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2018 Audi A5 and S5 Sportbacks are coming to America

Fans of hatchbacks have cause for celebration, because Audi confirmed the 2018 A5 and S5 Sportback models are coming to the US. The five-door variant of the classy A5 coupe and convertible line will appear in America this spring. Pricing was not announced. While we will be getting the hatchback, we won't get every powertrain option offered in Europe. Those versions will be offered with an array of gas and diesel engines, and some will be available with a manual transmission. We'll only get two engines here, and they both come with automatics. The standard A5 Sportback will come with the same turbocharged four-cylinder as the A5 coupe and convertible and the A4 sedan. It makes 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque of torque and is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The S5 Sportback gets the same 354-horsepower turbocharged V6, which also makes 369 lb-ft of torque and sends power through a conventional 8-speed automatic. Both Sportback models are nearly as fast as their two-door siblings, reaching 60 mph in 5.7 and 4.5 seconds respectively. That's just a tenth of a second slower than either coupe. The Sportback also has one more difference compared with the European version. All American A5 Sportback models will come with Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive. The Sportbacks feature similar interiors to their coupe and convertible brethren, along with the same infotainment options. This includes the available Virtual Cockpit LCD instrument panel and MMI system. Of course the biggest difference between the Sportback and the two-door models is space. Audi claims the Sportback has twice as much cargo room as the coupe. And the back seat will obviously be much more comfortable and usable. View 14 Photos You don't sacrifice too much in style, either. The A5 coupe's distinctive, Coke-bottle character line has made the transition to a longer profile gracefully, and it's complemented by the greenhouse inspired by the bigger A7 Sportback. So if you've always wanted an A5 for its looks, but felt you needed something more practical, you won't have to compromise with the Sportback. Related Video:

Audi A3-based people mover in the works

We have yet another announcement of yet another new Audi, including yet another obligatory quote from Audi research and development chief Wolfgang Dürheimer that there's room for it in the Audi range. On the sidelines of reports about the diesel-hybrid sports car, derived from the R18 endurance racer, there have been remarks about a possible MPV. Now Auto Express reports that said MPV "is on the way" and will be based on the A3 Sportback.
Previous speculation has posited either a six- or seven-seat people carrier; if the AE report is to be believed then five seats is the number that's been settled on. Planned to rest on a stretched version of the A3 platform, its wheelbase would be nearly eight inches longer than that of the A3 Sportback and it would compete against the Mercedes-Benz B-Class and the production version of the BMW Concept Active Tourer.
Audi is not going to dally about it, either, with a concept said to be ready for debut next year. Should it come, it would mean the A3 range comes pretty close to hitting for the cycle.

Audi's next S7 spotted sporting Prologue-inspired nose

Our spy photographers caught the next-generation S7 testing at the Nurburgring, and this newest version, while still retaining the S7's hatchback profile, updates it with design cues from the Prologue concept. The front is the most distinctly updated part of the car, and pulls the most from the concept. The grille has been widened and given more defined corners that exaggerate the hexagonal shape. The headlights have been slimmed down and are more in line with the grille. These changes give the front of the new S7 a lower, wider look than its predecessor. Speaking of grilles, we also spot a heat exchanger tucked inside the grille opening on the left corner. We're not sure if this is an intercooler, an additional radiator or perhaps an oil cooler, but clearly something needed a bit more airflow. We don't really have any indications of what powertrain the new version will have, but it will probably have a higher output than the current 450-horsepower S7. Moving around to the back, the much-loved arching hatchback profile drops to a revised tail. The taillights, like the headlights, are more slender than they used to be, and they also appear to have been stretched closer to the center of the rear fascia. The base of the hatchback opening appears to have been widened as well. This doesn't have much of an effect on style, but it should make it easier to load cargo into the S7 and its stablemates. As for when we'll see this new hatch revealed, we're not sure. But this prototype looks close to production-ready, so we could see a debut soon, perhaps sometime next year. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Audi S7 spy photos View 19 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Spy Photos Audi Hatchback Luxury Performance audi s7