Audi continues the rollout of its A4 family of cars with the newest model, the 2018 S5 Sportback. A hatchback with a coupe-like profile and a powerful engine in the mold of the larger S7, the S5 is set to make its debut in the United States this spring.
The powertrain is taken straight from the S4 sedan and S5 coupe. It is a longitudinally mounted, twin-scroll turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 that spins out 354 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. The power is routed through an 8-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels via Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system. Buyers who order the S Sport package also get a Sport Differential that can send all of the available power at the rear axle to the outside wheel in turns to improve handling.
Audi says all that power motivates the S5 Sportback to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 155 mph when equipped with summer performance tires.
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Like the S4, the S5 Sportback uses the brand’s MLB Evo platform and has a five-link front suspension. The Audi Drive Select system is standard. It has Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, and Individual driving modes that allow drivers to change the steering weight, throttle response, shift points, and adaptive cruise control settings. The S Sport package also comes with electronically adjustable dampers that are subject to the whims of the Drive Select system as well.
The greatest differentiator between the S4 sedan and S5 Sportback is the sloping hatchback body style. It will also be the main reason buyers choose this car because it looks fantastic. Audi calls the S5 a five-door coupe, and while that is technically inaccurate, it is emotionally correct. It is, in fact, a four-door hatchback, but the sloping roofline is sleek and coupe-like in appearance, while still delivering some of the utility of a hatchback. This look has never been used on the A4 platform, though it has had success on the A6 platform in the form of the A7 and S7, cars that have earned a reputation for being among the most beautiful on the market.
