AUDI S5 SPORTBACK

Sounds loud, looks loud, drives fast and arrives in style. The Audi S5 Sportback gets a sharper suit for 2021

- AREEB SHERWANI

Type 3.0-litre V6 TFSI

Max power 354PS@5,400-6,400rpm

Max torque 500Nm@1,370-4,500rpm

0-100kmph 4.8s

Top speed 250kmph

Gearbox 8-speed tiptronic

LxWxH (mm) 4,765 x 1,845 x 1,390

Wheelbase 2,825mm

Price 79.06 lakh (exshowroom)

Sharp looks, enthusiastic engine, engaging exhaust note Limited rear headroom, steering feel, dated interiors

Looking fast standing still is a phrase so overused that I can’t help roll my eyes every time I hear it. Yet I can’t help look at the Audi S5 Sportback and feel that it does indeed look fast standing still. In fact it looks so fast that Audi has refrained from giving this bright shade of blue any fancy pants name like Azure this or Regal that or Sublime this or Magnetic that. It has cut to the chase and simply called it Turbo Blue.

Design

The S5 Sportback has been around for a few years now in pretty much this same shape. However a few cosmetic changes for this 2021 edition have really livened things up. The single-piece grille is the showstopper and a good lesson in how to do big grilles right. The honeycomb pattern matte black grille gets matte silver inserts and the air inlets get matte aluminium finished blade surrounds. You can also option the car in an all-black styling package, that deletes the chrome and brushed aluminium finishes.

The headlights are Matrix LEDs with adaptive illumination and dynamic turn signals, the swiping kinds that Audi pioneered.