Pairing of a 2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with an 8-speed automatic transmission nets the 2013 Audi A5 all-wheel-drive coupe an impressive EPA fuel-mileage rating of 20/30.
This level of economy for a 3,700-pound German-built product was unheard of only a few years ago.
After a busy week with the Audi, Jan and I parked it on a Friday night and rode with Stuart and Ruth Wright to the Denver Press Club for the annual Christmas party of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Wright was testing a new GMC Yukon XL (Suburban), borrowed from Weld County Garage for the Greeley-to-Denver drive.
The grand old press club, which I first visited in 1968, was decorated festively for the holidays, and Carmen Green, manager, was on hand to greet guests.
The RMAP gathering, sponsored by Mazda, featured the next-generation 2013 CX-9 and its “Soul of Motion” design outlined by Tetsu Nakazawa, vehicle line manager for the seven-passenger SUV.
“This is a game-changer for us,” said Nakazawa. “The fact that 80 percent of CX-9 purchasers are college graduates outshines the Toyota Highlander, with 74 percent, and Honda Pilot, with 68.” The new CX-9 has only recently begun showing up in Mazda showrooms.
Longtime automotive writer Charles A. Giametta of Colorado Springs will succeed Nathan Adlen as president of RMAP for the coming year.
Back home, we added more miles to the Audi A5 with a couple holiday shopping ventures. It’s a plain-looking coupe, with somewhat of a bull-nosed front, no great slope to its roof, and a rounded rear end. It sits low, with Goodyear Eagle 245/40R18 tires.
The Audi, as you’d expect, delivers great handling and outstanding comfort, and adults can actually squeeze their feet into the rear seating compartment in the two-door.
Though not quite as quick as V-6 competitors, the 4-cylinder turbo is responsive, particularly through use of the manual-mode shifter. It keeps the rev level purring.
Pricing on the A5 climbed to $48,560 from a base of $39,050 through addition of such amenities as Bang & Olufsen sound, parking assist with rearview camera, voice-control navigation, xenon lighting with LED headlights and taillights, heated front seats and auto-dimming heated exterior mirrors.
The menu for the infotainment screen offers choices for navigation, car, phone, radio, media (Bluetooth) and tone.
And, in a spirited tone, Jan and I shout “Merry Christmas” to all my readers.
Bud Wells can be reached via e-mail at bwells@denverpost.com.
