Straight after Audi’s update of the whole A5 range, including the Coupé and cabrio models, Ingolstadt has decided to improve the line-up further with the introduction of a brand new engine.
Don’t get too excited, it’s not a twin-turbo V8 replacement for the 4.2 FSI, but it is an economical and torquey four-pot 1.8-litre TFSI.
Audi claims fuel consumption improvements of up to 21 per cent with 5.7 litres-per-100km economy, all the while powering the wheels with 320Nm of torque and 170bhp. The engineers managed this feat by combining direct and indirect injection ideas, and improving the cooling systems with an electric motor that controls the flow of coolant.
The new engine is also lighter (down from 135kg for the old motor to 131.5kg for the new one) because of reduced cylinder wall thickness (thanks to a new casting process which retains block strength), while the crankshaft features just four counterweights rather than eight. The pistons are also lightweight but high-strength alloy, and engineers went as far as ensuring many screws are made of aluminium.
When the new engine arrives in the GCC next year with the updated A5, it will propel the Coupé version from 0-100kph in 7.9 seconds.
