Next Audi A5 will probably look like the current one

"El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First!" (lightningzone)
02/12/2014 at 17:24 • Filed to: None

...because that's what Audi does. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

DISCUSSION (14)

Victorious Secret > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First!
02/12/2014 at 17:27

Seeing as how the current A5 can only be described as "Sexy as fuck" I don't think many people have a problem with that.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First!
02/12/2014 at 17:27

And because it's one of the most beautiful car designs in the last decade.

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > Victorious Secret
02/12/2014 at 17:31

Don't really find it that way, the last BMW M3 coupe looked better, and the new Lexus RC-F has more charisma.

Manuél Ferrari > Victorious Secret
02/12/2014 at 17:39

It's the same conundrum that Aston has.

Their cars look so good that changing them too much could ruin them

Victorious Secret > Manuél Ferrari
02/12/2014 at 17:40

Audi has the benefit of having multiple models to try and flex the design on.

I thought the B8 A5/S5/RS5 looked smashing, but the B8.5 is just something else. Its class, and nothing but.

So yea, The B9 has a tough act to follow, but I'm not too worried. Audi being conservative is in this case a good thing.

Manuél Ferrari > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First!
02/12/2014 at 17:41

I like the last M3 coupe better too cause I'm an M3 guy. I think a lot of people liked the looks of the A5, S5 and RS5 more though.

The RC-F doesn't do it for me. I love the LFA. But I don't see enough LFA in the RC-F. I see more predator...

PS9 > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First!
02/12/2014 at 17:41

Works for AM...

Manuél Ferrari > Victorious Secret
02/12/2014 at 17:43

I prefer them being conservative too. I'd rather the next A5/S5/RS5 be too much like the current car than too different in an ugly way. Feel the same about the R8 too.

And the same about Astons

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First!
02/12/2014 at 17:56

I like A5. It is on my list of cars to consider owning.

But it needs new placement.

A5 is fine, technically, but price-wise it is an instant 5 grand upgrade from the A4 that it shares a platform with.

Frankly, they should take a play from M-B's playbook, and pair the A5 coupe marketing, feature, aesthetics, and price-wise with the A6, but platform-wise still shared with the smaller-footprint A4. Basically what Mercedes does with the E-class coupe... paired with E-class sedans, but based on the smaller C-class underpinnings to keep a more lithe size in coupe format than simply chopping doors out of the larger sedan.

If Audi were to do that, and market the A5 with the A6 and A7, as a triplet...

Then they could build A4, A4 Sportback (what is now A5 Sportback 5-door), and the Quattro Sport coupe (concept turned production vehicle) as the entry-level trifecta below their mid-range, but a bit larger than their compact A1, A2, A3...

(If A4 even survives the introduction of the A3 sedan... maybe A4 should just be the 5-door sport back, and leave the trunk lid sedans to A3 and A6 on either side...)

The Quattro Sport Coupe would be smaller than A5, with a shorter wheelbase, shorter rear overhang, a lift back fastback (like the white concept car, please, rather than the newer red one, which screwed the roofline up), and more spartan, in terms of tech laden features... the AWD alternative to the BMW 2 series, and a bit of a Mustang EcoBoost competitor, starting around $30K USD.

A4's standard turbo inline 4, 6-speed, and torque-vectoring rear diff, and a clean, driver-centric interior in an AWD 3-door steel-bodied coupe, for $30K. What is not to like?

Step up to Quattro S, get the 3.0T, 6MT or DSG, a few more features, maybe some aluminum or composite bodywork to lighten the curb weight... S-line appearance, basically S4 equivalent 3-door coupe, for ~40-45K to start.

Step up again to Quattro RS, and get the full monty... V8 or Turbo I5 with over 400 horses, DSG, fully torque-vectored AWD, all the toys... carbon fiber body panels, and the mean RS-line appearance package... for 60K.

With the base-line at $30K it might actually be affordable, rather than A5 starting at 35K, and quickly surpassing 40K when you even breathe on the option list.

A5 would probably ditch the bargain model, and just start at 45K with the 3.0T, S5 V8 at 55K, and RS5 in the stratosphere, like it currently is... more like a 4-series or E-class, rather than a 2-series BMW, or C-class M-B.

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
02/12/2014 at 17:59

That is the whole point, for them. Different name = bigger profit.

Pessimippopotamus > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First!
02/12/2014 at 18:18

Nah. Those two are overdesigned mess. The A5 will probably stand the test of time better.

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > Pessimippopotamus
02/12/2014 at 18:24

Who gives a rat's ass about the test of time? Cars should look like the period they came from, not to be sterile looking as medical coats.

Pessimippopotamus > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First!
02/12/2014 at 18:37

Because people buy cars that'll look good after a few year's ownership?

The A5 looks like a car from this decade, especially with the recent lighting unit update. It's perfectly proportioned, doesn't look like it's trying hard, and it's selling well enough that Audi isn't dumping the model. I see nothing wrong with it.

Bubbles22 > Victorious Secret
02/13/2014 at 22:11

Agreed.