Yahoo Autos New Cars for 2017: Audi
A4/S4: We hope you liked the styling of the old A4, because the new-for-2017 A4 is a Kentucky cousin if ever there were one. A revitalized version of the corporate turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four rates at 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, up by 32 ponies and 15 pound-feet, respectively. A high-fuel-economy “Ultra” model uses the same engine but with a lower-power Miller combustion cycle and just 190 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque. The upside? Best-in-class EPA city/highway ratings of 27/37 mpg, compared to the regular A4’s 25/33 mpg best. A new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic replaces the previous car’s conventional eight-speed auto. Comfort comes by way of standard leather seating surfaces and a sunroof, not to mention a remarkably low C/D–recorded interior noise level of just 63 dBA. Drivers looking for a little more pep in their A4’s step will want to cool their heels until the 2018 S4 goes on sale in early 2017. Featuring an all-new turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6, it will be available with only a ZF eight-speed torque-converter automatic, as Audi has killed the six-speed manual (insert sniffles and tears here) that was available in the previous S4. See A4 instrumented test ›› / See S4 first drive ››
A5: It’s not as if we didn’t know what to expect of the 2018 Audi A5. Underneath, it’s the same as the 2017 Audi A4 we recently tested, which we summed up in this way: “It doesn’t make much noise about it, but the A4 possesses a quiet competence that is as wonderful as it is easily misunderstood.” See first drive ››
S5: At the media drive event for its new A5 and S5 coupes, Audi repeatedly proclaimed the cars to be design icons, as if looking to imbue them with an ineffable status. When Ingolstadt trotted out the first A5 at the 2007 Geneva auto show, jaws quietly dropped. It was a subtle car; its sinew was suggested, rather than paraded. It was an undoubtedly lovely automobile. Fine to drive, too, especially in manual-transmission S5 form, where it took on the character of a quietly brutish hooligan, more back-of-the-pub rude boy than flamboyant Ted or greased-up rocker. See first drive ››
A8/S8: Audi’s big sedan goes long for 2017, as the regular-wheelbase A8 has been discontinued. The S8 continues to ride on the five-inch-shorter standard wheelbase.
Q7: Redesigned for the 2017 model year, the three-row Q7 employs high-strength steel and plenty of aluminum components to shed more than 270 pounds compared with the previous model, according to our scales. Despite the weight savings, Audi managed to carve out an additional 1.6 inches of headroom in both the front and second rows, as well as an additional 1.7 inches of second-row legroom. The 3.0-liter TDI is a victim of VW’s Stupidgate, or whatever we’re calling it now, and has been banished from our shores, leaving the excellent supercharged 3.0-liter gas V-6 as the sole engine choice. Producing 333 horsepower and 325 pound-feet, it delivers the goods via an eight-speed automatic and standard all-wheel drive. Inside, Audi’s 12.3-inch TFT instrument-cluster display is available as the industry’s first onboard IMAX screen (okay, maybe Tesla’s was first). To distract us from the abrupt departure of the 3.0-liter diesel, Audi is prepping its high-performance SQ7 with a 4.0-liter diesel V-8 using two conventional turbochargers as well as an electric-powered supercharger, the first in a production car. It delivers 435 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque in case you need to pull down any skyscrapers on your way to the school pickup circle. It’s bolted to an eight-speed automatic. While the official release date is still up in the air, we expect the SQ7 sometime in the second half of next year. See test ››
R8: MIA in the States for the 2016 model year, this mid-engine supercoupe is back in all its naturally aspirated glory for 2017. Gone are the V-8 engine and manual transmission; a 5.2-liter V-10 paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is the only powertrain for the second-gen R8. The V-10 comes in two states of tune, letting buyers choose between the 540-hp, 398-lb-ft V-10 in the standard R8 and the 610-hp, 413-lb-ft unit in the extra-cost R8 Plus. Both powertrains feed a special application of Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system that emulates a rear-drive vehicle. Lighter by a claimed 77 pounds, the R8 V-10 Plus also gets standard carbon-ceramic brakes; carbon-fiber rear diffuser, front lip spoiler, mirror housings, and rear wing; and—for the first time ever in the U.S.—one-piece racing seats. See test ››
TT RS (shown above): The latest TT RS arrives stateside in the middle of 2017 as a 2018 model. A turbocharged, aluminum-block five-cylinder engine producing 400 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque should provide ample acceleration: Audi estimates a zero-to-60 time of 3.7 seconds. A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is the only available transmission. A pair of large oval tailpipes, larger front air intakes, and a fixed rear wing differentiate the TT RS from lesser TTs. Although offered in both coupe and roadster versions in Europe, only the coupe body style will make the trip to the U.S. See official photos and info ››
Minor trim changes: A3/S3, A6/S6, A7/RS7/S7, Q3, TTS
Unchanged: Allroad, Q5/SQ5, TT coupe/roadster