Audi S5 Sportback
BBC TopGear India|November 2017

WE SAY: WITH DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS LOOKS AND IMMENSE FIREPOWER IN TOW, THIS CAN’T GO WRONG. OR, CAN IT?

Girish Karkera
Audi S5 Sportback

The guy who designed the first A5 now designs shoes… for ladies. But that is taking nothing away from what Walter de Silva did with the first-gen car. It was a return for Audi in the coupe-sedan category after almost a decade and didn’t do too bad on the looks and sales front. Especially after the facelift. Which was when India also got the S5 version of the car. Well, a conventional sedan still found more takers here and a sportback niche with a coupe-like rear was possibly asking for too much in a conservative market.

Well, things have changed. Audi itself has gotten bolder with bringing niche models in – the A3 Cabriolet being one such case. So, this time with the new-gen car, it not only has the S5 for sale in India but also the regular A5 Sportback (see box) and the A5 Cabriolet (in a future issue) versions.

The A5 is based on the same platform as the A4, which also is the same that we have seen in most big Audis that have been launched in the recent past, but with alterations, of course. Compared to an A4, the A5 is marginally longer but narrower and sits lower. Especially so in the S5 with its newly-developed sports suspension. The wheelbase is longer so you get a little more knee- and legroom but this is difficult to notice thanks to the sloping roof which makes the cabin feel more cramped that it actually is. Of course, on the outside, the sloping rear roof is appreciated more thanks to what it does for the profile.

Denne historien er fra November 2017-utgaven av BBC TopGear India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra November 2017-utgaven av BBC TopGear India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BBC TOPGEAR INDIASe alt
Does It Fly?
BBC TopGear India

Does It Fly?

2024 TVS APACHE RR 310 ₹2.75 Lakh - ₹2.97 Lakh (ex-showroom)

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
Is It A Scooter? Is It A Bike? No! It Is The BMW CE 02
BBC TopGear India

Is It A Scooter? Is It A Bike? No! It Is The BMW CE 02

It is rare when you come across a moment where a company brings out a vehicle into the market without knowing who exactly they want to sell it to.

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024
Aston Martin Valkyrie
BBC TopGear India

Aston Martin Valkyrie

The Aston Martin Valkyrie still looks like nothing else on four wheels. Probably because it isn’t.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
ONE-MAN BAND
BBC TopGear India

ONE-MAN BAND

We are a cynical bunch of people as we try our best to narrow down our vision and focus on the things that are lacking.

time-read
6 mins  |
October 2024
CRISIS AVERTED! THE EXISTENTIAL KIND
BBC TopGear India

CRISIS AVERTED! THE EXISTENTIAL KIND

Finally, the Yezdi Adventure won’t be suffering from an existential crisis anymore.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN
BBC TopGear India

ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN

ALTHOUGH IT IS A PERENNIAL ORDEAL FOR ANY MOTORCYCLIST to feel sad while parting ways with a motorcycle, it became even sadder for me this time around.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
TVS APACHE RTR 310
BBC TopGear India

TVS APACHE RTR 310

THE FIRST THING I WANT TO SAY IS - “IT IS A MENACE ON WHEELS”.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
ACE OF BASE
BBC TopGear India

ACE OF BASE

What happens when you take Porsche's old school entry level model and give it a very not entry level upgrade? This is a 914 as you've never seen it before

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2024
MOMS KNOW BEST
BBC TopGear India

MOMS KNOW BEST

Volvo's XC90 was the stereotypical Soccer Mom car. So how will the all-electric EX90 be received among the soccer pitches of Orange County?

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
THE THEORYOF EVOLUTION
BBC TopGear India

THE THEORYOF EVOLUTION

Ridged bladder seats, an inflating steering wheel and an AI track day coach... has Lotus hit on the supercar’s future, or gone mad’?

time-read
6 mins  |
October 2024