It may not be new but there's still
fascinating to see a soft top deployed while a convertible is under
way. Beyond the fascination there is of course the practical side: if
it starts to rain you don't have to stop to get a roof over your
head.
Audi's new 2010 S5 cabriolet – launched in Sydney last week –
takes just 15 seconds to open and 17 seconds to close ... at speeds
of up to 50 km/h. It's technology available at a single touch of a
button which you keep a finger on on until a beep lets you know the
roof is locked in or locked away.
The S5 is the latest addition to Audi's
`S' stable of sporty cars and adds the top-down experience to the S
model range. The top down/up experience on-the-fly is not the only
trick the S5 has up it's sleeve. It's also a fast tourer and has
style to burn rag top down or up. It is powered by a grunty 3.0 litre
V6 and is no slouch: 0 -100 km/h in 5.6 seconds.
The engine puts out 245 kW of power and
a substantial 440 Nm of torque between 2900 – 5300 rpm. As we found
it's a broad sweet spot for instant acceleration. Top speed is
governed to 250 km/h. Like many manufacturers Audi is dispensing with
large displacement and using boost instead. In this example the S5 V6
supercharged. The combination of supercharging and direct injection
gives an economy return of 9.7 litres/100 km.
Audi launched the all-new S5 out of
Sydney, along with the with Audi TT RS, with a road test through
suburbia and into national parks to the south of the city. The
supercharger sits between the two banks of cylinders and pressurizes
the direct-injection 3.0 TFSI engine to up to 0.8 bar. Two downstream
intercoolers reduce heat from the compressed intake air.
The engine is hooked up to a
seven-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch DSG transmission and is delivered to
all four wheels in Audi quattro style. The torque split is 60 percent
to the rear wheels and 40 per cent to the front. In our brief road
test we found the car to live up to expectations – which are high –
but exhibited just a little too much scuttle shake for our liking.
Scuttle shake in inevitable in cabriolet style cars and it's the
degree to which is happens which is important. The S5 comes with 18
inch cast aluminium wheels shod with 245/40 tyres, so has a good grip
on terra firma. Audi has optional 19 inch wheels at $2900. The black
brake calipers are highlighted with S5 emblems while a sports
suspension is standard.
Audi's decision to produce a soft top –
rather then the now popular hard top cabriolet – has been made for
a couple of reasons. Not the least would be weight and cost, with the
S5 tipping the money scales at $138,100, before on road costs and
government charges. Another benefit of the soft top is the luggage
space and the S5 offers 320 litres in the boot, with the possibility
of more space by folding down the rear split-fold pews. Audi have
made this easy with a remote switch in the boot to drop the seats
which increases usable space to a whopping 750 litres.
The S5's slick interior matches the
car's exterior class. The front sports seats are electrically
adjustable and covered in Alcantara leather and matched with brushed
aluminium inlays. Aluminium-look shift paddles and a well-placed
centre armrest are also distinctive features of the interior. To set
the car apart the S5 logo is on the door sill trims, key, and the
leather multi-function steering wheel and instruments.
The headlining is available in black or
star silver while inlays are also available in carbon, fine grain
birch and stainless steel mesh. Audi these days is big on
indivualising its cars and the seat coverings in the S5 are available
in black, brown and three two-colour combinations.
Standard inclusions are satellite
navigation, xenon headlights, LED daytime driving lights, advanced
key access, heated front seats, cruise control, Audi parking system,
and an acoustic soft top and automatically deployed roll over bars.
Audi expect sales of around 100 units a year. It is now on sale at
Audi dealerships.
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