The 2017 Audi A5 and S5 have been revealed overnight with the new-look second-generation models expected to arrive in Australia in the first half of 2017.

THE 2017 AUDI A5 and S5 coupes have been revealed overnight with the new model set to arrive in Australia in the first half of 2017. The second-generation Audi coupe gets an all-new chassis, gruntier engines and the latest-generation infotainment and communication systems from Audi.

While I was never particularly enamoured of the looks of the original A5, this new generation car, at least in photos, looks a lot more sophisticated and less slabby than the original car. That said, Audi claims it’s “true to its DNA with the sporty and elegant character being passed down to the new version. The best example is the wave-shaped shoulder line that already characterized the previous model. The precisely sweeping line with pronounced bulges over the wheel arches emphasizes all four wheels – a cue to the quattro all-wheel drive”.

While the Australian line-up of engines hasn’t been announced, there will be five available globally, including two TFSI and three TDI units. Compared with the previous model, these engines offer up to 17% more performance while consuming as much as 22% less fuel. There will be a variety of transmissions to choose from, although it’s likely Australian cars will only get the S tronic and eight-speed tiptronic transmissions.

The manual six-speed gearbox and the seven-speed S tronic are used with the four-cylinder engines as well as the 160 kW 3.0 TDI with front- or all-wheel drive. The eight-speed tiptronic is reserved for the top diesel with 210 kW and the S5 engine. Both engines come standard with quattro all-wheel drive. The Audi S5 Coupé gets a newly developed, turbocharged V6 engine produces 260 kW and consumes just 7.3L/100km. The new S5 can reach 100 km/h from rest in 4.7 seconds.

The A5 will also see Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive debut its ‘ultra technology’ which could be a killer…

See, ‘ultra technology’ is Audi’s way of saying its quattro all-wheel drive system will no longer be a permanent system, but rather a front-drive system that can send drive to the rear axle as required. Audi claims “the drive system does not exhibit any perceptible differences to permanent systems in terms of traction and driving dynamics,’ but the on-demand front-drive systems in, say, Volkswagen’s aren’t as responsive or as dynamic as the permanent quattro all-wheel drive, but Audi wants to save fuel and reckons this system saves about 0.3L/100km. Hmmm.

The new A5 and S5 will get speed-sensitive electric power assist steering while the cost-optional dynamic steering is able to vary its gear ratio depending on speed and steering angle. We’ll reserve judgement until we’ve tried it out.

Audi has managed to cut 60kg out of the weight of the A5, and thanks to the thing being bigger and getting a longer wheelbase means there’s also more room inside. As in the A4, the A5 gets the horizontal dashboard design with a full width air vent strip running across the dash.

The boot offers 465 litres of storage space, 10 litres more than the previous model. The rear seat has a 40:20:40 split and can be folded forward using levers in the boot. Audi also offers a cost-optional gesture control for opening the luggage compartment lid via a stabbing motion with your foot under the rear bumper. 

Like other Audi’s the A5 Coupé will get the cost-optional Audi virtual cockpit, a 12.3-inch TFT display with a resolution of 1440 x 540 pixels. Together with the MMI navigation plus including 8.3-inch monitor on the centre console, it forms the central information unit.

Compared with the previous model, nearly all of the systems are either completely new or have been extensively updated. For instance, the A5 offers a predictive efficiency assistant which is designed to help the driver save fuel, but will probably just be annoying, Audi active lane assist helps keep the car on track in the driving lane, again, it might not work so well in the real world, and the Stop&Go adaptive cruise control including traffic jam assist offers the driver relief in slow-moving traffic – these sorts of systems are actually pretty cool. New safety features include the park assist, cross traffic assist rear, exit warning, collision avoidance assist and turn assist as well as the Audi pre sense systems.