Why we’re running it: To see if diesel power really can excite as much as petrol in a sporting four-door
Life with an Audi S5 Sportback: Month 1
Welcoming the S5 Sportback to the fleet - 22 July 2020
Petrol power and sound versus diesel torque and fuel economy: the debate has raged for years. And despite the decline in popularity of cars fuelled via the black pump, it seems, given Audi’s recent internal flip-flopping, that the argument is alive and well.
Ingolstadt’s S-car saga began in 2012, when it introduced the diesel-only SQ5. It was the first oil-burning Audi S model, and the logic of pairing a two-tonne, four-wheel drive SUV with a well-endowed diesel V6 was undeniable. Then Dieselgate became the portmanteau of the decade, and with Audi’s 3.0-litre unit under the microscope, its future looked untenable.
The brand responded with the second-generation SQ5 in 2017, adopting the 3.0-litre petrol V6 found in the S4 and S5 of the time. That lasted all of, well, a year, as the introduction of the WLTP testing regime and looming CO2-based European fleet average legislation led to the SQ5 disappearing until a new version arrived last summer with (yep, you guessed it) a diesel V6.
Audi’s indecision continues to this day – the SQ7 and SQ8 have just switched from diesel to petrol – meaning there’s now roughly a 50/50 split between petrol and diesel in the S model range. Experience has told us that performance diesels such as these aren’t cars that wow you from the outset, instead taking a while to get under your skin. The perfect excuse to run this Tango Red S5 Sportback for a few months, then.
As we’ve come to expect from premium German brands, this isn’t ‘merely’ a £51,000 base S5 Sportback. Audi has gone to town a bit on the options. For starters, it’s effectively a Vorsprung model, with upgrades including 20in alloy wheels, a panoramic roof, adaptive Sport suspension, a Bang & Olufsen stereo and all the LED lighting cleverness you could possibly need. We’ve also got Audi’s super-bright laser lights, which aren’t seeing much use in the midst of summer but will surely be welcomed as the nights close in.
More superficial additions include red brake calipers and gloss carbon cabin inlays. Practical boxes ticked include the larger 24-litre AdBlue tank (the cheapest option at just £60) and the ‘Tour’ Driver Assistance Pack (the most expensive, at £2700), bringing a suite of active safety systems too numerous to list here. All in, this is a £70,000 car – well into RS4 Avant money. So, as the months tick by, I shall aim to provide some consumer advice and tell you which boxes are worth ticking and which aren’t.
Back to the car itself. I was hoping for a subtler colour to really sell the diesel S5’s Q-car status, but flash Tango Red will do; with the big wheels, quad tailpipes and other S details, it certainly distinguishes itself from the fleet-spec Audis dominating every motorway in the land. You’d think the illusion would be shattered once that TDI V6 is awoken, but the S5 gets an exhaust sound actuator that (largely) drowns out the diesel clatter with a faux-V8 burble at idle and low revs. I’ve yet to make my mind up; inside it adds a little theatre, but outside it’s a touch more narrowboat than sports car.
There’s no questioning the motor’s smooth yet formidable shove, however. I’ve put around 300 miles on it since it arrived but, since there are only about 500 miles on the clock, I haven’t been overindulging in fullbore launches. Thankfully, with more torque on tap than a Lamborghini Aventador, there’s no need to wring out every gear, but I’m interested to see if the rather laggy engine and gearbox calibration improves as the miles pile on. Far from a major flaw, it’s something you have to drive around a bit: wind in some throttle and it dithers for a second or two before finding the right gear and firing you towards the horizon.
Getting on the power earlier solves it, but even then you sometimes find that the gap in traffic you were aiming for has gone because it took that little bit too long to select a cog. Other things of note so far? Gone are the days when ride comfort seems to be a forgotten criterion for fast Audis with big wheels.
Granted, the 20in rims do induce some thumping and jarring over really pockmarked roads, but by and large the S5 Sportback is a well-resolved cruiser. It handles with more agility than you might expect, too, and while the four-wheel drive system detracts from any sense of playfulness, the security and stability is a worthy trade-off in everyday driving.
One thing I’m also hoping to see as the engine loosens up is an economy improvement. The first tank of fuel has delivered an indicated 34mpg figure – respectable for a performance car in mixed town and country driving but not remarkable for a diesel. A sole commute to the office has shown it can get well into 40mpg territory on a run, however.
Second Opinion
While the four-door coupé silhouette of this S5 Sportback makes me think back to the Kia Stinger GTS we road testers ran in 2018, a glance at its spec sheet shows just how drastically those manufacturers differ when it comes to extras. Our Kia didn’t have a single option fitted; everything was included as standard.
Simon Davis
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Audi S5 Sportback 55 TDI specification
Specs: Price New £50,930 Price as tested £69,310 Options Tango Red metallic paint £675, larger AdBlue tank £60, quattro with Sport differentials £1400, front and rear-view camera £1180, head-up display £1025, red brake calipers £350, matrix LED headlights with Audi laser lights £870, storage package £195, extended LED interior light pack £125, ‘Tour’ Driver Assistance Pack £2700, dynamic power steering £1025, Sport suspension with damping control £1000, panoramic glass sunroof £1400, black styling package £570, 20in alloy wheels £2460, gloss carbon inlays £475, Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system £850
Test Data: Engine 3.0-litre, V6, turbocharged diesel w/ electric compressor Power 345bhp Torque 516lb ft at 2500-3100rpm Kerb weight xxxkg Top speed 155mph (limited) 0-62mph 4.9sec Fuel economy 39.6mpg CO2 161-163g/km Faults None Expenses None
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