Description:
The big sellers in the facelifted Audi A5 range will definitely be the diesels, but the entry-level 1.8-litre TFSI petrol car looks like great value, too.
Even though it’s the cheapest model in the line-up, this four-cylinder turbo produces 168bhp – and this is all the power you’ll ever need out on the road.
That’s because peak torque arrives at anywhere between 1,400rpm and 3,700rpm, ensuring a surge of acceleration every time you press the throttle pedal. It’s enough for a 0-62mph time of 7.9 seconds – virtually identical to that of the higher-powered 2.0-litre TDI engine.
Step out of a diesel and into this car, and you’ll be amazed at how refined it is. At idle you can barely hear – or feel – the engine running, and it revs so quietly that pulling away smoothly requires a bit of practice as you have to base the amount of revs used on what you see on the rev counter, rather than the noise.