2023 AUDI A5 Sportback S Line 45 TFSI quattro – Review by David Colman

Like a movie star, it's very handsome and a bit dumb

David Colman

Photos and Story By Danid Colman
Special Correspondent to THE AUTO CHANNEL

German car makers are as precise in their nomenclature as they are in the build of their products. For the uninitiated, the six term designation of this particular Audi can seem rather intimidating, so let's decipher it one phrase at a time. A5 describes the company's mid-size family hatchback. Unlike Audi's conventional A4 sedan, the A5 substitutes a sizeable liftgate for the A4's trunk. The exterior design of the A5 benefits visually from the lower roofline afforded by the Sportback. The 37-inch wide rear entry to the Sportback begs you to fold both rear seats flat. Doing so creates significantly more useful storage space than the A4 offers.

S Line refers to the car's rakish trim level which emphasizes sports-oriented performance with such additions as sports suspension, discrete S Line monikers on the quarter panel flanks, and S-emblazoned door entry plates. An extra $500 S Line kit adds brushed aluminum interior panels, aluminum trimmed pedal caps, and very supportive leather/Dinamica sport seats.

"45" indicates the level of engine tuning, which in the case of our test Audi was a turbocharged 4 cylinder direct fuel injected (hence TFSI) motor producing 261hp and 273lb.-ft. of torque. A more mildly tuned motor (designated "40") is also available, with 201hp and 236lb.-ft. of torque. All A5 models feature full time all-wheel-drive (quattro). If you need more than 262hp, Audi will sell you a further uprated Sportback designated S5, powered by a V6 engine making 349hp and 369lb.-ft. of torque.

We never felt the need for more horsepower or torque than our test model provided. In fact when you floor the accelerator in any gear at any time, the A5 Sportback lunges forward with a vicious leap that will pin your ears back, thrust you deep into the recesses of your sport molded bucket seat, and blur the scenery right now. In fact, the A5 Sportback is capable of cranking off startling 0-60mph runs of under 5 seconds. Audi affords you the choice of shifting yourself via paddles, or allowing the 7-speed S tronic transmission to do the decision making as it sees fit. In either case, engine response to throttle input is immediate, decisive and very impressive.

The finely tuned sports suspension is more than capable of dealing with the most challenging curves you can throw at this Audi. Regardless of how animated you become in your quest to emulate Lewis Hamilton, the beautifully suspended and well snubbed A5 instantly complies with your every command. Our particular test Audi's performance level was further augmented with a $2,350 "Black optic plus package" which replaced standard fitment 18 inch alloy rims with "19 inch 5-arm cutter design wheels in bi-color finish," These beauties, emblazoned with subtle "Audi Sport" ID tags, were shod with 255/35R19 Continental Sport Contact all weather radials. Despite the all-weather practicality of the Conti radials, we could never get them to squeal in protest or lose adhesion. The optic package also blacks out both exterior mirrors, as well as the rear lip spoiler, Audi quad rings and exhaust tips.

List price of our test A5 was further elevated by a $10,050 "Prestige package" which contributed no fewer than 19 separately listed upgrades to the base vehicle. While you could write a master's thesis on the Prestige package, here's the Cliff Notes skinny on the deal: Bang & Olufsen "3D Sound" stereo, SiriusXM 3-Month free trial, Parking System with Park Assist, Navigation Plus, Active Lane Assist, amd Heated Steering Wheel with Hands-On Detection. But for my money, the best part of the Prestige upgrade was the "Audi virtual cockpit" which allows you to tailor your 12.3 inch digital gauge display to your exact specifications. Do so by using the thumbwheel and buttons on the steering wheel, or making your commands known via the 10.1 inch infotainment touchscreen display atop the dash. The system worked well with one exception: we could never assemble a selection of favorites from the SiriusXM menu, and found no help from the owner's manual in this regard. We did, however, like Audi's provision of a separate glovebox for the owner's manual, located just left of the steering wheel.

A couple of other issues with our test A5 remained unresolved by week's end. Engine start-stop when idling shuddered unnervingly each time it self-activated. We addressed the problem by deleting auto stop-start each time we climbed aboard. A second irritation was the inclusion of the Park button in the rear of the shift knob instead of in line with the other transmission detents. Further complicating the confusion was the presence of a "P" for the parking brake which was aligned with the gear shift's detents for Reverse and Drive. But the most problematical issue was the grabby unpredictability of the brake pedal's threshold. It varied all over the map, sometimes catching high, sometimes low, with no apparent warning. Remedy that problem, and the A5 Sportback earns a perfect 10 on its Star Rating.

2023 AUDI A5 Sportback S Line 45 TFSI quattro

ENGINE: 2.0 liter inline-4 cylinder, turbocharged, gas direct injection
HORSEPOWER: 261hp@6300rpm
TORQUE: 273lb.-ft.@4200rpm
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 24MPG City/32MPG Highway
PRICE AS TESTED: $60,665

HYPES: Classically Handsome, Faster Than It Looks

GRIPES: Brake Inconsistency

STAR RATING: 9 Stars out of 10

©2023 David E Colman