The Audi S5 Sportback TDI gets a muscle boost from ABT

When Audi announced that its “S” model range would be primarily diesel, many people were left puzzled. However, after carefully analysing the move by the firm of the four rings, we discovered that it was not such a crazy plan. The same thought has crossed the minds of the team at ABT, who had no qualms about giving the Audi S5 Sportback TDI a bit of bite with a much spicier tuning and an aggressive, sporty look.

The German firm wanted to make sure its new range of diesel sports vehicles delivered exactly that: sporty behaviour. To do so, Audi’s engineers decided to use a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine capable of producing 347 CV and 700 Nm of torque. Thanks to these figures, the S5 Sportback can go from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 250 km/h.

It is no surprise that the German tuner has seen potential in Audi’s diesel vehicles, which is why it has decided to give the S5 Sportback a bit of a tweak. Starting with the styling, we find 20-inch wheels with a specific design, which match perfectly with a new suspension setup that not only substantially improves the S5’s dynamics but also lowers its bodywork by between 15 and 40 mm.

As the final touch, ABT has added various black-finished parts, which help create a more attractive contrast and add plenty of sportiness and aggressiveness to the whole. But it is in the mechanical section where the tuner has worked its magic, thanks to which the S5 Sportback has been able to show muscle and character.

Thanks to the relevant modifications to the ECU of the German saloon, ABT has managed to extract from the V6 TDI a total power output of 384 CV and 760 Nm of torque. For now, the tuner has made no statements about the S5’s performance after these upgrades, but we can infer that the 0 to 100 km/h sprint could be completed in a very respectable 4.5 seconds and that the top speed has been removed.

ABT has wanted to reaffirm, together with Audi, that diesel and sportiness are not a pairing that should be interpreted as an outrage. For now, this is the strategy the firm of the four rings has decided to follow, and the tuner not only respects it but has also known how to take advantage of it to make Audi’s S models an even sportier range of vehicles.