Still amongst essentially the most bizarre decisions Audi has ever made, its AUDI sub-brand (yes, that’s just Audi in all caps) has finally launched its E5 Sportback, some five months after it made its debut at Auto Shanghai. The timing can have been tardy, but this primary three way partnership model with SAIC wasted no time racking up the orders, with 10,153 pre-sales achieved inside just half-hour of the launch.
Built on the co-developed Advanced Digitised Platform (ADP) and sharing componentry with the likes of the IM L6 and LS6, the E5 Sportback is accessible in 4 variants, with prices starting from 235,900 yuan (RM139,000) to 319,900 yuan (RM188,500) – in regards to the same as an A5L. For that cash, you get a selection of either rear- or quattro all-wheel drive, each in standard and long range versions.
In standard trim, the E5 Sportback makes 299 PS (220 kW) and 420 Nm of torque, getting it from zero to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds. With a 76 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, the claimed range is 618 km on China’s lenient CLTC cycle.
The quattro variant boosts the rear motor to 314 PS (231 kW) and 475 Nm and adds a front motor making 211 PS (155 kW) and 250 Nm. This ends in a complete system output of 525 PS (386 kW) and 725 Nm, rocketing the automobile to 100 km/h in only 3.9 seconds. Despite this, a rather larger 83 kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery enables the automobile to eke out barely more range at 623 km.
Stepping as much as the RWD plus model increases the battery capability still further to a round 100 kWh, enabling a formidable 773 km of range – very barely higher than previously predicted. It also boosts the rear motor to 408 PS (300 kW) and 500 Nm for a zero-to-100 km/h time of 5 seconds flat.
On the high quality sits the long range quattro that turns the facility to 11 – the rear motor to an astonishing 515 PS and the front motor to 272 PS (200 kW) and 300 Nm. All in all, this thing produces a heady 787 PS (579 kW) and 800 Nm, blitzing the century sprint in only 3.4 seconds. With the identical 100 kWh battery, the range is barely shorter at 647 km.
When it comes to DC fast charging, the E5 might be topped up from 10 to 80% in under 13 minutes for the bottom model and 17 minutes with the biggest 100 kWh battery. One outlier is the mid-tier quattro version, which takes a yawning 35 minutes for a similar metric; we suspect that this variant has a 400-volt electrical architecture relatively than the same old 800 volts. Also disappointing is AC charging speed that’s capped at just 6.6 kW for the lower-rung models, and even the 100 kWh battery only maxes out at 11 kW.
Under the skin, the E5 rides on double-wishbone front and five-link rear suspension, with air suspension, adaptive dampers and rear-wheel steering fitted to the flagship quattro variant. A 6.6 kWh vehicle-to-load (V2L) function is fitted standard.
Essentially the production version of last yr’s E concept, the E5 has been catered specifically for the Chinese customer. It being spun off from the fundamental Audi brand means it might ditch Ingolstadt’s iconic design cues, resembling the “quattro” box flares and the singleframe grille.
Of their place are rounded haunches and a brand new Light Frame – a black ring that encircles your complete front end, incorporating the slim LED headlights with optional matrix technology, the AUDI script, driving assistance sensors and air inlets. That is framed by an illuminated tessellated pattern made up of greater than 1,000 lighting elements, which include a welcome animation on the top-spec model.
Moving further back, you’ll discover a black roof and a kinked window line that leads as much as the thick body-coloured D-pillars, while the rear end receives the identical Light Frame because the front, here forming the taillights. A front spoiler, flush pop-out door handles, an elongated rear wing and optional digital rear view mirrors improve aerodynamic efficiency, with a drag coefficient as little as 0.252.
Step inside through the also-optional powered doors and also you’ll find that the E5 Sportback adopts several design cues already common in Chinese vehicles. These include a full-width 27-inch panel that includes a driver’s display and a single infotainment touchscreen for the centre and front passenger, in addition to headrest speakers (connected to an available Bose sound system) and an expansive centre console with storage for 2 phones and a 50-watt Qi wireless charger.
You furthermore may get ambient lighting strips built into the wood inlays – imported from North America, no less, AUDI claims – and an optional electrochromic glass roof. Particular attention has been paid to the front seats, which feature a nine-layer composite structure for optimum support and an eight-point massage function with 4 modes and three speed settings.
The E5’s infotainment is underpinned by a brand new AUDI OS, running on the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip and coming with an AI-powered AUDI Assistant – this, as is common for Chinese cars lately, can accept multiple commands directly, and is visualised through a 4.29-inch AUDI Smart Island touch panel with 24 “personalities”. There’s also an app store that includes facial recognition, plus a zonal electrical architecture that enables next-generation connectivity and over-the-air updates for all vehicle systems.
It is a automobile designed for China, so after all the E5 gets highly-automated city and highway driving in the shape of AUDI 360 Assisted Driving. Due to a lidar sensor, Adaptive Cruise Assist can evade obstacles, discover red lights and perform automated lane changes and U-turns; it might even detect tricycles and delivery riders, Audi says. Autonomous emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert with auto brake and a door opening warning all come as standard.
GALLERY: AUDI E5 Sportback at Auto Shanghai 2025
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This Article First Appeared At paultan.org
