Audi A5 Now with 2.0 TFSI Engine and Quattro Drivetrain in Australia

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – May 14, 2009: The Audi A5 is now available in Australia with the brand’s award-winning 2.0 TFSI engine and quattro all-wheel drive.

The A5 takes up the tradition of classic two-door sports and touring coupés. It is expertly styled with a powerful presence and uses elements of Audi’s progressive design language to make a clear design statement of sportiness and elegance. Moreover, the A5 offers a great dynamic driving experience and excellent long-distance comfort.

For the first time, the A5 is available with Audi’s sporty, four cylinder 2.0 TFSI engine which offers a rousing 155 kW of power between 4,300 and 6,000 rpm and 350 Nm of torque, resulting in strong performance and low fuel consumption from the latest iteration of the engine voted ‘Engine of the Year’ four times in succession by an international panel of experts since 2005.

The engine now combines direct fuel injection and turbocharging technology with the new Audi valvelift system (AVS) which varies valve lift for increased power output and optimum fuel economy, racing from 0 to 100 km/h in just 6.5 seconds but delivering 7.5 litres per 100km.

The Audi A5 2.0 TFSI quattro is available with either the company’s progressive new seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic gearbox, priced at $83,500, or a sporty 6-speed manual gearbox, priced at $79,900.

At 4.63 metres the Audi A5 belongs to a superior class of coupé. Four comfortable seats and an ample load volume of 455 litres make this car a spacious long-distance tourer.

The running gear developed for the A5 combines agile handling with optimum driving safety.

Progressive new S tronic transmission
The dual-clutch gearbox offers an extremely dynamic, highly-efficient action. Now designed for use with a longitudinally-installed engine and quattro all-wheel drive, this dual-clutch transmission is suited to a wide range of sporty models – including the Audi A4, Audi A5 and Q5 models. It was previously only available for transverse-mounted engines found in the Audi TT and A3 models.

It is a high-tech component which Audi has designed to be both dynamic and highly efficient, another clear measure in Audi’s progressive performance strategy.

Audi A5 drivers are able to use the new seven-speed S tronic in various modes. The fully automatic mode, in which the control unit determines the gearshifts, offers the D (Drive) and S (Sport) programs. The result is a gearshift that is dynamic, comfortable and very precise – typically Audi.

It is composed of two transmission structures and integrates two multiplate clutches that control different gears. The large K1 clutch located on the outside directs the torque via a solid shaft to the gear wheels for the odd-numbered gears 1, 3, 5 and 7. A hollow shaft rotates around the solid shaft and is connected to the smaller K2 clutch, which is integrated into the inside of its larger sibling, and which controls the gear wheels for the even-numbered gears 2, 4 and 6, as well as reverse gear. All gear wheels are arranged one behind the other on both output shafts, in the order 4, 6, 2, R, 1, 3, 7 and 5.

Both transmission structures are continuously active, but only one is connected to the engine at any one time. For example, when the driver accelerates in third gear, the fourth gear is already engaged in the second transmission structure. The shifting process takes place as the clutch changes – K1 opens and K2 closes.

This highly-sporty set-up means that gear change takes only a few hundredths of a second and occurs with no interruption to power flow. It is so fluid and smooth that the driver hardly notices it.

In the Audi A5 2.0 TFSI quattro S tronic variant, power flows from the drive shaft to the self-locking centre differential of the quattro drivetrain, which distributes it into two directions. In the regular distribution pattern, 60 percent of the torque flows via the propeller shaft to the rear-axle differential and 40 percent via a side shaft to the bevel pinion of the frontaxle differential. To reduce weight, this shaft is also hollow. When needed, the centre differential can deliver up to 85 percent of the power to the rear axle or up to 65 percent to the front axle.

Transmission management is by means of a mechatronic module. This compact unit containing the control units and hydraulic actuators is a completely new development. Its control concept allows the speed of the gearshift to be varied, with extremely precise control of the power necessary for the process.

The control pressure is generated by an efficiently operating oil pump that is located next to the mechatronic module and is driven by a gear stage. It is supported by a vacuum booster for cooling the dual clutch during starting. This virtually doubles the amount of oil delivered on demand, without any need to increase the power consumption.

Audi has designed the new seven-speed S tronic for exhilarating driving and consistent economy. The new high-tech unit is notable for its very high efficiency. Its highly intelligent controls also permit economical driving in the automatic mode. The maximum possible transmission-ratio spread of 8.0:1 provides a sporty, low transmission ratio for the first gear as well as a high ratio for top gear as a means of keeping engine speed low.

