The fully redesigned Audi S5 is excellent. It drives better than ever, and looks excellent. There’s only one problem: we don’t get the wagon. Like so many car enthusiasts, we have a serious soft spot for the looks and practicality of a wagon, especially when it’s as good as Audi’s peppy midsize luxury machine. German tuner ABT is just making this problem worse for us, as its new upgrade package for the wagon makes it even more powerful and cooler looking.
What It Comes With
On the mechanical side of things, the ABT-tuned S5 Avant doesn’t get many parts, but they make big differences. The engine is retuned, which takes the turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 from 362 horsepower to 434, and 406 pound-feet of torque to 443. Those are increases of 72 horsepower and 37 pound-feet, and the total output is nearly identical to that of the outgoing RS5 with its Porsche-derived 2.9-liter V6. Suspension is mostly left alone, except for the addition of lowering springs. These springs lower the car by an inch, and likely do more for the looks than the handling, but we’re fine with that.
As for the looks, ABT includes a number of exterior parts. At the front, it has a subtle lip spoiler, as well as new inserts for the outboard air intakes. At the rear, ABT fits a slight spoiler extension, as well as a set of intimidating 4-inch diameter exhaust tips in matte black. At all four corners are black 20-inch five-spoke wheels from ABT wearing 245-mm wide tires. The interior gets some additional subtle add-ons, such as illuminated door sills, some badging and custom floor mats.
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It’s Not Cheap
The downside to ABT’s package is that it’s rather pricey. It runs €14,600, or about $16,500 at the time of writing. That’s 18.2% of the price of a base Audi S5 Avant in Germany. The good news is that many of these parts can be purchased à la carte. As such, if you just want the performance upgrade, you can buy the tune separately. The same goes for the exterior body parts and the springs. So far, ABT is only offering these parts for the Avant wagon, but since the Sportback is practically identical, we would expect that it will soon get some love from the German tuner, too. And then Americans could potentially enjoy ABT’s upgrades, too, even if they won’t be able to have the wagon practicality.
#ABT #Avant
