The brand with the four rings has released the first official teaser shots along with initial information that includes details on the entry prices and the engine range of its much anticipated A5 Sportback. The third variant of the A5 series after the Coupe and Convertible models is a sleek five-door coupe with a low-slung roofline and a large hatchback that draws its inspiration from the Sportback concept study revealed in Detroit earlier this year. The new A5 Sportback will be available with an extended range of turbocharged and naturally aspirated gasoline engines as well as diesel units.
While Audi is holding back on the full blown photos of the car, the German firm tried to give us a picture of the A5 Sportback by comparing the five-door coupe's exterior dimensions to the A4 Sedan. According to the automaker, the A5 fastback (doesn't that sound more correct?) is 36 mm or 1.42 inches lower than the A4 Sedan while it also features shorter overhangs at the front and rear as well as a 2mm longer wheelbase of 2,810 mm (9.22 feet).
Notable styling traits include the frameless doors and of course the fact that unlike other sport sedans of the same philosophy like the Mercedes-Benz CLS and the VW Passat CC, the A5 Sportback features a somewhat more practical lift-gate instead of the traditional trunk. Audi claims that the Sportback's baggage volume of 480 liters (17.0 cubic feet) nearly equals that of the A4 Avant while there's also the option of folding the rear seats down, in which case, the volume increases to 980 liters or 34.6 cubic feet.
There are no teaser photos of the interior but don't expect something radically different from the A4 and A5 models. The premium five-door coupe is a pure four-seater with Audi claiming that it will offer comparable headroom and legroom space with the A4 Sedan.
The initial engine range of the A5 Sportback will consist of two gasoline and three diesel engines. The two gasoline units, the 2.0-liter TFSI with an output of 211HP and 350 Nm or 258 lb-ft of torque and the 3.2-liter V6 generating 265HP will be combined with Audi's all-wheel drive quattro system.
The diesel lineup will include a 2.0 TDI with 170HP and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft), a 6-speed manual gearbox and start/stop system, the 2.7-liter TDI with 190HP and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft), and the three-liter V6 TDI with 240HP and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of maximum torque and quattro all-wheel drive.
The A5 Sportback is set to arrive at Audi's European dealerships in September with an entry price of €36,050 in Germany (or about $50,000 US at today's exchange rates) for the 2.0 TDI version. Audi said that in the middle of 2010 it will add a cheaper model in the mix. The automaker did not disclose any other details but we're guessing that the entry-level model will be powered by either the 160HP 1.8-liter TSI or the 180HP 2.0 TFSI gasoline engines.
