2024(2025?) Audi A5/S5 Avant (B10)

ssun30

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The MHEV plus is an embarrassing showcase of how bad their hybrid technology is.

It has a 1.78kWh 48V battery, larger than many high-voltage batteries on strong hybrids. It has a 25kW P2 motor plus a regular 10kW P0 motor, and I suspect also requires a regular 12V starter motor for cold starts. But the whole system still operates at 48V so it has much more losses than the 500-800 V of strong hybrids. So they have all the complexity/cost/weight of a strong hybrid, but only operates marginally better than a regular 48 V MHEV for regen and low-speed creeping.

BMW's Efficient Dynamics Evolution deleted the P0 motor and 12V starter and combined them into a P1 starter generator, and still has a relatively small 48V battery (0.96kWh). And that system could still do 16kW of regen.

European brands just keep re-inventing the wheel instead of swallowing their pride and adopt the tried-and-true serial-parallel strong hybrid systems invented by Japanese brands. A 48 MHEV will ALWAYS be more expensive and heavier than the ICEV it replaces, while Toyota and Honda have achieved cost parity with ICEV and soon weight parity as well.

The only highlight on the powertrain side is this is perhaps the first use of variable geometry on a mainstream production petrol engine (previously it's only used in turbodiesels and really high end turbopetrol engines). It probably means VGT is now cheap enough for mainstream petrol cars and I hope that means the 400PS 2.0T engine Toyota is developing uses this technology.
 
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Gecko

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Looks like a damn kia there smh

I was thinking the same 😭

k-4.jpg
 

mikeavelli

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And random rant it just feels like a bunch of kids are designing cars to all look the same on the computer. A luxury car used to have luxurious proportions. It’s all so blended now. Part of it is Hyundai and Kia hired ex Audi, Bentley etc designers.

There might be a shift to Bentley and Rolls and Maserati because this is all so meh to me. Maybe I’m getting older but I’ve never seen the designs as appealing as I do now.

Wild cause maybe for a decade plus Audi design just didn’t miss…
 

Gecko

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And random rant it just feels like a bunch of kids are designing cars to all look the same on the computer. A luxury car used to have luxurious proportions. It’s all so blended now. Part of it is Hyundai and Kia hired ex Audi, Bentley etc designers.

There might be a shift to Bentley and Rolls and Maserati because this is all so meh to me. Maybe I’m getting older but I’ve never seen the designs as appealing as I do now.

Wild cause maybe for a decade plus Audi design just didn’t miss…

I agree, and same thing for interiors too. Where luxury cars once felt truly special and far elevated over mainstream brands... the lines are so blurred now that it makes you stop and wonder if the extra $$ is worth it on luxury brands.
 

Gor134

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I agree, and same thing for interiors too. Where luxury cars once felt truly special and far elevated over mainstream brands... the lines are so blurred now that it makes you stop and wonder if the extra $$ is worth it on luxury brands.
General ride comfort and high speed balance is still unmatched i would say, at least in the compact and midsize segments.. full size is almost non-existent for non-luxury but were very comfortable cars.
 

mikeavelli

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The usual cool lighting….

 

Gor134

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Apparently the taillights don't meet US regulations.

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We're gonna get these taillights instead. Will be interesting to see at night.
 

Sulu

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Curious to know the problem with the European taillights that causes the compatibility issue with US federal regulations?
 

Ian Schmidt

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Honestly, not saying this because I like the Audi a lot but I don't see it. The only similarity is the light bar which even then is flipped upside down. The lower valance is a different shape, the trunk design, rear quarter panel, C-pillar are all totally different in my eyes.
It's less the details than the things you'd immediately see. They have very similar fake spoilers, the lower part of the back end is the same basic shape, and the surfacing on the doors is quite similar. At a glance it reads as a Kia, and until you see the rings you don't know. That's great for Kia, not so much for Audi.