Our Fleet Test Drive: Audi A5 Sportback - 8th Report
Date:
10 May 2011
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Author: Guy Bird
3D satnav
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Category: | Sports | P11D price: | £29,310 | Key rival: | BMW 3 Series | |
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The revelation came the other day approaching the Tower of London.
For some reason I zoomed in closer to the satnav screen than normal and the 2D map transformed at 100 yards into 3D - with grey blocks sprouting up all along the road I was driving to indicate the height and size of the buildings around me. And then came the best bit of all. Zooming further I noticed that big landmarks like the Tower of London and Tate Modern were more than just 3D blocks of grey but wonderfully detailed renderings good enough to grace one of those 3D architectural sketches on the Grand Designs TV show. Kevin McCloud would be proud. The Budget seems to have run out beyond the big tourist destinations but the detail is still very impressive. If Audi would just ditch the way the annoying non-intuitive satnav knob has to be turned anti-clockwise to scroll downwards or to enlarge the map screen (rather than the more logical clockwise) plus allow more characters to be input into postcodes (only five is not enough for the UK) it would have a system that matched its superb graphics. Meantime, I'm off to see more London sights along the river.
Audi A5 Sportback 2.0 TDI SE Multitronic 143hp | Mileage | 1356 | Claimed combined consumption | 48.7mpg | Our average consumption | 34.4mpg | P11D price | £29,310 | Model price range | £25,455-£38,725 | CO2 (tax) | 152g/km/22% | BIK 20/40% per month | £107/£215 | Service interval | up to 19,000mls/2yrs | Insurance | group 22E | Warranty | 3yrs/60,000mls | Boot space (min/max) | 480/980 litres | Engine size/power | 1968cc/143hp | Top speed/0-62mph | 127mph/9.7secs | Why we’re running it | To see if the A5 really can combine practicality with style in everyday living | Positive | Exterior looks, interior quality, 3D satnav | Negative | Low roofline, incomplete nav functionality |
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