Review: Audi A5

The racier roofline of the A5 means that the driver’s hip point is commensurately lower. It’s still nowhere near as sunken as the perches of most sports cars, but the A5 may not be ideal for those with mobility issues. As you might expect, access and accommodations in the rear seats aren’t exactly commodious, although rear headroom is adequate (we managed to stuff a six-footer in back), anyone with longer-than-average legs may have an issue fitting comfortably in the back. At least there’s a switch that motors the entire front seat forward, allowing rear passengers some latitude to control their own limited leg room.

With the introduction of the A5 for 2008, Audi launched itself into a vehicle segment it had never competed in – one which has waned significantly over the past two decades. Not so long ago, the personal luxury coupe was one of the top selling segments in the U.S., but for a wide variety of reasons, the overall sales picture left it behind.

Now you might ask yourself, “How is an A5 in any way similar to the likes of a 1970s-era Chevrolet Monte Carlo or Ford Thunderbird?” At first glance, the A5 is something completely different, but when you dig below the surface, there are more similarities than one might think – particularly when considering the 2.0T model. Except for a few NASCAR-inspired specials, PLCs of the 1970s weren’t typically performance machines anyway – they focused more on style and creature comforts. And it’s here where the A5 delivers.

Over the past two decades, Audi has been steadily climbing the ranks to become one of the preeminent automotive design houses. Concepts through the 1990s and the 2000s included the original TT and Nuvolari showed that Audi was capable of delivering more than bland German executive lunchboxes. The real explosion began when the first-generation TT entered production, and ever since, Audi’s lineup has grown bolder with each successive model. The birth of the A5 brought mainstream Audi design to a whole new level, and it’s fair to say that not only is this coupe is among the most attractive Audis in existence, it’s probably one of the best looking coupes we’ve seen in decades.

While the high-powered S5 coupe and cabrio balance sophistication with performance, the reality is most A5s are powered by a much milder 2.0-liter TFSI inline-four. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Larger coupes have almost always been more about style than substance, but all vehicle segments evolve over time, and the coupe market has proven no different. Over the years, mass-market brands looking to flesh out their lineups have embraced coupes as a way to add new variants of existing models without ballooning costs. The result was a proliferation of “coupes” that were often little more than two-door sedans that sacrificed ease of rear access without adding any real style. Worse yet, American personal luxury coupes became baroque and grotesque, and ultimately, a lack of substance contributed to their eventual demise.

We’ve become quite familiar with the A5’s shape over the last several years and it’s holding up incredibly well. Sharing the same mid-sized B8 platform as the A4 sedan/wagon and Q5 crossover, the A5 is clearly a modern Audi. However, the A5 has unique dimensions and proportions from its siblings, being lower, longer and wider than the A4 sedan, while riding on a shorter wheelbase. Combined with the 19-inch wheels, the overall effect is a more voluptuous effect than its sedan sibling.

The interior of the A5 will be instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with contemporary Audis. Two large primary gauges flank a central information display where the driver can page through an array of data. Everything from fuel economy to iPod tracks are directly in front to minimize looking away from the road. Our A5 tester was blessed with the Sport Package’s optional front chairs, and their enhanced lateral bolstering and manually extendable thigh bolsters were more than welcome. The thick-rimmed steering wheel is grippy and adjustable for both reach and rake.

A normally aspirated and direct-injected 3.2-liter V6 is also available, but while it produces 265 hp, it’s down on torque to the inline-four with just 243 lb-ft. Further, the beefier powertrain adds an extra 200 pounds of heft, so you gain nothing over the four-cylinder model in performance and consume more fuel at the same time. With the extra weight hung out over the front axle, you also don’t net anything in driver engagement, especially in North America, where V6 is paired exclusively with six-speed automatic transmission. The bottom line? Both models accelerate to 60 miles per hour in 6.4 seconds and you stand to have more fun getting there in the 2.0T, though one could certainly argue that the V6 makes a more appealing noise.

