and better downforce at higher speeds.

But by today's standards, <Read More>

   4.2L V8-Powered Audi R8 Spyder Announced

We all knew it was coming, but now Audi has made the inevitable announcement of its long-anticipated 4.2-litre V8-powered R8

Don't expect any significant changes from this V10-powered R8 Spyder and the upcoming V8. (Photo: Audi)

Spyder official.

The R8 Spyder launched with only the 5.2-litre V10 for a pricier sum than the new 4.2-litre V8 will go far, the latter model capable of going head-to-head with similarly powered, well-optioned Porsche 911 Cabriolets and other premium drop-top offerings.

The new model gets something else that the 5.2 R8 Spyder lacked, a standard six-speed manual transmission in addition to the optional R-Tronic sequential-shifting, dual-clutch semi-automatic gearbox.

Quattro all-wheel <Read More>

   2010 Audi A5 Road Test Review

It's safe to say that Audi made its mark with coupes.  The bulk of the German luxury manufacturer's "quattro" all-wheel drive

The A5 is simply a gorgeous car. (Photo: Audi)

vehicles these days may be sedans and station wagons, but Audi's elegant style and blistering performance has always lent itself well to coupes, and many of the company's most iconic products, from the early 1980s Quattro all the way to the TT and Porsche-challenging R8, wear two doors. 

Combining the elegance of its sedans with the performance of the coupes, the Audi A5 brings a true four-passenger, two-door hardtop to Audi's lineup for the first time since 1991.  A four-seat, two-door convertible has been offered since then, but no fixed-roof coupe.  Speaking of the convertible, for 2010 an A5 cabriolet has joined the lineup.

Luxury sport coupes are not, <Read More>

   8-Speed Tiptronic Automatic for 2011 Audi A4, A5, A8, Q5 and Q7

Lexus one-upped Mercedes-Benz and simultaneously blew everyone's mind when it announced an eight-speed transmission for its then-new

Audi will add an 8-speed automatic into the A4 2.0 TFSI quattro sedan for 2011. (Photo: Audi)

LS 460 luxury sedan back in 2006 at the Detroit auto show, but now that Audi is onboard eight forward speeds will start to seem almost commonplace.

The Ingolstadt-based brand will soon sport an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox in its all-new A8 and revised Q7, and according to dealer order guides Audi plans to use the new transmission in 70% of its North American-bound cars and crossovers.

For model year 2011 the eight-speed box will find its way into the A4 2.0 TFSI quattro sedan and Avant wagon, plus the A5 2.0 TFSI quattro coupe and cabriolet models, with the six-speed manual remaining available in the coupe only.

As mentioned, <Read More>

   Audi R8 GT is Lighter and More Powerful!

What does Lamborghini's Gallardo Superleggera and Porsche's GT3 have in common with Audi's new R8 GT?  They're lighter, more

As beautiful as ever, the new R8 GT is now lighter and more powerful. (Photo: Audi)

powerful versions of luxuriously equipped sports coupes. 

Audi just announced its R8 GT on Friday, and the news will be rather shocking to some.  Initially when launched, the R8 appeared to be a four-ring brand-engineered Lamborghini for the Italian supercar maker's parent company, Audi, but when the new flagship sports coupe from Ingolstadt arrived on the scene we all realized that the R8 was much more unique than this. 

Not only does the R8 fill a different niche than any Lamborghini, fighting it out with Porsche's naturally aspirated 911 and even Chevrolet's Corvette in 4.2-litre V8 trim, but the German exotic has more to do with showing off the pride of Ingolstadt than the glories of Sant'Agata Bolognese.  <Read More>