Speaking of the hybrid system, it might find yourself making fairly a distinction to financial system within the S6. Low-speed operating is the place a robust petrol engine will get very inefficient and doesn’t even offer you again a lot in sound or character. For those who can shut it down and run on electrical energy as an alternative, that’s a win-win.
Certainly, in our restricted testing, the S5 appeared able to 40mpg when taking it simple. The regen may be very gradual and the motor emits fairly a characterful whine when working.
The remainder of the time, the hybrid stuff simply fades into the background and you’ve got a correct engine – one which doesn’t want plugging in to work correctly. The tech’s promise of fine throttle response principally materialises and the engine picks up properly. It sounds good too – not mind-blowing however tuneful sufficient, with extra grit than Mercedes’ and BMW’s ultra-smooth straight sixes.
Naturally, there’s loads of efficiency, and the ’field responds properly to the paddles. It doesn’t actually present any significant enhancements over the previous auto, although: the shifts are a contact smooth whenever you’re going for it, it upshifts routinely on the redline and it’s sometimes barely clunky on the town.
The diesel additionally will get the hybrid system, and it really works properly right here too, even when the gasoline financial savings aren’t spectacular. The WLTP determine for a front-wheel-drive, 201bhp A5 Avant is 53.3mpg, which is identical as for the Skoda Excellent Property with an unhybridised 148bhp model of the identical engine. In different phrases, you get an additional 53bhp for no gasoline financial system penalty. In follow, my check automotive returned high-40s on a combined loop and appeared able to low-50s at a motorway cruise. It is a very nice engine, although. Though it’s clattery from chilly, the two.0-litre 4 quietens down because it warms up, and supplies loads of easy shove.
Audi says diesel gross sales within the UK will doubtless linger within the single-figure percentages, but it surely’s persevering with to supply them as a result of they’re nonetheless widespread in Germany and even that quiet UK enterprise will imply a couple of hundred gross sales not going to BMW, which has pulled the 320d and 330d from the market. The overwhelming majority of UK-bound A5s will likely be 2.0 TSIs, which we have solely pushed very briefly to date.
With 148bhp, the entry-level A5 will get out of its personal means properly sufficient, but it surely simply doesn’t have a lot in reserve and sounds fairly strained and thrashy whenever you inevitably must push it. Upgrading to the 201bhp model subsequently appears smart. Audi’s engineers instructed us that they hadn’t put the hybrid system on the two.0-litre petrol to maintain prices down on what’s the entry-level providing, which checks out whenever you take a look at the value premium for the diesel.
