Sleek A5 joins S5 on sale

AUDI’S slinky new S5 coupe - complete with V8 power, a manual transmission and all-wheel drive - went on sale here in October priced at $131,900, and now the landmark new model upon which it is based has reached Australian shores.

The A5 3.2 FSI Multitronic might lack the S5’s piping hot 4.2-litre FSI V8 but, for now, as the entry-level version of Audi’s first A4-based two-door, it’s a whole lot less expensive at $91,900.

For $3000 more than the similarly engined TT quattro auto coupe, or $10,000 more than BMW’s smaller-engined 325i coupe, the first A5 to arrive here drives its front wheels with Audi’s direct-injection 3.2-litre petrol V6, mated to a seven-speed CVT auto with sport program.

It produces 195kW at 6500rpm and 330Nm of torque from 3000rpm, sprints to 100km.h in a claimed 6.6 seconds and, like other A5/S5s, measures 4.63 metres long and has a 455-litre boot.

The complete A5 and S5 coupe range will be on sale here by mid-2008, with the quattro (all-wheel drive) and Tiptronic (automatic) version of the A5 3.2 CVT to go on sale in April, priced at $95,900 (an extra $4000), and the Tiptronic alternative to the S5 4.2 quattro manual to be released in May 2008, priced at $134,900 – up $3000.