Ah yes the "endangered" luxury sedan segment, very lively and well received in most markets but not in Mzansi nope not at all. To make things worse, make it a Audi that is living within that endangered theme..we lived with this absolutely stunning Audi A5 which has a lot stacked up against it but surely our time with it deemed the car worthy?
Audi has been the more tame of the three German giants (BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz) in terms of design catalog and most time just making an impressive product, they've been taking a more progressive approach instead of a bolder more explorative design language but here I think something in them or in the design department compelled them to go for it and go for it they did.
The car is very beautiful and excitingly has a signature look which encourages the fact that you wouldn't mistaken it for another model in the brand marque. the fascia features plenty of redesigned bits like the new slimmer and curvy grilled, here there 4 rings are finished in a white-ish grey with a black border, piped in a brushed albumin finish, new functional vents that add a slight aggressive nature and stance about the car, and you can not forget those sorceress IQ lights that work wonders in the night time.
The long saloon body is sleek, smooth and something about this spec just screams "Presidential" I don't know whether it is the combination of the privacy glass, 20 inch 5-twin spoke wheels and black color or if its the fact that the car is quite on the long side of things as it measures at 4,830 mm making it longer than the previous gen A5. There are also well welcomed touches that bring a contrast of flair to the icognito nature of the vehicle which are the brushed steel surrounds found around the window seals.
The back is also as flamboyant and, in true Audi nature, as futuristic as can be seen with the very big and bright LED lightbar. The lightbar is alive in that it sometimes changes lighting signatures when you play music (or at least that is my observation of the vehicle since I spent most of my time inside). The back also features the whitish-colored four-ring emblems, while the A5 labeling is finished in a black colorway.
Interior was finished in what I call "Peanut Butter" seats which look very nice and did a great job of providing some contrasting to the dark theme of the vehicle. The perfect seating position was quite tricky to find for me as I had to adjust and adjust just to the right position, luckily the car had seat memory so once I found the spot, I saved it for every trip.
The dashboard is dominated by Audi's newest MMI screens which are the 12 inch touch screen and the crisp and high resolution drivers displays which is configurable, but there was a third screen for the passenger as well..I have always wanted to see these screens in real life but the whole experience has been more of a "never meet your heroes" kind of ordeal because there is really nothing too it..its just a screen that mirrors the bigger one and had most if not all of those who got a chance to ride shot gun not impressed at all whatsoever, still though, neat party trick for sure.
Buttons! Yes, there are buttons that control important stuff like the volume, which was a good old rotary dial that also had the ability to skip through music. This came in handy if you were trying to avoid touching Audi's piano black surfaces (there are piano black accents almost everywhere tracking your fingerprints). Connectivity and usability were also pretty good and not overly complicated, like in some cars...
Stepping into the driver's seat does leave one a bit intimidated since it is quite large , even more so since I had just stepped out of a Suzuki Swift . It had me thinking about turning out of a corner and dinging a door, or turning a little too optimistically and scratching the wheels on the curb. However, the combination of the 360 camera , sensors, and eyes that work reassured me that this would be just another day at the office, and it was. The car is forgiving and inviting ; the throttle response is progressive, and braking is immediate but dialed in just right, allowing you to ease in and out of situations like slowly moving traffic. The steering wheel is nice and big, letting you always have a grip on any part of its circumference when turning or cruising about.
You know this car had a very soft ride despite it riding on these big 20-inch low-profile optional wheels. The most plush ride I have ever experienced was a Maybach, but don't get me wrong, I am in no way implying that this A5 is on that level, no sir! Instead, I am saying if it were their life's mission to get the ride to that level, they are certainly on the right path. Still on the topic, I had a problem with the fact that this car has a tricky auto hill hold that you have to engage by pressing on the brake; otherwise, the car rolls, which was an absolute letdown .
This was one of the many cars that some how urged me to take my time when driving and cruise along, don't get me wrong it moves when you put your foot down but it wasn't seat-planting acceleration rather imagine a bullet train, slow and steady apon take off and can easily land you a speeding fine once in motion.
Nonetheless, this car is opulence personified, and you can really see and feel that the Germans went through great lengths to ensure that it not only feels good and comfortable to drive, but most importantly, to be driven in. There was a great sense of cocooning from the outside world of mere Polo drivers and taxi drivers. The Bang & Olufsen sound system was, in some instances, so clear that you could almost hear the producers speaking while the song was being composed, and the cabin, being so spacious, featured comfortable seating for your tush, back, and body.
Then there is the fact that this is an Audi ; it has become one of the brands I refer to as "staying in my lane." They are mostly never pressured or panicking, since they've become more of a niche brand that somehow still manages to rack up numbers and sales, leaving one to wonder how the heck they have pulled this one off. For pricing , this car, as specced, goes up to 1.4 million rands, and that should automatically tell you that you've stepped into various territories all at once. On the one hand, you could get yourself a pocket rocket ; more sensibly, an X3 or around the same segment as the E-Class from Mercedes.
In the end the car kind of left us more or less on the fence as one day you fell in love with it because it can do some gnarly things but some days the niggles and negatives were highlighted of just how annoying some features are nowadays.