2017 Audi A5 and S5: The Difference is in the Details

If you’re looking for a revolution in design, you won’t get it from the next-generation Audi A5 and S5.

Audi unveiled its redesigned personal luxury coupe last night, following a glitzy light show at the automaker’s Ingolstadt, Germany headquarters. The 2017 versions of the A5 and performance-oriented S5 give traditional German luxury car buyers exactly what they want — more room, more power, and design changes that don’t go over the top.

Now riding atop the company’s MLB evo platform, the coupes have grown in length, wheelbase and track, while shedding about 132 pounds.

In the styling department, Audi didn’t stray far from the script. The new models sport a careful evolution of the previous design, now with more creases and contours. The grille grows in width, and Matrix LED headlights add some front end jewelry to the shapely body.

The new models have better torsional rigidity than their predecessors, along with upgraded steering and a redesigned suspension featuring driver-actuated damper control.

Because it was a European reveal, not every engine listed will find its way to North America. The existing lineup of engines was massaged by Audi’s engineers to gain power (a 17 percent overall increase, the automaker says) and efficiency, but the big news is the upgraded mill under the hood of the S5.

The turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 makes 354 horsepower and 368.8 pounds-feet of torque, giving the S5 the grunt to make the 0–62 mile per hour run in 4.7 seconds.

Buyers have a choice of six-speed manual, seven-speed dual-clutch, and eight-speed automatic transmissions, depending on the model and powerplant. Every technology upgrade Audi could rustle up — especially in the area of automated safety features — is included in the new model.

The next-generation A5 and S5 goes on sale in Europe this fall, and should appear on American shores next year.

[Images: Audi AG]