Audi A5?!?!

["Greg Johnson" <gregsj@iea.com>]

?I’ve driven the A4 1.8t sedan and the A6 2.8 sedan (both had
tiptronic). This past weekend I
drove an A5 1.8t (TripT).  A5?!?!   Well, it’s actually called a
Passat, but in weight, dimensions, it
fits neatly between the A4 and A6.  It’s built on a stretched A4
chassis,  has the same engines
(1.8T or the 2.8 V6), the same trannys (5 speed or 5speed Tiptronic)
the same four link front
suspension; and while it will not be available until next spring,
Quattro (Syncro).  Hence, my A5
moniker. Check out the dimensions/specs for the wagons:

                    A6        A5        A4
Length:        192        183.8    176.7in
Width:        71.3        86.5       68.2in
Height:        58.2        59         56.7in
Weight:        3858     3460     3428lbs
Whlbase:    108.6     106.4     102.6in
Frnt Headrm:39.3       39.7      38.1in
Rr Headrm:  38.7        39.7     37.8in
Frnt Legrm;  41.3       41.5      41.2in
Rr Legrm:     37.3       35.3     33.3in
Lug Cap:      38.4        38.4     31 cu ft.
V6 lbs/hp     19.29      18.21    18.04
V6 lbs/fp      19.63      16.71    16.56
0-60             9.6          7.9        8.9
60-0              ??          132       135
Drag coef:     .29          .27        ??
MSRP$     32205     30350     31040 (Edmunds)

Observations: the “A5" is 400 lbs lighter than the A6 and about the
same as the A4.  The “A5" is
a lot wider than both of the Audis yet its drag coef is less than the
A6's.  Go figure.  While the
info I’ve been able to obtain is spotty and inconsistent, my
understanding is the A6 will be
available only with TripT.  The “A5" in a GLS designation can be had
with a 5spd man and
synchro.  The “A5" pricing set forth above was for the top of the line
GLX.  Someone opined that
a 5 speed w/syncro GLS could be had in the $27K to $28K range.  Time
will tell.

Driving: While I drove the cars months apart, the A4 felt like the
best handler to me.  The “A5"
and the A6 felt similar.  At 6'6" the A4 is simply to small for me, so
that leaves the other two.
Draw your own conclusions, but VW has me taking a second look,
particularly if the price turns
out to be $5k less.  That money could be spent on Performance
Engineered System’s
supercharger, which is supposed to include all the components needed
to turn Audi’s  30V into a
280 HP motor. Would that make it an S5?

GregJ