New Sportback Will Be the Least Expensive Member of the 2018 Audi A5 and S5 Family

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Audi’s A5 and sportier S5 have been the brand’s coupe and convertible offerings in the mid-size space, but for the new-generation version arriving for 2018, they’ll be joined for the first time by a four-door fastback, the Sportback. The company has just released pricing for the A5/S5 family, and the Sportback is the least expensive of the bunch, undercutting the two-door coupe by $200.

The Sportback is offered in both A5 and S5 guise, with Quattro all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission standard on both. The A5 is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four with 252 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque, while the S5 gets a turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 good for 354 horsepower and 369 lb-ft. The A5 Sportback, in Premium trim, starts at $43,575, which makes it the lowest-priced A5 variant. The S5, which skips the Premium trim level and starts at Premium Plus, has a base price of $55,375, which again is the lowest figure we find for the S5. It also represents an upcharge of $8800 over the Premium Plus A5 Sportback. Both the A5 and S5 also are offered in top-spec Prestige trim, at $51,175 (A5) and $59,775 (S5).

The two-door coupe is $200 dearer, whether we’re talking A5 or S5. So that’s $43,775 for the four-cylinder Premium and $55,575 for the V-6 Premium Plus. Interestingly, the A5 coupe—but not the Sportback—offers the additional choice of pairing the turbo four with a six-speed manual transmission. Pricing for the manual is identical, and it’s not restricted to the base car; it’s available in all three trim levels. An A5 Premium Plus is $46,775, while the Prestige runs $51,375 (both figures, again, are $200 more than the Sportback). The S5 Prestige sits atop the coupe pyramid at $59,975.

The droptop is the most expensive body style, and it, too, is offered in the same five variants (three A5 and two S5). No manual here, though. The convertible opens at $50,575 for the A5 Premium and climbs to $67,675 for the S5 Prestige.

Interestingly, Audi’s pricing strategy exactly follows that of the BMW 4-series, the only other premium brand to field both a two-door and a four-door coupe in this class. The 2017 BMW 430i is $42,945 in four-door, Gran Coupe form, and $43,145 ($200 more) as a two-door. The spread is the same for the 440i: $49,295 for the Gran Coupe, $49,495 for the regular coupe. Coincidence? Probably not.

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