The seven-speed S tronic is designed for engine speeds of up to 9,000 rpm and can transmit a torque of up to 550 Nm. In other words, this new transmission is ideal for mid-range engines, delivering lightning-fast gear changes, with uninterrupted power flow and yet is highly efficient and sporty at the same time.

New manual gearshift indicator assists in economical driving
In the standard specification, the Audi A5 2.0 TFSI quattro powertrain features a six-speed manual gearbox with sporty ratios. This is noted for its very precise action with crisp, short gearshifts. A special mount for the selector forks effectively isolates the gear lever from driveline vibrations, except perhaps for a tingle of excitement in anticipation of the next gear change.

Various different measures have been implemented to reduce the manual gearbox’s internal friction and increase its efficiency.

A hydraulically operated single-plate dry clutch is used, which has asbestos-free linings and a dual-mass flywheel.

The new gearshift indicator helps the driver to adopt a fuel-saving driving style. The gear currently engaged is shown in the driver information system. If a higher or lower gear can deliver the same performance with better fuel economy, an arrow and a number are displayed to indicate the gearshift recommendation and the suggested gear.

Precise instruments for agile handling
Designing a good grand tourer coupé is a particular challenge to the developers of the running gear, since the car’s handling must reflect its sporty performance and elegance at every turn. That means precise steering, high agility and outstanding directional stability combined with excellent ride and suspension comfort, to make even the longest journey a relaxing pleasure.

Even when stationary, the Audi A5 makes a dynamic impression: the wide track, large wheels and short overhangs not only point to its muscular appearance, they also form part of the formula that produces its peerless active driving feel. Audi engineers achieved this by creating an entirely new running gear design and the result is enough to make the Audi A5 the new standard for its class.

New suspension with lightweight design
The new five-link front suspension with a wide track of 1,590 mm plays a major role in this. The wheels are located by upper and lower wishbones manufactured from aluminium. The lightweight design of the suspension reduces the unsprung weight, thus enhancing driving comfort. The wishbones are mounted on a subframe, which is firmly bolted to the body for high rigidity.

The rear running gear features a trapezoidal-link rear suspension with completely new kinematics, also largely made from aluminium. The optimum tuning of the dampers effectively reduces movement of the body while also ensuring very good suspension comfort.

quattro – superb handling in every situation
The Audi A5 2.0 TFSI quattro models constantly supply power to all four wheels. The quattro permanent four-wheel drive delivers superior roadholding capabilities and offer impressive enhancements in vehicle handling and safety, resulting in an effortless independence in the way you travel, untroubled by external factors.

The permanent four-wheel drive system not only considerably improves traction, it also enables the wheels to transmit greater lateral forces. This in turn means greater driving enjoyment and safety. The handling of the Audi A5 quattro also benefits from better directional stability, a much lower sensitivity to side winds, and excellent towing vehicle qualities.

A self-locking centre differential controls the optimum power distribution. As in numerous other Audi models, this distributes 40 percent of engine power to the front axle and 60 percent to the rear axle at its basic setting for optimum handling. This asymmetric/dynamic torque distribution adjusts automatically to the driving situation and the grip conditions, and the self-locking centre differential responds to changes in the road surfacewithin a fraction of a second.

“Vorsprung durch Technik”: background to S tronic

Audi has led the field in transmissions for many years. The introduction of quattro all-wheel drive in 1980 was a milestone in the history of automotive technology, and S tronic is a prime example of the company’s basic claim to leadership in this area.

The first Audi with a dual-clutch transmission underwent initial tests as long ago as November 1985, in the Sport quattro S1 that Walter Röhrl drove in World Rally Championship events with Christian Geistdörfer as his navigator. Röhrl, the finest rally driver of his time, described his 350 kW (476 hp) sports car as “a formidable thing” and a “natural phenomenon,” and the high-tech transmission provided him with even more powerful performance.

The dual-clutch transmission, which was controlled electrically by a short touchaction control lever in the S1, could shift through its five gears at lightning speed. Since power flow was not interrupted, there was no loss of boost pressure from the five-cylinder engine’s turbocharger. A dualclutch transmission was also installed in the S1 in 1987 during training for Röhrl’s victorious storming of Pikes Peak, the hillclimb held in Colorado.