Audi A5: 2018 Motor Trend Car of the Year Contender

We Like: Undeniable benchmark fit and finish, high-speed stability, virtual cockpit

We Don’t Like: Anodyne driving dynamics, 2.0T’s idle, ordinary execution

“I like it. There’s really nothing wrong with it. I just don’t love it.” This was a common A5/S5 sentiment during the evaluation phase of our Car of the Year contest. Angus MacKenzie rightly posited that both of these cars feel evolutionary, not revolutionary.

What they do well is what every new Audi does: showcase sheetmetal stamped and assembled with the exacting attention to detail otherwise found on Savile Row. You won’t find a single contender this year with lines so crisp, panel gaps so tight, and details so elegant (like the clamshell hoods’ cutlines, which start the crease that runs from tip to tail).

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The same elegant touch holds true inside, with the A5 earning a majority vote for the cleanest, most sophisticated interiors in the biz. We especially appreciate the engineering and design of Audi’s stunning virtual cockpit instrument panel.

But we expect these things from Audi. When it came to driving, neither version stood out from the crowd. Both autobahn-bred sedans were rock-steady on the high-speed oval, and true, the S5’s performance cred proved better on paper than its baritone V-8 predecessor.

What got lost along with the curvy body was the velvet-hammer quality it once wielded, and neither exploited its all-wheel drive to enhance the experience. When pushed near their limits on the winding track, wrinkles began to surface. The biggest thorn in the S5’s foot was the upstart Kia Stinger GT, which provided similar (though more fussy) looks and competitive dynamics at a better price.

	2018 Audi A5 Coupe 2.0T	2018 Audi S5 Sportback 3.0T
BASE PRICE	$43,775	$55,375
PRICE AS TESTED	$55,300	$68,350
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, AWD, 4-pass, 2-door coupe	Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door hatchback
ENGINE	2.0L/252-hp/273-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4	3.0L/354-hp/369-lb-ft turbo DOHC 24-valve V-6
TRANSMISSION	7-speed twin-clutch auto	8-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	3,649 lb (56/44%)	4,027 lb (56/44%)
WHEELBASE	108.8 in	111.2 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	184.0 x 72.7 x 54.0 in	187.1 x 72.6 x 54.5 in
0-60 MPH	5.2 sec	4.5 sec
QUARTER MILE	13.8 sec @ 100.5 mph	13.1 sec @ 106.0 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	117 ft	105 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.85 g (avg)	0.93 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	26.3 sec @ 0.71 g (avg)	25.0 sec @ 0.76 g (avg)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	24/34/27 mpg	21/30/24 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY	140/99 kW-hrs/100 miles	160/112 kW-hrs/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB	0.70 lb/mile	0.80 lb/mile

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