14 months. That’s how long it took a peer-level panel of experts at my daughter’s school to finally gather the courage and ask “Isabel’s Dad, is that your car?” while pointing at this Daytona Grey metallic Audi A5.
You should know: Yes, it is. Kind of. My stewardship of this A5 TFSi quattro S-tronic Black Edition may have only been a few days long but when confronted by bright eyes and gasping enthusiasm, I wasn’t going to shy back from accepting ownership.
Because I really wouldn’t mind owning one of these.
More info: This type of vehicle – the low-slung sedan slash fastback – hardly has a place left in our bakkie- and SUV-mad world, a fact which is horribly accentuated when you scrape the front apron on steep driveways, stare into Fortuner fenders at oblique junctions, or hold up half of Cape Town while traversing the umpteenth mountainous speed hump.
What else? But it’s during the remaining 90% of my motoring needs, i.e. coasting along village streets or overtaking on highways, where the poise of this German luxury fastback sedan wipes the floor with ladder framed Toyotas. It’s just so refined, so quiet, and so ruthlessly efficient when it comes to comfort and performance.
Observe: Audi S.A. claims 0-100km/h in 6.1 seconds and a top speed of 210km/h for this model, all while zipping through seven perfectly stacked gears, in your choice of multiple drive modes. All the while, quattro all-wheel drive and a bewildering assortment of driver aids keeps traction in check.
Reign in your right foot and it might even return 8.1L/100km from the 56L fuel tank.
Why you shouldn’t: Our local A5 range is somewhat limited, with only one engine in two states of tune (this top-dog quattro Black Edition with its triple screens offers 200kW or 400Nm), front- or all-wheel drive and two trim levels, equating to four models ranging from about 1.1 to almost 1.3 million Rand; excluding tasty options.
Why you should: Because this vehicle reminds everyone of the smooth and sophisticated sedan attributes we all swapped for SUV compromises. Yeah, the ride height is less than a deck of cards and it can only schlep 1.5 tons, but the enormous boot takes between 445 and 1300L while offering a massive opening and a very low loading lip.
Never mind the multi-level screens, swoopy indicator dash lights, or the delicious blonde interior on our test vehicle. It also glides, corners, brakes, sits and feels better than any crossover I’ve recently piloted. Plus it’s the only vehicle which not only drew the attention of grade 2 kids, it even got a cheeky request for a drag race along the school fence…
Each new Audi A5 is sold with a 1-year/unlimited-km warranty and 5-year/100,000km maintenance plan.
FULL SPECLIST
| Engine: | 1,984cc i-4 turbo-petrol |
| Transmission: | 7-speed DCT, AWD |
| Max. Power: | 200kW |
| Max. Torque: | 400Nm |
| Avg. cons.: | Claimed 8.1L/100km |
| 0-100km/h: | Claimed 6.1s |
| Top Speed: | Claimed 210km/h |
| List Price: | From R1,281,800 |
