Audi's 2017 A5 Sportback is a coupe that's also a sedan that's also a coupe
There's a good chance this one might come to the US, as well.
You can't make anyone happy these days. Oh, you bought a sedan? Why isn't it a coupe? Oh, you bought a coupe? Why isn't it a sedan? For the people who insist on this strange line of questioning each year, Audi has just the car for you -- the 2017 A5 Sportback.
The A5 Sportback has existed for seven years now. It's a competitor to the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, which is also a coupe that's been given a swoopy-backed sedan variant. Think of it as the car equivalent of the BMW X6 or Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. Better yet, think of it as a smaller Audi A7. Yeah, that's probably the best analogy.
Nearly all the difference between the Sportback and the standard A5 is contained in that last paragraph. It's almost exactly the same otherwise. Like the regular A5, buyers can opt for a standard A5 Sportback or the sporty, 354-horsepower S5 Sportback. There's also an Audi A5 Sportback g-tron, which can run on gasoline, natural gas or Audi's e-gas, which is a synthetic type of gasoline.
The tech is all the same as what you'll find in the A5. The updated Sportback now offers Virtual Cockpit, which replaces your gauge cluster with a huge, reconfigurable screen. There are a number of safety systems on offer, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, parking assist, blind spot monitoring and lane keep assist. Tick the right option boxes, and you can get a 4G LTE modem with Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity, as well.
Traditionally, the A5 Sportback has remained a non-US affair. But given the rising popularity of capacious crossovers and coupe-sedan things, it wouldn't come as a surprise if the A5 Sportback finally made its way to the States this time around. The cars will arrive in Europe at the start of next year.
2017 Audi A5 Sportback: Because regular sedans aren't cool enough for whatever reason
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