Coupe de grace

It's a pun we've used, but it fits the Audi A5 to the T.

Information has many qualities. A new one that's becoming more obvious (and a headache to the secretive) is its ability to leak like the proverbial faucet.

The latest victim of information leakage is Audi, who had their new A5's thunder stolen a bit. Days before the official announcement was due, various auto news websites and blogs already had A5 pictures. The car is due for its world debut at Geneva next week.

As you read this, Audi has released the full gen on the new car. As we knew, Audi had the A4-based Nuvolari Concept inspired car in development. Meet the A5.

The latest in the Audi stable will be aimed straight at the Mercedes CLK and is expected to slot neatly between the BMW 3-series and 5-series cars.

Which is a complicated, though clear, way of saying that the A4 and the A6 are no longer adjacent siblings. Audi expects to open order books in March itself, with first deliveries due June in Europe.

The most striking thing about the A5, of course, is the look. Walter da Silva, according to the press release, says this is his best design so far, "with absolute conviction" (BSM consensus, however, is the Alfa Romeo 156). That said, it is a very handsome car.

The usual Audi design language has evolved nicely for the car and the gentle, but taut curves that mark the A5 look very good. Instead of a standard sloped coupe boot line, the car also sports a more of a notchback-style rear, which is easy on the eye, and will swallow gargantuan amounts of luggage as well.

Inside the A5 is the usual understated, classy Audi stateroom, with a high and proud MMI display screen. And the A5's key will store critical vehicle information so that the car's easier to get into service.

The car, as we've said, is based on the A4 platform but there are few crucial differences. The biggest one is that the engine is no longer "overhung" (position on or ahead of the front axle).

This has the twin benefits of creating a short front overhang for the A5 and allows the Audi boffins to create a more dynamic package with better weight distribution longitudinally.

It's a spacious, long coupe, but Audi says the new engine position (the technical term is vehicle architecture) allows them to create more responsive automobiles in dynamics terms without compromising the space or packaging requirements.

Making the whole thing possible is the Audi A8 trick of placing the front axle diff in front of the clutch.

Suspension wise, the rear has a trapezoidal-link form which, Audi says, improves ride quality,apart from directional stability. The suspension is mainly aluminium and the rear suspension is also credited with lowering pitching under braking.

As is normal, the car will debut with a slew of engine options. Petrol motors span the 170 bhp 1800cc TFSI (all-new turbocharged inline-four engine) to the 3200cc FSI V6 which is good for 265 bhp.

The FSI, the range topping engine, now has a two-stage valve lift system that will spread 33 kgm out from 3000 to 5000 rpm. Limited to 250 kph, the A5 3.2 FSI will manage a 6 second 0-100 kph run. There will be two V6 diesels, a 190 bhp 2700cc TDI and a 240 bhp 3000cc TDI.

The latter is a 50 kgm monster that actually beat the flagship petrol to 100 kph by 0.1 clicks. The six-speed manual transmission is standard, although the top petrol and diesel models can be had with a multitronic CVT gearbox.

Audi also announced that shortly joining the A5 will be its more muscular variant, the S5. The S5, no surprise here, will be more powerful, employing the S-tandard 4200cc V8. That's 354 bhp, 40 kgm. If the S6 and S8 are anything to go by, here's another superfast gentleman's express for the masses.