Saturday, October 3, 2009

10Best Test Notes: 2010 Audi A5 2.0T


This week we are running our annual 10Best test, evaluating 58 cars and winnowing them down to ten winners. All week we’ll be bringing you thoughts from our notepads. Here’s the first from today:
It’s hard to complain about European car companies screwing us on powertrain choices when the ones we actually do get are such [...]


Related posts:
  1. 10Best Test Notes: 2010 Audi S4
  2. 10Best Test Notes: 2010 Porsche 911
  3. 10Best Test Notes: 2010 BMW 328i

Audi 2


This week we are running our annual 10Best test, evaluating 58 cars and winnowing them down to ten winners. All week we’ll be bringing you thoughts from our notepads. Here’s the first from today:


It’s hard to complain about European car companies screwing us on powertrain choices when the ones we actually do get are such sweethearts. Take the Audi A5 for example. It’s available in the U.S. with just two of the seven engines offered to German customers, but I don’t care. In fact, I really only need one: the 2.0-liter turbo four under the hood of our manual-transmission 10Best tester. (A 3.2-liter V-6 is the other available engine.) The A5 is a pretty big car, but the 2.0T moves it smartly; the meaty powerband means that none of the 211 hp ever go to waste. Stir in that six-speed manual—which has one of the best clutch/shifter relationships in the business—and the A5 just gets better. The Europeans can keep their 0.2-liter, two-cylinder rattlecans that run on fairy whispers and stinky cheese. Just give me more of this sweet 2.0-liter, and I’ll stay a happy man.


Our 10Best winners will be announced in our January 2010 issue. Please check for it on newsstands on December 5.




Related posts:

  1. 10Best Test Notes: 2010 Audi S4
  2. 10Best Test Notes: 2010 Porsche 911
  3. 10Best Test Notes: 2010 BMW 328i




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