Another benefit of the entry-level drivetrain is its more desirable weight distribution. Along with the 40/60 front-rear torque split of the latest Quattro all-wheel-drive, there’s remarkably little understeer compared to past Audis. Unlike the S4, the A5 doesn’t feature Audi’s trick torque vectoring rear differential, but buyers looking to push their coupe hard enough to notice will probably opt for the higher-performance model anyway. One thing every driver will notice, however, is the electro-hydraulic power steering assist. It’s a tad light at low speeds, but firms up beautifully as speeds increase and has no disconcerting on-center dead zone.

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Audi R8 GT Supersport by Wheelsandmore

Engineers from Ingolstadt at the time boasted of how he famously managed to “cut” of 100 kilograms of excess weight on a version of Audi R8 GT and lift capacity 5.2-liter V10 engine to 560 horsepower.

Audi R8 GT Supersport by Wheelsandmore

Audi R8 GT Supersport by Wheelsandmore

Supersport Edition of Wheelsandmore more powerful – 611 horsepower (585 lb), which allows this coupe to accelerate from standstill to “hundreds” of 3.3 seconds and reach maximum 335 miles per hour.

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2010 Audi Q5

2010 Audi Q5

The 2010 Audi Q5 is a little SUV with a big SUV mindset. It offers power, towing capability, and luxury, for less money than most competitors.

At the heart of the 2010 Audi Q5 is a 270-horsepower, 3.2-liter V-6, which is mated to a manually shiftable six-speed automatic. Audi’s all-wheel drive system delivers the power to all four wheels for safe all-weather driving.

2011 Audi Q5

Inside this little SUV is a big interior that offers up to 57 cubic feet of cargo room. Optional sunroofs in both the front and the rear shine the light on the five lovely leather-clad seating positions – the front seats with an optional heating feature – and exquisite wood and alloy trim.

Underneath this lovely interior, Audi’s sports-oriented suspension keeps the Q5 well planted. An optional active suspension system with a ride height adjustment feature allows the driver to set the Q5 low for some fun driving, or raise it up to gain clearance for any off-road maneuvers.

2011 Audi A5 Interior

Along with the Quattro all-wheel drive system, antilock brakes and stability and traction control provide a great safety net to keep the Q5 stable and out of harm’s way.

The 2010 Audi Q5 is all Audi, and all good. Power, functionality, comfort, and safety combine in this little SUV with a big list of options and fun.

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Audi Q7 S-Line by Je Design

Audi Q7 S-Line is an amazing car with great performance and good-looking, but Je Design wasn’t satisfied by its appearance and style and decided to make it “more”.

Je Designed made new performance enhancement, electronically lower suspension and new rims.

Audi Q7

The tuning kit has many elements as the headlamps lens caps for an aggressive look, impressive front spoiler, new tailgate skirt attachment, dual tailpipe corrosion-resistant stainless steel and a wing spoiler tail fin, including C-pillar trim.

The most impressive improvement are the wheels, specially created for SUVs like Q7, Cayenne or Touareg and are made in the dimension of 10 x 22″, available in the next color versions:

• SMVP ( black matt / front polished )
• CSSVP ( shadow-silver / front polished )
• GSGHP ( graphit-silver glossy / lip polished )
• GSMHP ( graphit-silver matt / lip polished )

Audi Q7

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Audi R8 is a beautiful and powerful car, but SR Auto Group wanted more and presented this amazing tuning kit for it.

What we see from the first look is the matte-black pain and the carbon fiber aero parts from PPI.

The tuning package comes with: side and rear tail lamps, black wheels, 20 inch Advance One ADV alloy rims, matte-black face, new air vents, side skirts and a rear diffuser made of carbon fiber.

At the interior we have a mix between black leather, Alcantara and red stitching for the seats.

I think this is a great tuning and I would love to test one Audi R8 Valkyrie by SR Auto Group.

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The tuning specialists at MTM present their take on the TT-RS. With the rebirth of the Audi five-cylinder engine, the new more-powerful motivator suits drivers who like their car being suitable for racing. After the MTM power therapy, Audi performance car now produces 424 hp and 413 lbs.-ft. of torque and wears a new aerodynamic body kit.

The MTM TT-RS can be ordered in 3 different stages of power enhancement. Besides the maximal stage of 424 hp—84 hp more than the 340-hp base car—MTM also offer 2 stages with 404 and 408 hp and 406 lbs.-ft. of torque.

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