Not content with the first spyshots of the upcoming 2017 Audi A5, our European spies have managed to record a video of a prototype making the rounds on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, giving us a better look at the second-generation A4 coupé.
As with the new A4, the styling of the next A5 look to be evolutionary to the point that it’ll be very hard to differentiate between old and new on the road. The head- and tail lights look quite a bit more three-dimensional than before, and the haunches have been made a tad more muscular, but apart from that everything else looks identical to the current car.
Of course, underneath the familiar skin it’ll be all-new, riding on a development of the MLB platform, dubbed MLB Evo. Already seen on the new Q7 and A4, it has the potential to bring along significant weight savings – up to 120 kg in the case of the A4 –so we’re expecting the same drop in heft with the A5.
Engine options should be carried over from the new A4, so expect the usual range of turbocharged petrol and diesel mills, including 190 hp/252 hp petrol and 150 hp/190 hp diesel 2.0 litre four-pots as well as a 218 hp/272 hp 3.0 litre V6 diesel.
This being a more upmarket model than its sedan and estate brethren, we’re not expecting the base 150 hp 1.4 litre TFSI petrol engine to feature here, but on the other end of the scale, S and RS models are almost a certainty further down the line.
There should also be a choice of six-speed manual, eight-speed automatic and seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmissions, as well as the usual front- or quattro four-wheel drive options.
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